or


[03/19/15 - 11:25 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 19
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!


COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX/20th; W: Jay Lacopo; D: TBA) - Charlie Saxton ("Betas") has scored a 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. He'll play Neal Kang, "one of Cooper's (Jack Cutmore-Scott) roommates. Fresh out of college, he is excited about his new job working in an office, designing scalable software platforms, but terrified about the number of strangers he's going to have to interact with." James Earl and Meaghan Rath also star. (Deadline.com)


CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC/WBT; W: Silvio Horta; D: Jason Ensler) - Robbie Jones ("90210") has been cast in the drama pilot, which 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 (Christina Vidal), her ailing mother Esperanza (Rachel Ticotin) and her troubled daughter Soledad (Katie Sarife). He'll play Jean-Baptiste, "the line cook at Café Fuentes who's taken over for Esperanza. With business dwindling he spends most of his time gawking at his boss, Lola, whom he's desperately in love with." (Deadline.com)


FAMOUS IN LOVE (ABC Family, New!) - Actress Bella Thorne ("Shake It Up!") and writer I. Marlene King ("Pretty Little Liars") are set to team for a potential drama based on Rebecca Serle's romantic novel of the same name, about "a college student (Thorne) plucked from obscurity to star in a major Hollywood movie franchise who struggles with her new-found fame." Warner Horizon Television is behind the hour with Dan Farah and Long Lake Media's King executive producing and Serle, who will co-write the script with King, as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)


GRANDPA (FOX/ABCS; W: Danny Chun; D: TBA) - Ravi Patel ("Super Fun Night") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (John Stamos), a charismatic longtime bachelor whose life is upended when he discovers he's a father - and a grandfather. He's set as Ken, "Jimmy's good friend who is always up for a party but is never invited to one." Christina Milian, Kelly Jenrette, Paget Brewster and Josh Peck also star. (Deadline.com)


HEART MATTERS (NBC/Universal; W: Jill Gordon; D: Robert Duncan McNeill) - Comedian D.L. Hughley is the latest to be cast in the drama pilot, a medical soap that follows the outspoken Alex Panttiere (Melissa George), one of the rare female heart transplant surgeons. Alex brings an innovative eye to treating patients week to week while also balancing the complications of her professional and romantic life. He'll play Dr. Hackett, "the psychiatrist at the hospital." Dave Annable, Don Hany, Jamie Kennedy, Joshua Leonard, Maya Erskine and Shelley Conn also star. (Deadline.com)


HOUDINI & DOYLE (FOX, New!) - The network has signed onto a 10-episode drama centering on Harry Houdini, "master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker, and Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world's greatest detective and a paranormal aficionado - grudgingly join forces to investigate crimes with a supernatural slant. Although they're both rich, famous and brilliant, they're the original odd couple, with Houdini believing in nothing, Doyle in everything." Sony Pictures Television, Shaftesbury Films and Big Talk Productions are all behind the hour with a teleplay by David Hoselton from a story he conceived with David Titcher. They'll likewise executive produce alongside David Shore. (Deadline.com)


PREACHER (AMC/Sony; W: Sam Catlin; D: Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen) - Ian Colletti ("Rake") has been cast in the drama pilot, about Jesse Custer, a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who merges with a creature that has escaped from heaven and develops the ability to make anyone do anything he says. Along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, the three embark on a journey to literally find God. He's set as Eugene Root, aka Arseface: "Even with his horribly disfigured face and severe speech impediment, Eugene's still the nicest kid you'll ever meet and really looks up to Jesse. Stomach-churningly difficult to look at, Eugene's the town's reviled Frankenstein's monster, but that won't change his earnest, sweet and pure outlook on life. However, he is troubled by something terrible he's done in the past - something he fears might have turned God himself against him." (Deadline.com)


WARRIOR (NBC/Universal; W: David DiGilio; D: Phillip Noyce) - Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) has been cast in the drama pilot, about Kai Forrester (Natalie Martinez), a damaged heroine who works undercover with physical and spiritual guidance from a mysterious martial arts master (Holt McCallany) to bring down an international crime lord. He'll play Koto, "a martial arts master chosen to recruit Kai (Martinez) to work with Interpol on stopping a Japanese organized crime syndicate." Andy Allo, Lance Gross, Rila Fukushima and Will Yun Lee also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - James Caan has bowed out of the FOX comedy pilot "Fantasy Life" due to scheduling issues (Deadline.com); Kelli Williams has been tapped for the lead role in UP TV's first scripted series "Ties That Bind" (Deadline.com); "Trophy Wife" creators Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins have signed a new two-year overall deal with ABC Studios (Deadline.com); "The Walking Dead" executive producer Greg Nicotero has likewise inked a two-year overall deal with AMC (Deadline.com); Necar Zadegan and Lyndon Smith have both landed roles on the new season of "Extant" (Deadline.com); Ehren Kruger is spearheading a TV series following "the swashbuckling adventures of brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm" for Miramax Television (Deadline.com); and adult film stars Amia Miley and Peta Jensen will both appear in the upcoming season of "True Detective" (THR.com).






