or


[01/29/13 - 11:05 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, January 29
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


BIG THUNDER (ABC) - Jason Fuchs's small screen take on Disney's famed roller-coaster ride - about "a brilliant, late 19th century New York doctor who relocates his family to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon" - has received a pilot order from the network. Chris Morgan also serves as an executive producer on the hour, from ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)


BRENDA FOREVER (NBC, New!) - Andrew Leeds and David Lampson have snagged a pilot order from the Peacock for a new high-concept comedy which follows the title role both as a 31-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl. Sony Pictures Television-based Fedora Entertainment is behind the half-hour with Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer executive producing alongside said duo. Ellie Kemper ("The Office") is reportedly in early discussions to topline the project. (Deadline.com)


GOTHICA (ABC) - Matt Lopez's drama - "a sexy gothic soap set in present day that weaves together a mythology that incorporates the legends of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray among others" - is moving forward to pilot at the Alphabet. Said hour is set up at ABC Studios with Mark Gordon and Nicholas Pepper of The Mark Gordon Company also on board as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS, THE (OWN) - John Schneider ("Smallville") is the first to be cast in Tyler Perry's upcoming drama, about the dynamics of the affluent Cryer family and the impoverished family of Hanna, their housekeeper, and the obstacles and secrets that exist within both families. He'll play Jim Cryer, the Cryer family patriarch. The one-hour series launches Wednesday, May 29 on the cable channel. (Deadline.com)


LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (OWN) - Jonathan Chase, Palmer Williams, Patrice Lovely, Kendra C. Johnson, Andre Hall and Darmirra Brunson have all been cast in the upcoming series, a half-hour comedy set at Love's Diner, where every day the menu serves up good food, great laughs, valuable life lessons and a whole lot of love for its zany neighbors. Lovely will play Hattie, the diner's owner, with Johnson and Hall as her daughter Linda and grandson Danny, respectively. Rounding out the cast are Chase as Danny's co-worker/best friend Sam; Brunson as Amber, Sam's neighbor; and Williams as Floyd. Tyler Perry Studios is behind the project, which launches Wednesday, May 29. (Deadline.com)


MURDER IN MANHATTAN (A.K.A. PARK & LEX) (ABC) - The Maria Maggenti-penned hour - about a mother and daughter who team up as amateur sleuths in New York City - is the latest to receive a pilot commitment at the Alphabet. DarkFire Television's Ryan Reynolds, Allan Loeb, Jonathon Komack Martin and Steven Pearl also serve as executive producers on the project, which is set up at ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)


RECKLESS (A.K.A. COUP) (ABC) - Chris Black's drama - about "a resourceful problem solver who, when his wife is unjustly imprisoned during a political uprising overseas, resorts to entering a world of political intrigue, dangerous alliances and high emotional stakes in order to get her out" - has been given a pilot order by the Alphabet. ABC Studios is behind the hour with Martin Campbell executive producing alongside Black. (Deadline.com)


WONDERLAND (NBC) - The Anthony E. Zuiker-produced drama - a sequel to Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" centering on a new character, Clara, who must wage war against Wonderland's reigning Queen, the woman we once knew as Alice - has scored a pilot commitment at the Peacock. Whit Anderson penned the hour, which is now set up at Universal Television after originally being shepherded by ABC Studios. Dare to Pass's Matt Weinberg as well as JoAnn Alfano and Margaret Riley of Brillstein Entertainment Partners are executive producing alongside Zuiker and Anderson. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Warner Bros. Pictures has given a green light to a big screen version of HBO's "Entourage" with creator Doug Ellin directing from his own script (Deadline.com); Steve Callaghan has been tapped as the new showrunner of "American Dad," succeeding co-creators Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman (Deadline.com); Neal Purvis and Robert Wade has been tapped to pen Gaumont International Television's proposed small screen take on "Barbarella" (Deadline.com); Eric Mabius will guest on "Blue Bloods" as "a likable and sexy multi-millionaire philanthropist with an unblemished record who may not be as perfect as he appears" (TVLine.com); and Mark Hamill will drop by the season finale of "The Neighbors" as a co-worker of Larry Bird's dad, played by the previously cast George Takei (TVGuide.com).






