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[02/21/14 - 11:50 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 21
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
AGATHA (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Tom Donaghy; D: Jace Alexander) - Meta Golding and Jee Young Han are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about Agatha McAuliffe, a former convict turned big city criminologist who is brought in to help local police - including her estranged chief detective father - crack a case involving a perplexing disappearance. The former will play Stacy Soto, "a smart, sassy, tough-as-nails DA who is not only Agatha's nemesis but is dating Agatha's father"; while the latter is set as Chelsea Chen, "the rookie cop assigned to liaise Agatha." (Deadline.com)
AGENT X (TNT; W: William Blake Herron; D: Peter O'Fallon) - Geoffrey Blake ("Franklin & Bash") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Natalie Maccabee (Sharon Stone), the newly elected Vice President of the United States who is tasked with protecting the Constitution in times of great crisis with the aid of her Chief Steward and a secret operative designated "Agent X" (Jeff Hephner). He'll play Gray Lawson, the show's patrician and cool CIA director. Also starring are Gerald McRaney, Jamey Sheridan, John Shea and Mike Colter. (Deadline.com)
AMERICAN CRIME (ABC/ABC Studios; W/D: John Ridley) - Richard Cabral and Johnny Ortiz have both been cast in the drama pilot, which centers on a racially charged murder and the subsequent trial in California's Central Valley as seen through the personal lives of the players involved. Cabral will play Hector Tontz, "a hustler and occasional drug dealer who is implicated in the murder and attack of the young couple"; with Ortiz as Tony Gutierrez, "Alonzo's son who is eager for independence and sick of his dad's rules." Caitlin Gerard and Elvis Nolasco also star. (Deadline.com)
BAMBI COTTAGES (ABC/Sony; W: Brian Gallivan; D: TBA) - Molly Shannon ("Getting On") has scored the female lead in the comedy pilot, about Teddy (yet to be cast), an overworked father dreaming of being on vacation all year who decides to uproot his family from the city and move them to New Hampshire where they open a group of tourist cottages. She'll play his deadpan funny wife Cathleen, an exhausted but loving mother. (Deadline.com)
CONSTANTINE (NBC/Warner Bros.; W: Daniel Cerone & David S. Goyer; D: Neil Marshall) - Matt Ryan ("Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior") has booked the title role on the drama pilot, about an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond. He'll play said fellow, John Constantine, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. (Deadline.com)
DEAD BOSS (FOX/Warner Bros.; W: Patricia Breen; D: TBA) - Cedric Yarborough ("Rake") has booked a role on the comedy pilot, about Helen Stephens (Jane Krakowski), an overachiever who is wrongfully convicted of murdering her boss and forced to rely on her train wreck of a sister to prove her innocence. He'll play Tony, her good-natured, but a little schlumpy lawyer. (Deadline.com)
EXPOSED (ABC/Universal; W: Charles Randolph; D: TBA) - Sandrine Holt, Pedro Pascal and Peter De Jersey are the first to board the drama pilot, about Anna Loach (yet to be cast), an investigative journalist who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth including making questionable alliances. Holt is set as Jill Hwang-Joffe, Anna's managing editor who "wants her to look into the whistle blower story"; with Pascal as Anna's boyfriend Oscar Castro Vargas, "who's frustrated Anna is unwilling to take their relationship to the next level"; and De Jersey as Elvis Giroux, a once great rock critic, now West Coast Political Editor. (Deadline.com)
FOREVER (ABC/Warner Bros.; W: Matthew Miller; D: Brad Anderson) - Ioan Gruffudd ("Ringer") is set to star while Brad Anderson ("Almost Human") is on board to direct the drama pilot, about Dr. Henry Morgan, a 200-year-old man who spends his days working in the New York City Morgue trying to find a key to unlock the curse of his immortality. Gruffudd will play said fellow in the project, which also stars Judd Hirsch. Anderson will work from a script by creator Matthew Miller. (Deadline.com)
LIFESAVER (NBC/Universal; W: Wil Calhoun; D: TBA) - Christian Borle ("Smash") will star opposite Jonathan Ryland in the comedy pilot, about two polar opposites - the uptight, neurotic Graham Parmenter (Borle) and the energetic, large personality Leon Barrow (Ryland) - who become inextricably linked after the latter saves the former's life by giving him a kidney. He's set as the aforementioned Graham. (Deadline.com)
MARRY ME (NBC/Sony; W: David Caspe; D: Seth Gordon) - Tim Meadows ("Saturday Night Live") has been cast in the comedy pilot, about a young couple - Jake (Ken Marino) and Annie (Casey Wilson) - who get engaged, something they quickly realize is harder than it looks. He'll play one of Annie's two gay dads, both of whom are named Kevin. John Gemberling also stars. (Deadline.com)
MISTAKE, THE (CBS/Warner Bros.; W: David Mandel, Scott Silveri & Shana Goldberg-Meehan; D: Andy Ackerman) - Julianna Guill ("Underemployed") is the first to land a role on the comedy pilot, about Jeff and Gail O'Donnell (both yet to be cast), a couple who had just finished raising their kids when they discover they are pregnant. She'll play Gretchen, their "oldest child who has just landed a high-paying job as a consultant and is particularly embarrassed by her parents' pregnancy." (Deadline.com)
OLD SOUL (NBC/Universal; W: Amy Poehler, Jon Fener & Josh Bycel; D: David Wain) - Comedian Nick Thune has scored the male lead on the comedy pilot, about Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), a young woman who's trying to find herself, but in the meantime she's working as the aide to a group of elderly people. He'll play her roommate Charlie, who's a bit of hipster and too smart for his own good. Greta Lee and Rita Moreno also star. (Deadline.com)
