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[10/19/17 - 11:36 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 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!


CASUAL (Hulu) - The streaming service has ordered an abbreviated eight-episode fourth - and final - season for its comedy series. (Deadline.com)
CHICAGO PD (NBC) - Former co-star Sophia Bush has inked a talent holding and development deal with 20th Century Fox Television where she'll topline a potential series for the studio as well as develop her own projects. (Deadline.com)
CLOSE TO HEAVEN (NBC, New!) - Brad Copeland ("Life in Pieces") has scored a put pilot commitment from the Peacock for a single-camera comedy based on Johans Glans, Anders Jansson and Wiktor Ericsson's Swedish series about "an eager young minister arrives to be the head pastor of a small-town church after years of missionary work in Africa. He dreams of enlightening the community with his bold new ideas and well-intentioned enthusiasm, but discovers the church isn't quite ready for it. Or him." Universal Television and Nordic World are behind the project with Kapital Entertainment's Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor likewise executive producing. (Deadline.com)
DADDY ISSUES (FOX, New!) - Erin Foster ("Barely Famous") has booked a put pilot commitment from the network for a single-camera comedy about "the relationship between a womanizing father and his adult daughters: Andi, who is perpetually single and has become her dad's wingman, and Jane, the perfect one who is married and takes joy in Andi's failures. Their lives are turned upside down when their dad starts dating Andi's 30-year-old best friend from college." Liz Meriwether also serves as an executive producer on the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, as do 3 Arts Entertainment's Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman. (Deadline.com)
DELIVERY (NBC, New!) - Husband-and-wife Rob Wright ("Lethal Weapon") and Kristin Newman ("The Muppets") are set to team for a family drama at the Peacock about "a group of doctors with deep familial ties who must navigate their personal and professional lives in a high volume perinatology unit." Hello Sunshine's Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Levy Neustader are also on board to executive produce for ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)
FIRST, THE (Hulu) - Oded Fehr and James Ransone are the latest bound for the Mars-themed drama, which also stars Natascha McElhone and Sean Penn. No specifics were given about their roles. (Deadline.com)
IN CONTEMPT (BET, New!) - Erica Ash is set to star in a 10-episode series for the cable channel set "in the fast-paced world of a legal aid office in New York City and follows Gwen Sullivan (Ash), an opinionated attorney whose passion for her job and clients make her arguably the most talented public defender in her district." Terri Kopp is behind the hour, currently in production, with Lance Samuels and Daniel Iron of Blue Ice Pictures likewise executive producing. Also starring are Megan Hutchings as Tracy Campbell, "a public defender and Gwen's friend and roommate"; Christian Keyes as Charlie Riggs, "an attorney with an ego who is Gwen's boss and friend with benefits"; Mouna Traoré as Vanessa Winters, "a rookie attorney learning what it means to be woke"; Tobias Truvillion as Bennett Sherman, "Gwen's longtime secret crush and former law professor"; Richard Lawson as Earl Sullivan, Gwen's father; Ronnie Rowe Jr. as Gwen's professional nemesis; and Daniel Kash as Gwen's boss. (THR.com)
LOUD HOUSE, THE (Nickelodeon) - Creator Chris Savino has been fired from the animated series "amid allegations of sexual harassment." Production on the series will continue without Savino for its third season, due in early 2018. (Deadline.com)
MICHAEL BENNETT (ABC, New!) - Rick Cleveland ("The Man in the High Castle") is looking to bring James Patterson's literary hero - a master homicide investigator who struggles to raise six adopted children following the death of his beloved wife years earlier - to the small screen at the Alphabet. Patterson will also executive produce via his James Patterson Entertainment alongside Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and Bob Sertner for ABC Studios. The network previously took a stab at a Michael Bennett series in 2012 from writer Ildy Modrovich and producer Katie O'Connell. (Deadline.com)
MIRACLE WORKERS (TBS) - Steve Buscemi has signed onto the anthology comedy series, replacing Owen Wilson who had to bow out in late August. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Craig, a low level angel responsible for handling all of humanity's prayers. Buscemi now is set as Craig's boss, God, who has pretty much checked out to focus on his favorite hobbies. To prevent Earth's destruction, Craig must achieve his most impossible miracle to date. (Deadline.com)
OPERATION NEXUS (FOX, New!) - Danny Strong ("Empire") has snagged a put pilot commitment from the network for a new drama about "the courageous but nowhere near perfect members of NYPD's Counter Terrorist Unit, the largest municipal anti-terrorist division in the world." He'll write, direct and executive produce via his 20th Century Fox Television-based Danny Strong Productions alongside Stacy Greenberg. (Deadline.com)
PROJECT 13 (The CW, New!) - Daegan Fryklind ("Bitten") is spearheading a new DC Comics adaptation at the netlet about Traci Thirteen and her father Dr. Terrance Thirteen: "a twenty-something forensic scientist and believer in the paranormal who discovers her own hidden extra-sensory abilities when she joins her estranged, skeptic father to investigate mysterious cases of the paranormal and unexplained phenomena." Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman will also executive produce through their Warner Bros. Television-based Brownstone Productions. (Variety.com)
RESERVATIONS (FOX, New!) - Lucas Brown Eyes ("Young & Hungry") has sold a single-camera comedy to the network about "a Native American family that trades their impoverished reservation for Los Angeles, a move inspired by the dreams of a 14-year-old boy to live in Hollywood. But adjusting to life in this new world of Teslas and $10 lattes proves to be weirder and more complicated than this loud, proud and tight-knit family was expecting." KatzSmith's David Katzenberg, Seth Grahame-Smith and Aaron Schmidt will executive produce for 20th Century Fox Television with Brown Eyes as a co-executive producer. A penalty is attached. (Deadline.com)
WHISTLEBLOWER (CBS, New!) - Christopher Silber ("NCIS: New Orleans") has booked a potential drama at the Eye about "a former whistleblower who lost everything - career, family, reputation - when he stood up against a conglomerate to expose wrongdoing. He now runs a firm dedicated to exposing wrongdoers while protecting those who have the courage to stand up for what's right." CBS Television Studios-based Jerry Bruckheimer Television is behind the hour with Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed likewise executive producing. (Deadline.com)





  [october 2017]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
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· BARELY FAMOUS (VH1)
· BITTEN (SYFY)
· CASUAL (HULU)
· CHICAGO PD (NBC)
· CLOSE TO HEAVEN (NBC)
· DADDY ISSUES (FOX)
· DELIVERY (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EMPIRE (FOX)
· FIRST, THE (HULU)
· IN CONTEMPT (BET)
· LETHAL WEAPON (FOX)
· LIFE IN PIECES (CBS)
· LOUD HOUSE, THE (NICKELODEON)
· MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, THE (AMAZON)
· MICHAEL BENNETT (ABC)
· MICHAEL BENNETT (ABC)
· MIRACLE WORKERS (TBS)
· MUPPETS, THE (ABC)
· NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (CBS)
· OPERATION NEXUS (FOX)
· PROJECT 13 (CW)
· RESERVATIONS (FOX)
· WHISTLEBLOWER (CBS)
· YOUNG & HUNGRY (FREEFORM)





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