  [january 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICAN DAD (FOX)
· BIG THUNDER (ABC)
· BLUE BLOODS (CBS)
· BRENDA FOREVER (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ENTOURAGE (HBO)
· GOTHICA (ABC)
· HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS, THE (OWN)
· LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (OWN)
· MURDER IN MANHATTAN (ABC)
· NEIGHBORS, THE (ABC)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)
· RECKLESS (ABC)
· SMALLVILLE (CW)
· WONDERLAND (NBC)





[11/21/25 - 01:01 PM]
Netflix Wins Drama Series "Trigger Point" and Orders Hot Package Straight to Series
Joel Edgerton stars in an action crime drama about a group of former Tier One Special Forces Operators who sell their elite skills to the criminal underworld behind the front of a private military contracting firm - and the FBI agent who's hunting for them.

[11/21/25 - 12:13 PM]
"Henry David Thoreau" to Air on PBS March 2026
The three-part, three-hour film examines the life and work of the 19th-century writer in the context of antebellum New England and the larger United States, as well as through the universal themes he focused on in his writings.

[11/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Top L+7 Multiplatform Competitive Charts
Seven weeks into the 2025/26 broadcast season, "Tracker" is the #1 series, averaging 14.2 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.

[11/21/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: New Trailer of Upcoming Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret.

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This December
New films due next month include "The Family McMullen," A24's "Ne Zha II," A24 documentary "Architecton," and Bleeker Street's "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues."

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
"TMZ Presents: TMZ's Most Outrageous Moments of 2025" Premieres Tuesday, December 2 at 9/8c on FOX
TMZ brings you an ultimate year-end spectacle packed with the most jaw-dropping moments, epic surprises, and unforgettable blunders of 2025!

[11/21/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases Exclusive Sneak Peek of the New Season of "Love During Lockup"
The prequel to "Love After Lockup," "Love During Lockup," reveals the fascinating moments that occur when people in the free world look for love and begin relationships with inmates, capturing their journey as they count down the days, weeks, months, or even years until the anticipated release.

[11/21/25 - 07:39 AM]
Great American Media Celebrates "Christmas as It's Meant to Be" as the Exclusive Broadcast Home of the 2025 National Christmas Tree Lighting
Great American Media will exclusively broadcast the ceremony on Great American Family Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m. ET, with streaming available on Great American Pure Flix through January 31, 2026.

[11/21/25 - 06:03 AM]
FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw Presentation Features Unprecedented 3 1/2 Hours of Live Coverage on Broadcast Television
FOX Sports' veteran sportscasters Rob Stone and Jenny Taft will anchor the network's on-site broadcast alongside former U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) stars and acclaimed analysts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden.

[11/21/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When the sneaky director of a toy company kidnaps Santa, it's up to a father and son to rescue him and save Christmas from disaster.

[11/20/25 - 04:55 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to Season Highs with Epic "Prince Night"
The show rose dramatically over its year-ago penultimate episode in Total Viewers, with its best semifinals performance in seven years.

[11/20/25 - 02:50 PM]
Video: Watch the Trailers - "OWN for the Holidays" Returns with Three Festive New Movies
"Fake Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Showdown," and "Very Merry Mystery" are on tap in the coming weeks.

[11/20/25 - 01:16 PM]
"Christmas in Nashville" Unveils Star-Studded Performer Lineup for Dec. 3 Country Music Holiday Special on NBC
Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers, Lauren Alaina, NE-YO, The War and Treaty and Trace Adkins are set to perform holiday favorites.

[11/20/25 - 12:32 PM]
"The Tonight Show" Enters the Upside Down - "Stranger Things" Cast to Make a Series of Guest Appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
Millie Bobby Brown will co-host with Fallon on December 7, which is the final post-"Sunday Night Football" special episode of the season.

[11/20/25 - 12:30 PM]
Video: Acorn TV Debuts Trailer and Key Art for "The Madame Blanc Mysteries" Two-Part Christmas Special
Created by and starring Sally Lindsay, the special is set to premiere on Monday, December 15 and Monday, December 22, respectively, in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.