SEA OF FIRE (ABC/Sony; W: Jenna Bans; D: Allison Liddi-Brown) - Kevin G. Schmidt ("The Young and the Restless") has snagged a role on the drama pilot, which chronicles the fallout from three teenage girls starring in a pornographic film, an event that tears their families apart and leads to a disappearance and a murder in their small town of Serenity Falls. He's set as Xander Harper, Jane's (yet to be cast) all-American athlete boyfriend who "becomes a suspect in her disappearance." Christina Chang, Isabelle Cornish, Jack Davenport, Jeffrey Nordling, Jennifer Carpenter, Keir Gilchrist, Lilli Birdsell and Zoe Soul also star. (Deadline.com)
SHADES OF BLUE (NBC, New!) - Jennifer Lopez is set to topline a new drama at the Peacock about Harlee McCord, "a single mother and detective recruited to work undercover for the FBI's anti-corruption task force. Part of a close-knit unit known for its conviction record, Harlee has become compromised by her colleagues - all of whom also pitch in to help her raise her daughter - and finds herself faced with the moral dilemma of working against her cop brothers in order to redeem herself." Universal Television is behind the hour, which has a 13-episode order for the 2015-16 season. Adi Hasak (3 Days to Kill) penned the pilot and is executive producing alongside Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina via their respective companies Nuyorican Productions, Ryan Seacrest Productions, EGTV and H's Films. (Deadline.com)
SOBER COMPANION (FOX/CTS; W: David S. Rosenthal & Jennie Snyder Urman; D: Don Scardino) - Ally Maki ("2 Broke Girls") has snagged a role on the comedy pilot, about Robert Lang (yet to be cast), a charming, but self-destructive attorney finds his world turned upside down when Jeremy Brummel (also yet to be cast), a court-appointed, and highly unconventional, sober companion takes control of his life. She's on board as Kamiko, "Robert's ex-wife, a Japanese party girl who likes to drink." Pete Davidson also stars. (Deadline.com)
TWO TO GO (NBC/Universal; W: Bryan Shukoff & Kevin Chesley; D: Craig Zisk) - Michael Stahl-David ("My Generation") is in final negotiations to star opposite Christine Woods in the comedy pilot, about longtime best friends Kurt and Laura, who grapple with the challenges of modern-day dating while their group of friends try and prove that they are destined to be together. He'd play the aforementioned Kurt, a charming mess who has never had a serious relationship. Echo Kellum also stars. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED WALL STREET PILOT (CBS/CTS; W: Ben Cavell, John Cusack, Kevin McCabe & Taylor Elmore; D: TBA) - Charlie Cox ("The Ordained") has landed the lead role on the drama pilot, which is set in the world of Wall Street power and money. He'll play Jackson Holliday, "a smart, sophisticated, Wall Street hedge fund trader, who served his country in Iraq, and possesses integrity and the desire to do good." (Deadline.com)
VISITORS, THE (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Soo Hugh; D: Mark Romanek) - Catalina Denis and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf are the latest additions to the drama pilot, billed as a race against the clock to defeat an unseen alien enemy out to destroy the world by using the Earth's most precious resource: children. She'll play Maria Martinez, a doctor "who tends to John Doe (Milo Ventimiglia) in the hospital"; while he's on board as Henry, "Agent Claire Bennigan's (yet to be cast) deaf, 7-year-old son who lost his dad to an accident three months ago." Barry Sloane and Derek Webster also star. (Deadline.com)
WARRIORS (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Chris Keyser; D: Martin Campbell) - Steve Kazee, Hampton Fluker and Justina Machado are all set to star in the drama pilot, about the best and brightest active duty military doctors and nurses as they practice trailblazing medicine. Kazee will play Tory's (Morena Baccarin) husband Clay with whom they have a daughter, Jo; with Fluker as Marlon Jones, George's (Don Hany) patient who's a double amputee; and Machado as Anna Stonecifer, a surgical nurse "who is impervious to George's teasing but not his bad jokes." Courtney B. Vance and Eloise Mumford also star. (Deadline.com, TVLine.com)
WEIRD LONERS (FOX/20th; W: Michael J. Weithorn; D: TBA) - Becki Newton ("The Goodwin Games") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about four relationship-phobic people who are unexpectedly thrust into one another's lives and form an unlikely bond in a townhouse in Queens, New York. She'll play Caryn Goldfarb, "a high-strung dental hygienist who is a pushover where handsome, charming men are concerned, but who always comes on too strong and fast for any relationship to last." Nate Torrence and Zachary Knighton also star. (Deadline.com)
WINKLERS (ABC/20th; W: Max Winkler, Phil Rosenthal & Rob Reinis; D: Phil Rosenthal) - Domenick Lombardozzi and Eva Amurri Martino have both scored roles on the comedy pilot, about an emotionally reserved construction worker who learns about love, life and hugs while unexpectedly living with his in-laws Henry (Henry Winkler) and Tita (Stacey Winkler). He'll play said fellow, Jack Conner, a tough, working class guy. Martino then is set as Emily, "Henry and Tita's spoiled, somewhat controlling daughter Emily who is married to Jack." (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Brooke Burke won't return as co-host of "Dancing with the Stars" this season (@BrookeBurke); "House of Cards" will hold off on production on season three until mid-June over pending tax breaks from the state of Maryland (Deadline.com); "Cabot College" creator Matt Hubbard has inked a new two-year overall deal with its producer Universal Television (Deadline.com); Mike Tyson and John Michael Higgins are both bound for the new season of "Franklin & Bash" (EW.com); Ryan Rottman's Theodore Chandler has been named a series regular on MTV's upcoming comedy "Happyland" (THR.com); and Kip Pardue will recur on "Ray Donovan" as FBI Agent Volchek, "who works for Hank Azaria's James Cochran, the ambitious head honcho of the Los Angeles FBI" (THR.com).
