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[03/05/15 - 11:56 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 5
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!

48 HOURS 'TIL MONDAY (FOX/Universal; W: Charlie Grandy; D: TBA) - Joe Spano ("NCIS") has snagged a role on the single-camera comedy pilot, about one husband's (Rob Riggle) desperate struggle to not let every weekend go completely to hell. He's set as Doug McGill, "Louise's (Jane Curtin) husband. They are living at Kelly (Sarah Chalke) and Charlie's (Riggle) house until he's recovered from a back injury and can go back to work." Merrin Dungey, Kyla Kenedy and Sarah Chalke also star. (Deadline.com)

ADVERSARIES, THE (ABC/ABCS; W: David Zabel; D: TBA) - Lenny Platt ("How to Get Away with Murder") has been cast in the drama pilot, about Charlie Fisher (Terry O'Quinn), the patriarch of a New York legal dynasty who becomes embroiled in a trial of his own, and his federal prosecutor daughter (yet to be cast) must decide which side she will fight on. He'll play Danny Herrero, "the smart, energetic, high strung, straight out of Queens attorney and devoted employee." Christine Lahti also stars. (Deadline.com)

BROAD SQUAD, THE (ABC/ABCS; W: Bess Wohl; D: Coky Giedroyc) - Rutina Wesley ("True Blood") is the latest actor to score a lead role on the drama pilot, a fictionalized account of the graduating class of Boston's first female patrol officers in 1978. She'll play one of them, Joanne Jones, alongside the previously cast Charlotte Spencer and Cody Horn. (Deadline.com)

CATCH, THE (ABC/ABCS; W: Helen Gregory, Jennifer Schuur & Kate Atkinson; D: Julie Anne Robinson) - Elvy Yost (Old Boy) has been tapped for a role on the drama pilot, about Alice Martin (Mireille Enos), a gutsy female forensic accountant who exposes fraud for a living and has finally found fulfillment both at work and in love until a case comes along that threatens to turn her world upside down. She's set as Maria Dudek, "who loves her job at Meyer, Morrison and Rose, and despite the fact that her mom keeps sending her job posts for big law firms, is happy exactly where she is." Damon Dayoub, Jacky Ido and Jay Hayden also star. (Deadline.com)

CHEV & BEV (ABC/ABCS; W: Brad Copeland; D: Ben Taylor) - Aly Michalka, Maulik Pancholy and Grace Kaufman have all landed roles on the single-camera comedy pilot, about two baby boomers (Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo) who are fun, relevant and living a selfish retirement when their world is turned upside down and they are suddenly left to raise their grandchildren. Michalka will play "the couple's sourpuss daughter Molly"; with Pancholy as Amir, "Molly's medical student boyfriend"; and Kaufman as grandchild Hope, who's "beautiful and smart and a little sullen." Ed Oxenbould also stars. (Deadline.com)

CODE BLACK (CBS/ABCS/CBSP; W: Michael Seitzman; D: David Semel) - Ben Hollingsworth ("Cult") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation - LA County Hospital - where the extraordinary staff confronts a broken system in order to protect their ideals and the patients who need them the most. He'll play Mario Savetti, "an eager, cocky new resident in the ER." Luis Guzman, Maggie Grace, Marcia Gay Harden, Melanie Kannokada and Raza Jaffrey also star. (Deadline.com)

COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX/20th; W: Jay Lacopo; D: TBA) - Jack Cutmore-Scott (Kingsman: The Secret Service) has been tapped for the title role on the pilot, a single camera comedy that celebrates the mistakes and misadventures we all make during the years after college, before settling down. James Earl and Meaghan Rath also star. (Deadline.com)

CUCKOO (NBC/Lionsgate; W: Kieron Quirke & Robin French; D: TBA) - Griffin Gluck ("Red Band Society") has been cast in the single-camera comedy pilot, based on the British series about a daughter comes back from a summer abroad married to a charming but infuriating eccentric named Cuckoo (Flula Borg), much to her father's annoyance. He'll play Dylan, "Ken and Lori's youngest child that has completely embraced life in his older sister's shadow though he still holds it against her every chance he gets." (Deadline.com)

CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC/WBT; W: Silvio Horta; D: Jason Ensler) - Christina Vidal and Daphne Rubin-Vega have both been cast in the drama pilot, which has also added Jason Ensler as director. Said effort revolves around a magical and mysterious young man (Adan Canto) who inexplicably emerges from the ocean, breathing new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women - the beautiful but lonely Lola, her ailing mother Esperanza (Rachel Ticotin) and her troubled daughter Soledad (Katie Sarife). Vidal will play the aforementioned Lola with Rubin-Vega as Remelda, "a Santeria priestess who lives with and acts as an adviser to Orquidia, Esperanza's estranged sister." (Deadline.com)

