or


[03/16/15 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 16
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!


ALL STARS (ABC/20th; W: Judah Miller; D: TBA) - Mary Lynn Rajskub and Marissa Jaret Winokur have both signed onto the single-camera comedy pilot, about a Tony Award-winning mother, Irene (Megan Hilty), and Gary (Greg Grunberg), a cerebral, risk-averse father blessed with a natural-born athlete for a son. The former will play Susie, "Gary's twin sister, who's described as opportunistic and always starting a new business"; while the latter is set as Donna, "the ultimate normal soccer mom and a foil to Irene." Efren Ramirez and Tony Rock also star. (Deadline.com)


DAMIEN (Lifetime/FTS; W: Glen Mazzara; D: Shekhar Kapur) - Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey (The Portrait of a Lady) is the latest to be cast in the upcoming drama, which follows the adult life of Damien Thorn (Bradley James), the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up, seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. She'll play Ann Rutledge, "the world's most powerful woman who has been tasked with making sure Damien fulfills his destiny as the Antichrist." Megalyn Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi also star. (THR.com)


FANTASY LIFE (FOX/20th; W: Tim McAuliffe; D: TBA) - James Caan ("Back in the Game") has signed onto the comedy pilot, about Mitch (Kevin Connolly), 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. He'll play the tough and humorless Chuck Byrne, "an ex-legendary football player/coach who's on Mitch's new team working on Fox's fantasy football league show. Chuck doesn't get fantasy football since he played real football and suffered real pain, however, Mitch eventually impresses him, and the former football star is willing to work with him." Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Kimberley Crossman, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Vanessa Williams also star. (Deadline.com)


FLESH & BLOOD (ABC/ABCS; W: Jenna Bans; D: Paul McGuigan) - Rupert Graves and Madeleine Arthur are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Claire Warren (Joan Allen), the Mayor of Red Pines, California, whose young son, Adam Warren (Liam James), returns after being presumed dead after disappearing over a decade earlier, sending shockwaves throughout their tight knit community. He'll play Peter, "Claire's handsome, warm and charismatic husband who has poured his energy into writing a book series about grief as the loss of their child took a toll on his and Claire's relationship"; while she's set as young Willa Warren (Alison Pill as an adult), "who becomes frantic when her little brother Adam goes missing." Andrew McCarthy, Floriana Lima, Margot Bingham, Rarmian Newton and Zach Gilford also star. (Deadline.com)


HAP & LEONARD (SundanceTV; W: Jim Mickle & Nick Damici; D: Jim Mickle) - Bill Sage ("Boardwalk Empire") is set to star opposite Michael Kenneth Williams in the upcoming drama, based on the rollicking Joe Lansdale Southern noir book series about an unlikely pair of best friends and martial arts experts who struggle through misadventure, to stay on the right side of the law in 1980's East Texas. He'll play Howard, "the ex-husband of Hap's ex-wife. A master of passive aggression, Howard plays the part of peace-loving hippie leader to a band of misfits and past their sell-by date leftists who recruit our heroes, Hap and Leonard, to help them with a dangerous plan." (Deadline.com)


KINGMAKERS, THE (ABC/ABCS; W: Sallie Patrick; D: TBA) - Adrian Pasdar ("Marvel's Agents of SHIELD") has been tapped for a role on the drama pilot, about Eli Hennessy (Gus Halper), 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. He'll play Senator Adam Walden, "possibly a member of a secret society who is running for president." Colm Feore and Parminder Nagra also star. (Deadline.com)


LFE (CBS/CBSP; W: Paul Downs Colaizzo; D: David Slad) - Reed Birney and Luke Slattery are both bound for 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. Birney will play Scotty, "the terminally ill father of new surgical resident Joe (Daniel Sharman) and Bobby (Slattery), a troublemaking high school senior who happens to be brilliant." Ana Kayne, Andy Mientus, Annie Funke and Melissa Leo also star. (Deadline.com)


LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD (NBC/20th; W: Diana Son; D: TBA) - Cynthia McWilliams has been upped to the female lead on the drama pilot, in which race, sexuality and gender roles collide when three diverse couples put modern marriage to the test. She'll play Julie, a successful attorney who is Nick's (Rockmund Dunbar) ex-wife and the mother of his two children, succeeding Meta Golding. McWilliams's previous role of Tandi will be recast. Brian Tee, Colin Donnell, Monet Mazur and Nadine Velazquez also star. (Deadline.com)


OF KINGS AND PROPHETS (ABC/ABCS; W: Adam Cooper & Bill Collage; D: Jeffrey Nachmanoff) - James Floyd (My Brother the Devil) is the latest to board the drama pilot, billed as an epic biblical saga of faith, ambition and betrayal as told through the eyes of a battle-weary king, a powerful and resentful prophet and a resourceful young shepherd on a collision course with destiny. He's set as Ish-Boseth, "the youngest warrior son of Saul (Ray Winstone) and Ahinoam (Simone Kessell)." Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Oliver Rix also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Robbie Kay has joined the cast of "Heroes Reborn" as a new character (Deadline.com); and Jack Wagner will visit "Ray Donovan" as "an obnoxious and self-important game show host, opposite Cheryl Ladd who was previously announced as a hostess" (Variety.com).






