or


[10/08/15 - 11:22 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 8
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!


BELLES & WHISTLES (FOX, New!) - Alex McAulay ("Eastbound & Down") has set up a new single-camera comedy at the network about "an unfulfilled father who, when fired from his comfortable tech job in Silicon Valley, decides to move his dysfunctional family to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his lifelong dream of music stardom." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the project with Dwight Yoakam and Electric Dynamite's Jack Black and Spencer Berman also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


GRAVES (Epix/Lionsgate; W/D: Joshua Michael Stern) - Ernie Hudson has been tapped for a role on the upcoming comedy, about a former President of the United States. Twenty years after his presidency, former President Richard Graves (Nick Nolte) has the epiphany that his policies have damaged the country for decades and so, with his young assistant (Skylar Astin), he goes on a Don Quixote-like journey to right his administration's wrongs just as his wife, the former First Lady, decides to follow her own political ambitions. He'll play Jacob Mann, "a staple in the Graves Family for decades, who acts as the Family Fixer." (Deadline.com)


I'M DYING UP HERE (Showtime/Endemol; W: Dave Flebotte; D: Jonathan Levine) - Ari Graynor is the latest addition to the Jim Carrey-produced drama pilot, which centers on L.A.'s celebrated and infamous stand-up comedy scene of the 1970s. She'll play Cassie, "an ambitious comedian from Texas who wants to be taken as seriously as her male comic contemporaries." R.J. Cyler, Erik Griffin, Andrew Santino and Stephen Guarino also star. (Deadline.com)


NEGOTIATIONS (ABC, New!) - Paul Lieberstein ("The Newsroom") has set up a potential hour at the Alphabet about "life, politics and romance in one of the world's largest law firms." ABC Studios is behind the project with 3 Arts Entertainment's Howard Klein also executive producing. (Deadline.com)


POOR RICHARD'S ALMANACK (USA/Legendary/UCP; W: Jim Danger Gray & Miguel Sapochnik; D: Neil Marshall) - Lynn Collins, Athena Karkanis, Carly Pope and Barbara Eve Harris have all been cast in the drama pilot, which revolves around a cadre of heroes who emerge as the new "Founding Fathers," after America is pushed to the brink of collapse. Collins will play Julia Winslow, "a postal worker inadvertently dragged into a radical conspiracy on account of her fiancé's former links to the CIA"; with Karkanis as Penny Richards, "an already seen-it-all surgeon who finds herself in the ethical dilemma of having to keep a wounded bomber alive so the FBI can interrogate him, rather than tend to his victims"; Pope as Brooke Beaudine, "an ambitious local network journalist whose reporting on a deadly attack in Philadelphia puts her on the trail of a group of extremists who may be responsible"; and Harris as Elizabeth Walker, "Director of National Intelligence during an attack on Philadelphia." (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED PRENTICE PENNY PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Prentice Penny ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") has snagged a put pilot commitment from the Peacock for a single-camera comedy about "a loud, boisterous, and quarrelsome family from the Bronx and what happens when they take in their wide-eyed, hopelessly optimistic 10-year-old nephew." Bruno Mars, his manager Brandon Creed and Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are also on board to executive produce the half-hour, which is presumably set up at 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED WENDY DAVIS PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Jennifer Cecil ("Heartbreaker") is developing a new drama at the Peacock inspired by the life of former Texas state senator Wendy Davis. The Universal Television-based project will revolve around "a female Democratic senator who, after losing the Texas governor's race, gets her world turned upside down. In the vein of 'The Good Wife,' while she pieces her pride back together, she goes to work in the law firm of her best friend - a black male Republican - and discovers that with no political future to protect, she can unshackle her inner badass." Naegle Ink's Sue Naegle and Karen Sherwood are likewise on board to executive produce alongside Cecil and Davis. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - FOX has three backup scripts for its freshman drama "Rosewood" (Deadline.com); Peter Mensah will recur on "Sleepy Hollow" as "an ancient, desiccated god who returns to the mortal world revived as a handsome, powerful menace with eyes that entrance and torment" (Deadline.com); Elle McLemore has been cast as Patty Simcox in FOX's "Grease: Live" (Deadline.com); Melanie Liburd is bound for "Game of Thrones" as a Red Priestess (Deadline.com); and Robert Forster has signed onto Showtime's "Twin Peaks" revival in a role speculated to be taking over for Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman (TVLine.com).