DETOUR (FOX/20th; W: Steve Franks; D: Jeremy Garelick) - Peter Gallagher and Olivia Thirlby are the latest to be cast in the single-camera comedy pilot, which is inspired by the real life story of Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo, a rock star who made the unexpected choice at the age of 30 to quit his band and go back to college. Gallagher plays "the notorious Professor August Zaring," while Thirlby is set as Gabrielle de la Cruz, "his confident teaching assistant." Ben Aldridge also stars. (Deadline.com)

ENDGAME (NBC/Sony; W: John Rogers; D: Bharat Nalluri) - Actress Charity Wakefield and director Bharat Nalluri have both signed onto the drama pilot, about Alex King (Philip Winchester), a former sniper turned security expert in the high stakes world of Las Vegas who is drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that forces him to complete a series of heroic challenges in order to save innocent lives. She'll play Cassandra, "a rule-breaker who aids Alex in his quest even as she manipulates him for her own secret agenda. A whip-smart tech genius with her own history in the intelligence and counter-terrorist world, she is far more dangerous than she at first appears to be." Wesley Snipes and Damon Gupton also star. (Deadline.com)

EXPENDABLES, THE (FOX, New!) - Greg Coolidge, Kirk Ward and Shane Brennan are spearheading a small screen take on the film franchise, which "will unite iconic TV stars as a new team of highly-skilled heroes who are on a mission to stop a dangerous terrorist." Lionsgate Television and CBS Television Studios are behind the hour, with Sylvester Stallone, Avi Lerner, Rogue Marble Productions' Kevin King and Shane Brennan Productions' Grant Anderson. (Deadline.com)

FAMILY OF THE YEAR (ABC/ABCS; W: Casey Johnson & David Windsor; D: Todd Holland) - Martha Plimpton ("Raising Hope") has joined the cast of the single-camera comedy pilot, about the O'Neals, a picture perfect family that is turned upside down when the youngest son, Danny (Noah Galvin), comes out of the closet. She'll play his mom, Eileen, "who appears to be the perfect mom in every way. She's very proud of her family however, in actuality, her marriage is on the rocks and her life hasn't been all that easy and fun." Jay R. Ferguson, Matthew Shively and Bebe Wood also star. (Deadline.com)

FANTASY LIFE (FOX/20th; W: Tim McAuliffe; D: TBA) - New Zealand actress Kimberley Crossman is the latest to be cast in the Kevin Connolly-led comedy pilot, about Mitch, a hard-working guy who lands his ultimate dream job hosting a fantasy football show where he's forced to navigate office politics while becoming the star he never thought he could be. She'll play Summer Dale, "the daughter of the network president, who's gotten her the job as host of Mitch's new Fantasy Football league on Fox." Utkarsh Ambudkar and Vanessa Williams also star. (Deadline.com)

KINGMAKERS, THE (ABC/ABCS; W: Sallie Patrick; D: TBA) - Parminder Nagra ("The Blacklist") is the latest to be cast in the drama pilot, about Eli Hennessy, a young man who adopts the identity of Jacob Darlow to infiltrate the murder of his sister, Julia, at an elite Ivy League school and its century-old secret society. She'll play Radha Mittal, "a beautiful British professor who is framed for supplying Julia with drugs and disposing of her body after her overdose. Radha calls Eli to warn him that Julia was murdered and to give him the information and contacts he needs to assume a new identity. She is fighting not only to save her own skin but to uncover the intricate web of lies and trail of trouble." (Deadline.com)

LFE (CBS/CBSP; W: Paul Downs Colaizzo; D: David Slade) - Daniel Sharman ("Teen Wolf") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, a high-octane medical procedural centering on second-year residents at New York City's top hospital as they attempt to balance their god complexes with their humanity. He's on board as Joe, "a good-hearted, expertly talented surgical resident." Ana Kayne, Andy Mientus and Annie Funke also star. (Deadline.com)

MAMMA DALLAS (HBO; W/D: Mike White) - Talitha Bateman and Gabriel Bateman are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, which follows a conservative family in Texas who unwittingly hire a hard-living drag queen, Liberty (Augustus Prew), as their live-in nanny. They'll play "the children who are cared for by Liberty." Paul Fitzgerald, Mary Catherine Garrison, Mike White and Nico Tortorella also star. (Deadline.com)

PRESERVE, PROTECT & DEFEND (HBO, New!) - Writers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer ("Getting On") as well as director Craig Zobel (Compliance) are set to team for an original movie at the pay channel which "tells the true story of 47-year-old Eric Williams, a disgraced Texas Justice of the Peace who enlisted the help of his wife to plot and murder the two district attorneys who prosecuted him, in an escalating avalanche of firearms. Williams was convicted, and in December he was sentenced to death." Lisa Bellomo will also executive produce alongside Olsen and Scheffer via their Anima Sola Productions banner. (Deadline.com)

