or


[10/13/14 - 11:40 PM]
Development Update: Monday, October 13
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!


ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB, THE (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Stephanie Savage; D: Lone Scherfig) - Evan Handler ("Californication") and Wilson Bethel ("Hart of Dixie") have both landed roles on the upcoming drama, which tells the true story of the women behind NASA's early astronauts and the struggles they face when their lives and families are catapulted into the spotlight overnight. The former will play Duncan "Dunk" Pringle, "a former athlete who is a PR officer at NASA"; with the latter as Scott Carpenter, "the most laid-back of the astronauts and husband to Rene Carpenter (Yvonne Strahovski)." Separately, Bethel has inked a blind script deal with Warner Bros. Television to pen a drama project for The CW. Aaron McCusker, Azure Parsons, Bret Harrison, Desmond Harrington, Dominique McElligott, Erin Cummings, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Joel Johnstone, Kenneth Mitchell, Odette Annable and Zoe Boyle also star. (Deadline.com)


BLACK WIDOWS (CBS, New!) - Josh Safran ("Smash") is looking to import the Finnish series "Mustat Lesket," about "two women who kill their abusive spouses and try to get away with it as the FBI, their close-knit community and even their own guilt conspire to take them down." CBS Television Studios is behind the hour with Naegle Ink's Sue Naegle also on board to executive produce. (Deadline.com)


MODERN GOTHIC (CBS, New!) - Adam Karp and David Reed are developing a new drama at the Eye described as "a modern-day reimagining of classic gothic horror stories as contemporary mysteries in which a doctor - Dracula's Abraham "Bram" Van Helsing - investigates the supernatural horrors that modern science fails to explain." CBS Television Studios-based Junction Entertainment is behind the project with Jon Turteltaub and Dan Tischler executive producing and Karp and Reed serving as co-executive producers. (THR.com)


MONSTER-IN-LAW (FOX, New!) - Amy B. Harris ("The Carrie Diaries") and John Riggi ("30 Rock") are spearheading a small screen take on the 2005 Jennifer Lopez/Jane Fonda-led feature, which "explores the fraught world of a happy couple about to learn the joys and horrors of parenthood while managing the most challenging relationship of all - the one between a wife and her husband's mother." Benderpink's Chris Bender and J.C. Spink will likewise executive produce the multi-camera project for Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline.com)


UNNATURAL SELECTION (The CW, New!) - Adam Karp has likewise sold a new drama to the netlet based on Charles Darwin and Captain Robert FitzRoy's five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, which established the former ahead of his "Origin of the Species." The project, from CBS Television Studios, "focuses on a 21-year-old Darwin, and his childhood friend Capt. Fitzroy's journey through the Amazon to return the woman they both love to her native home." The Kennedy-Marshall Co.'s Frank Marshall and Robert Zotnowski will also executive produce. (THR.com)


UNTITLED MONICA POTTER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Monica Potter ("Parenthood") is set to star in a new multi-camera comedy for the Peacock, details of which weren't released but may be loosely based on the actress's life. Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer ("I Hate My Teenage Daughter") are penning the half-hour, which has a pilot production commitment. Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Kleeman are also on board to executive produce via their Warner Bros. Television-based A Very Good Production. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Netflix is reportedly developing "Care Bears and Cousins," a new animated series based on the famed line of plush toys (CNN.com); Christina Hendricks will guest on Comedy Central's "Another Period" as Chair, "a new servant on the estate who is not who she appears to be" (Deadline.com); Duke Davis Roberts is set to recur on "Justified" as "an ex-military man from Colorado who's powerful and dangerous" (Deadline.com); Gregg Henry's Dr. Arthur Strauss, Joe Carroll's (James Purefoy) mentor, has been upped to series regular on "The Following" (Deadline.com); Zarah Mahler has been cast as Sharon's ballerina daughter, Emily Raydor, on "Major Crimes" (TVLine.com);

Kara Luiz likewise has been tapped as Howard's never-before-seen second cousin Jeanie on "The Big Bang Theory" (TVLine.com); Alex Carter will visit "Stalker" as "a real estate mogul who loses everything as a result of his bad choices" (TVLine.com); Constantin Film to looking bring its film titles "The Mortal Instruments," "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" and "Resident Evil" to the small screen (EW.com); Jamie Bamber and Riley Smith are the latest actors set to recur on "The Messengers" (EW.com); and Tom Fontana is spearheading potential TV series based on "The Negotiator: My Life at the Heart of the Hostage Trade" and "Falling Onto Mars" for Gaumont International Television (THR.com).