  [march 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 90210 (CW)
· BETAS (AMAZON)
· COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX)
· CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EXTANT (CBS)
· FAMOUS IN LOVE (FREEFORM)
· FANTASY LIFE (FOX)
· GRANDFATHERED (FOX)
· HEARTBEAT (NBC)
· HOUDINI & DOYLE (FOX)
· PREACHER (AMC)
· PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (FREEFORM)
· RAKE (FOX)
· SHAKE IT UP (DISNEY)
· SUPER FUN NIGHT (ABC)
· TROPHY WIFE (ABC)
· TRUE DETECTIVE (HBO)
· WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC)
· WARRIOR (NBC)





[11/11/26 - 08:59 AM]
Video: CBS and Paramount+ Unveil Trailer and First Look for "The JLo Show" Premiering Nov. 26
Tracing her journey from the Bronx to global icon, Lopez delivers a production that is as intimate as it is spectacular, backed by a full orchestra, vocal ensemble, and 16 dancers.

[11/11/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "World War II: Behind Enemy Lines" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Witness one US Army unit's battles, bravery and covert missions from D-Day to V-E Day in never-before-seen restored footage and rare firsthand accounts.

[11/11/26 - 08:30 AM]
Prime Video Names Ian Eagle, Stan Van Gundy, John Wall, and Kayla Grey to Broadcast Team for Inaugural Slate of Duke Men's Basketball Coverage
Prime Video's exclusive coverage of Duke Men's Basketball tips off during the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday on Wednesday, November 25 with a highly-anticipated clash between the Blue Devils and UConn Huskies at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

[11/11/26 - 08:27 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Reaches Two-Year High with Host Druski and Musical Guest The Strokes
The 5.6 million topped the previous week's telecast of 5.2 million viewers, which at that point was the best of the season.

[11/11/26 - 08:16 AM]
Put Me In, Coach! "Icebreaker" Adds Paul Wesley
Previously announced cast includes Daisy Jelley, Connor Simos, Gabriel Tierney, Auli'i Cravalho, Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular, Devin Craig, and Aidan Shaw.

[11/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Paramount+ Takes Viewers Inside One of the Military's Toughest Tests with Original Docuseries "The Elite: Army Rangers," Premiering December 8
The first-of-its-kind docuseries narrated is Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown.

[11/11/26 - 08:01 AM]
Disney, ESPN and the NBA Team Up for Third "Dunk the Halls" Animated NBA Christmas Day Presentation
The innovative alternate presentation will be available on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel and the ESPN App.

[11/11/26 - 08:00 AM]
90 Day Fiance Goes Full Florida in the New Series "90 Day: Florida"
The new series premieres Monday, December 14 at 9PM ET/PT on TLC.

[11/11/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "The Tupac Tapes With Angie Martinez" - Official Trailer - Netflix
For three decades, multimedia powerhouse Angie Martinez has held onto a piece of hip-hop history: an unreleased Tupac Shakur interview she recorded just months before his death.

[11/11/26 - 06:05 AM]
Cast Announcement: Hulu's "The Circle"
The competition series debuts November 17, with new episodes airing weekly, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 P.M. PT / 9 P.M ET on Hulu.

[11/11/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Emily in Paris" The Final Season - Official Teaser - Netflix
Emily strides into a new era of ambition and romance as she makes bold moves that test her loyalties and the dream life she's fashioned in Paris.

[11/11/26 - 05:06 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights "The American Heiress" Starring Emmy Winner Julianna Margulies, Based on the New York Times Best-Selling Novel by Daisy Goodwin
In 1893, beautiful and vivacious Cora Cash is a "dollar princess" reluctantly brought to England by her mother the formidable Mrs. Cash in search of the "one thing she can't buy at home, a title."

[11/11/26 - 05:05 AM]
Heroes Discount Gives Veterans and Active Duty Military, Law Enforcement and First Responders 3-Month Free Trial of Reelz+
"The Heroes Discount is a thank you to those who serve our country and our communities," said Matt Greenberg, Reelz Senior Vice President of Marketing & Growth.

[11/11/26 - 12:59 AM]
Imtiaz Ali's "O Saathi Re", Starring Aditi Rao Hydari, Avinash Tiwary, and Arjun Rampal, Premieres December 4 on Netflix
The series is an exploration of complex emotions and a relationship in which love was never equal.

[11/11/26 - 12:31 AM]
Video: "Ethos" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Written and directed by Berkun Oya, "Ethos" returns for its second season of four episodes after six years, only on Netflix November 12.