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[03/03/15 - 11:07 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, March 3
Updates include: IFC cancels "Garfunkel & Oates"; Jon Foo set as lead in "Rush Hour" at CBS; and Jack Gore is the "Problem Child" at NBC.
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[03/03/15 - 04:07 PM]
Idris Elba Steps Onto Set for "Luther" Two-Part Special
Rose Leslie, Laura Haddock, Darren Boyd, John Heffernan and Patrick Malahide also star alongside the returning Michael Smiley and Dermot Crowley.
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[03/03/15 - 03:18 PM]
Spike TV Partners with Dwayne Johnson for Event Programming Development Deal
Johnson and Dany Garcia will executive produce shows ranging from big live events, specials, sports and initiatives surrounding our troops and veterans.
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[03/03/15 - 03:12 PM]
"Ellen's Design Challenge" Among Highest-Rated Series in HGTV History
HGTV spins the numbers for Monday, March 2.
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[03/03/15 - 02:39 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Michael" Announces Its Sixth Annual "Top Teacher Week"
From May 4-8, "Live" will honor teachers who go above and beyond for their schools, communities and students.
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[03/03/15 - 02:22 PM]
Social Media Powerhouse ABC Family Delivers During February 2015 Driven by "Pretty Little Liars" and "The Fosters"
ABC Family spins the digital numbers for the month of February.
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[03/03/15 - 02:21 PM]
Spike: The Ones to Watch - Network Launches New Logo and Tagline
The tagline encompasses the network's strategic shift to a general entertainment network delivering compelling original entertainment with an edge and a distinctive point of view.
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[03/03/15 - 12:56 PM]
TNT Ranks as Basic Cable's #1 Network in Primetime Live + 7 Delivery of Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49
Turner further spins the numbers for the week of February 9-15.
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[03/03/15 - 12:54 PM]
"48 Hours: Blaming Melissa" Is Saturday's #1 Program with Viewers and Adults 25-54
CBS spins the numbers for Saturday, February 28.
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[03/03/15 - 12:37 PM]
Science Channel Skyrockets in February, Charts Best Month Ever
Science Channel spins the numbers for the month of February.
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[03/03/15 - 12:31 PM]
Sarah Michelle Gellar to Star in Season 2 of "Star Wars Rebels"
Gellar will join the talented voice cast that includes her husband Freddie Prinze Jr., Vanessa Marshall, Steve Blum, Tiya Sircar, Taylor Gray and David Oyelowo.
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[03/03/15 - 11:52 AM]
Nickelodeon Brings Ultimate "Kids' Choice Awards" Interactive Experiences to Kids and Families Nationwide
Beginning Saturday, March 7, Nickelodeon will launch the Kids' Choice Awards Experience, a six-city tour featuring meet and greets with Nick stars and one of-a-kind interactive elements.
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[03/03/15 - 11:45 AM]
Ovation TV Greenlights Production on Original Documentary Film, "Ford's Theatre: America's Playhouse"
The project is being co-produced by Ovation Studios and 1895 Films and is set to premiere on April 14 at 10:00/9:00c.
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[03/03/15 - 11:13 AM]
truTV Says Yes They Can to The Grawlix's "Those Who Can't," As Network Greenlights Its First-Ever Full-Length Scripted Comedy
The comedy about a trio of frustrated high school teachers stars show creators Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy, members of the Denver-based comedy troupe The Grawlix.
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[03/03/15 - 11:11 AM]
Spike TV Orders Eight More Episodes of "Lip Sync Battle"
The featured performers for the new eight episodes include Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Justin Bieber, Queen Latifah, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Mike Tyson and Terry Crews.
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