  [october 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· ANOTHER PERIOD (COMEDY CENTRAL)
· ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB, THE (ABC)
· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· BLACK WIDOWS (CBS)
· CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
· CARE BEARS & COUSINS (NETFLIX)
· CARRIE DIARIES, THE (CW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FOLLOWING, THE (FOX)
· HART OF DIXIE (CW)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· MAJOR CRIMES (TNT)
· MESSENGERS, THE (CW)
· MODERN GOTHIC (CBS)
· MONSTER-IN-LAW (FOX)
· PARENTHOOD (NBC)
· SMASH (NBC)
· STALKER (CBS)
· UNNATURAL SELECTION (CW)
· UNTITLED MONICA POTTER PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED WILSON BETHEL PROJECT (CW)





[03/19/26 - 01:17 PM]
Maya Hawke to Star in Netflix's Series Adaptation of "The God of the Woods"
The multi-generational drama series is set in the Adirondacks, exploring the Van Laar family's dark secrets, class tensions, and the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of 13 year old Barbara Van Laar from her family's summer camp - in the wake of an earlier family tragedy that may be related.

[03/19/26 - 01:03 PM]
3 Million "Outlander" Fans Drive the Epic Season Eight Premiere to a Four-Year Series High
The episode, entitled "Soul of a Rebel," secured the top spot for the week among all scripted cable programs.

[03/19/26 - 01:01 PM]
Peacock Renews "Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together" for a Second Season
Production begins this month and the series will air later in the year.

[03/19/26 - 12:46 PM]
Statement from Disney Entertainment Television: "The Bachelorette"
From a spokesperson: "In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family."

[03/19/26 - 12:13 PM]
FOX Sports, IndyCar Announce Launch of New Digital-Exclusive Series, "All In: IndyCar"
The debut episode, "The Champ Is Here," features four-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

[03/19/26 - 10:02 AM]
Amazon MGM Studios Has Officially Greenlit "The Challenger," A Limited Series Starring Kristen Stewart
Stewart will play astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, who in 1978 became the first American woman to fly in space.

[03/19/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Announces Limited Series "Enigma Variations" Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson
The series, based on André Aciman's novel, tells the story of a man remade by the lovers who ignite and undo him over the course of 10 transformative years.

[03/19/26 - 09:14 AM]
New Season of "Storied Spaces" Premieres March 28 on Magnolia Network
Escape to beautifully designed and curated spaces, seen through the eyes of the families that breathed life into them.

[03/19/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "O11CE: New Generation" - Trailer - Disney+
Same team, new dream. The Hawks take the field in "O11Ce: New Generation," now streaming on Disney+.

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Hazardous History with Henry Winkler" Set to Premiere Sunday, April 19 at 9/8c on The History Channel
Each one-hour episode of this nostalgia-drenched series tells the stories of the things we did for fun, for money, or out of plain boredom that you can't do anymore.

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO to Debut Comedy Special "Josh Johnson: Symphony" This Spring
Said Josh Johnson: "I'm excited to have my breakout piece be with a company that nurtures vision like HBO does. I'm grateful to them, and you, for watching."

[03/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green to Perform at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards
The 61st ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the world-renowned MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

[03/19/26 - 08:34 AM]
Must-See April U.S. Debuts from Viaplay - German Conspiracy Thriller, Award-winning Film
Highlights include "Dangerous Truth," inspired by real events surrounding the faulty intelligence that helped justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

[03/19/26 - 08:12 AM]
Apple Original Films' "What Happens at Night" from Martin Scorsese, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Begins Principal Photography
Hailing from Apple Studios, and made in partnership with STUDIOCANAL, the dream-like story follows a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby.

[03/19/26 - 08:11 AM]
Netflix Canada Announces New Series "This Summer Will Be Different"
Based on the beloved novel by Carley Fortune, the series is a simmering, sun-soaked romance set across multiple summers on Prince Edward Island about Lucy, a young woman navigating her 20s and her first real love with her best friend's brother, the one person she was never supposed to fall for.