PROBLEM CHILD (NBC/Universal; W: Scot Armstrong; D: TBA) - Matthew Lillard ("The Bridge") has scored a role on the single-camera comedy pilot, inspired by the film about the cat-and-mouse game between a set of parents and their brilliant but mischievous child (Jack Gore). He'll play the father, Ed, alongside the previously cast Erinn Hayes as his wife, Casey. (Deadline.com)

REAPER, THE (NBC, New!) - The proposed six-hour mini-series based on Nicholas Irving's book of the same name, subtitled "Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers," has found a home at the Peacock. The Weinstein Company is behind the project, about "the first African-American to serve as a sniper in his battalion, who, during a four-month period in mid-2009, tallied an astounding 33 kills as a master sniper, in addition to setting records for enemy kills on a single deployment." Weinstein's Lauren O'Connor and Mark Velez as well as Macmillan Entertainment's Brendan Deneen and Marc Resnick are among the executive producers. The search is underway for a writer. (Deadline.com)

STUDIO CITY (FOX/WBT; W: Krista Vernoff; D: Sanaa Hamri) - British actress Florence Pugh has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about a young singer, Catalina "Cat" Evans, as she comes of age living with her songwriter father, Rob (Eric McCormack) - who turns out to be a drug dealer to the stars. She'll play said girl in the project, "a rising singer/songwriter whose life has been a celebration of dysfunction." Heather Graham and Jeanine Mason also star. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED ALEC BALDWIN PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Emmy-winner Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") is set to star in a new drama series for the pay channel about Joe Byrne, "a billionaire real estate developer philanthropist, and celebrated socialite/tabloid fixture, who is unexpectedly rocketed into NYC politics when tragedy strikes the incumbent mayor and he is drafted to replace him." Wells Tower will pen the hourlong project, which has a put pilot commitment, with Baldwin and Cary Brokaw likewise serving as executive producers. Universal Television is producing. (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED JENNY SLATE PROJECT (FX, New!) - Jenny Slate ("Married") is set to star in a potential new comedy at the cable channel from writers Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm (Obvious Child) and fellow executive producers John Hodges and Ravi Nandan of A24 Films. Said effort, no details of which were given, will see Slate fall to recurring status on "Married." Sarah Burns has subsequently joined the cast to fill the voicd as Abby, "a quirky single mother whose desperate need for approval is always getting her into trouble." (Deadline.com)

UNTITLED SUZANNE MARTIN PROJECT (NBC/Universal; W: Suzanne Martin; D: James Burrows) - Mia Serafino has scored a role on the multi-camera comedy pilot, which chronicles how things backfire for recent empty-nesters (Patrick Warburton, Carrie Preston) when their children and their parents move back home. She'll play their daughter, Stella, "a charming, struggling actress." Miranda Cosgrove and Stacy Keach also star. (Deadline.com)

WISH (HBO, New!) - The pay channel is looking to import Haim Bouzaglo's Israeli anthology series, "a psychological drama where people are given the chance to relive defining experiences of their lives." Merritt Johnson ("Temple Grandin") is set to pen the CBS Television Studios-based hour, with Doug Ellin, Teri Weinberg, Jim Lefkowitz, Bruce Rubenstein, Shirly Brener and Bouzaglo himself also among the executive producers. (THR.com)

AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Leslie Hope will recur on "Blue Bloods" as "a no-holds barred investigative reporter who uncovers that the NYPD cameras in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn neighborhood haven't been working in months" (TheWrap.com); and Dan Bucatinsky's James Novak and Kate Burton's Sally Langston will both reprise their roles in an upcoming episode of "Scandal" (EOnline.com).




  [march 2015]  
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· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· 48 HOURS 'TIL MONDAY (FOX)
· ADVERSARIES, THE (ABC)
· BLACKLIST, THE (NBC)
· BLUE BLOODS (CBS)
· BRIDGE, THE (FX)
· BROAD SQUAD (ABC)
· CATCH, THE (ABC)
· CHEVY (ABC)
· CODE BLACK (CBS)
· COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX)
· CROWDED (NBC)
· CUCKOO (NBC)
· CULT (CW)
· CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC)
· DETOUR (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EXPENDABLES, THE (FOX)
· FANTASY LIFE (FOX)
· GETTING ON (HBO)
· HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC)
· KINGMAKERS (ABC)
· LFE (CBS)
· MAMMA DALLAS (HBO)
· MARRIED (FX)
· NCIS (CBS)
· PLAYER, THE (NBC)
· PRESERVE, PROTECT & DEFEND (HBO)
· PROBLEM CHILD (NBC)
· RAISING HOPE (FOX)
· REAL O'NEALS, THE (ABC)
· REAPER, THE (NBC)
· RED BAND SOCIETY (FOX)
· SCANDAL (ABC)
· STUDIO CITY (FOX)
· TEEN WOLF (MTV)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UNTITLED ALEC BALDWIN PROJECT (HBO)
· UNTITLED SLATE & GRAYNOR PROJECT (FX)
· WISH (HBO)




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