  [march 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· BACK IN THE GAME (ABC)
· BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
· DAMIEN (A AND E)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIVA THE DOC AND THE JOC, THE (ABC)
· FAMILY, THE (ABC)
· FANTASY LIFE (FOX)
· HAP & LEONARD (SUNDANCE)
· HEROES (NBC)
· KINGMAKERS (ABC)
· LFE (CBS)
· LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD (NBC)
· MARVEL'S AGENTS OF SHIELD (ABC)
· OF KINGS AND PROPHETS (ABC)
· RAY DONOVAN (SHOWTIME)





[01/23/26 - 12:44 PM]
"20/20" Improves on the Previous Week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, Hitting an 8-Week High in the Key Adult News Demo
"20/20" ranked No. 1 in its two-hour time period in Adults 25-54.

[01/23/26 - 12:28 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" posted double-digit increases week to week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[01/23/26 - 10:31 AM]
"College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Closes Out Historic Season with 2.6 Million Viewers Highlighting Hurricanes and Hoosiers
The six postseason GameDay shows delivered 2.4 million average viewers, up 30 percent year-over-year.

[01/23/26 - 10:16 AM]
Investigation Discovery Sets Premiere Dates for Projects from Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer with "Lost Women of Alaska" and "Feds"
Over three gripping hours, "Lost Women of Alaska" premieres on Wednesday, February 25 from 8-11pm ET on ID.

[01/23/26 - 10:00 AM]
"America's Culinary Cup" Announces Chefs Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne to Join Padma Lakshmi as Judges in the Ultimate Culinary Arena
The series will now premiere with an expanded 90-minute episode on Wednesday, March 4 at 9:30/8:30c.

[01/23/26 - 09:35 AM]
A+E Global Media Greenlights New Digital-First Series Under the History Brand - "MonsterQuest: Origins" - Exploring America's Most Haunted Wilderness
The series takes viewers deep into the wilderness of the United States to uncover the truth behind some of the country's most enduring legends.

[01/23/26 - 09:32 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Toronto Raptors Visit Orlando Magic on January 30
This matchup replaces the previously scheduled Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans game.

[01/23/26 - 09:30 AM]
CBS Flips "The Price Is Right at Night" and "Hollywood Squares" on Wednesday Nights
"Price Is Right" will now lead off the night at 8:00/7:00c followed by "Hollywood Squares" at 9:00/8:00c.

[01/23/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: It's Time to Raise the Curtain on "The Muppet Show" as Official Trailer Is Revealed
Music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos are bound to ensue when The Muppets once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter!

[01/23/26 - 08:32 AM]
Video: Official Trailer and Key Art for the Highly Anticipated Drama "Marshals" Starring Luke Grimes, Reprising His Role of Kayce Dutton, Now Available
With the Yellowstone Ranch behind him, Dutton joins an elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana.

[01/23/26 - 08:22 AM]
Tune-In Friday, February 13 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel for the Premiere of "Gold Rush Mine Rescue with Freddy and Juan"
In North America's most extreme goldfields, thousands of unprepared miners gamble it all, chasing the highest gold prices in history - and find themselves on the brink of ruin.

[01/23/26 - 08:00 AM]
"Super Bowl Greatest Commercials: Hall of Fame Countdown," Hosted By "CBS Mornings" Co-Host and "The NFL Today" Analyst Nate Burleson and Actress Daniela Ruah, to Air Monday, Feb. 2 on CBS
This year's special, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, raises the bar with the Hall of Fame Countdown, as Nate and Daniela curate their top 10 greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time.

[01/23/26 - 07:37 AM]
Historic Back-to-Back Stretch: ESPN Delivers Its No. 1 and No. 8 Most-Watched Events Ever on Consecutive Days
Across Sunday and Monday, fans consumed 18.7 billion total minutes across ESPN, ABC and ESPN2 - a 28% increase from last season's Divisional Round game and Championship Monday on the same networks.

[01/23/26 - 07:05 AM]
"The Turpins: A New House of Horror - A Diane Sawyer Special Event," Airs Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streams Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
The one-hour special takes viewers inside the Turpin children's shocking story of survival, only to have to go through it all again.

[01/23/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Love Me Love Me" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Friends, enemies, lovers. Their story is about to begin. "Love Me Love Me" premieres February 13.