  [october 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BELLES & WHISTLES (FOX)
· BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EASTBOUND & DOWN (HBO)
· GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
· GRAVES (EPIX)
· GREASE: LIVE (FOX)
· HEARTBEAT (NBC)
· I'M DYING UP HERE (SHOWTIME)
· NEGOTIATIONS (ABC)
· NEWSROOM, THE (HBO)
· POOR RICHARD'S ALMANACK (USA)
· ROSEWOOD (FOX)
· SLEEPY HOLLOW (FOX)
· TWIN PEAKS (SHOWTIME)
· UNTITLED PRENTICE PENNY PROJECT (NBC)
· UNTITLED WENDY DAVIS PROJECT (NBC)





[11/25/25 - 12:29 PM]
The Second and Final Season of the HBO Original Drama Series "Like Water for Chocolate" Debuts February 15
The series returns Sunday, February 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on HBO Latino in the U.S. and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

[11/25/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 17 - 3 Cheers for "Champagne Problems" at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys continued to keep audiences guessing in their psychological thriller "The Beast in Me," which took the No. 1 spot on the English TV list for a second week with 14.1 million views.

[11/25/25 - 11:30 AM]
TNT Sports Unveils World Class Commentators for First-Ever World Sevens Football 7v7 Soccer Tournament in North America - Coverage Kicks Off Friday, Dec. 5
The fast-paced W7F series has redefined women's soccer with elite talent from eight of the best clubs in the world, an immersive fan-first experience, and a groundbreaking $5 million prize pool, the largest in the sport, designed to fuel intense, high-stakes competition.

[11/25/25 - 10:31 AM]
Toby Wallace Is Entering the World of "Assassin's Creed"
He's the first series regular cast for the live-action series adaptation of Ubisoft's best-selling video game franchise.

[11/25/25 - 10:02 AM]
Hulu Renews Hit Emmy Award-Nominated Series "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"
The series has been renewed for a 20-episode order, with new episodes coming early 2026.

[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" - Date Announcement - Netflix
This documentary series unpacks the shocking allegations behind Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career.

[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" Will Stream on Paramount+ Starting December 4
The jaw-dropping eighth film in one of the most iconic film series of all time will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada.

[11/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Unveils First Look Images of "Scarpetta," Based on Patricia Cornwell's Bestselling Novels, Premiering March 11
The crime thriller series stars Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Ariana DeBose, Rosy McEwen, Amanda Righetti, Jake Cannavale, and Hunter Parrish.

[11/25/25 - 08:31 AM]
"Wednesday" Season 3: Eva Green Joins the Addams Family as Aunt Ophelia
"I'm thrilled to join the woefully twisted world of 'Wednesday' as Aunt Ophelia," said Green. "This show is such a deliciously dark and witty world, I can't wait to bring my own touch of cuckooness to the Addams family."

[11/25/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Star Search" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Netflix's iconic talent competition series will premiere live on January 13, 2026 with Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor Anthony Anderson set to host.

[11/25/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "How to Ruin Love: The Lobola" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Wedding bells are ringing - or are they? With feuding families and complicated lobola negotiations, Zoleka's walk down the aisle is anything but certain.

[11/25/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "The Town" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A group of cash-strapped friends find their morals and relationships tested when they stumble upon a stolen fortune in their hometown.

[11/24/25 - 03:18 PM]
FX Orders Anthology Series "Far Cry" to Stream on Hulu
The limited series from Noah Hawley and Rob Mac, with Mac set in the starring role, is based on Ubisoft's global hit video game franchise of the same title and the series will retain "Far Cry's" signature standalone storytelling format, with each season set in a new setting following a new cast of characters.

[11/24/25 - 03:01 PM]
Netflix's "One Piece" Season 3 Begins Production & Four Cast Members Upped to Series Regulars
Mikaela Hoover (Chopper), Joe Manganiello (Mr. 0), Lera Abova (Miss All Sunday) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Nefartari Cobra) have been upped to series regulars for Season 3.

[11/24/25 - 02:08 PM]
The Nader Sisters Will Take a Second Bite Out of the Big Apple as "Love Thy Nader" Is Renewed for Season Two on Hulu and Freeform
The bold coming-of-age reality series follows the unapologetic and determined Nader sisters - Brooks, Mary Holland, Grace Ann and Sarah Jane - who left their humble beginnings in the Louisiana bayou for the glamour and grind of New York City.