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[12/17/18 - 11:41 PM]
Development Update: Monday, December 17
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!


BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS) - Lindsey Kraft will recur on the show's final season as Marissa, "the new bride of Penny's ex-boyfriend Zack, a role reprised by Brian Thomas Smith." (Deadline.com)
BOB (HEARTS) ABISHOLA (CBS) - Folake Olowofoyeku, Christine Ebersole, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley and Matt Jones have all been cast in the Billy Gardell-led multi-camera comedy pilot, in which after having a heart attack, Bob (Gardell) falls in love with his Nigerian nurse Abishola (Olowofoyeku) and sets his sights on getting her to give him a chance. Ebersole plays Dottie, Bob's mother; with Monroe as Christina, Bob's sister; Adewusi as Abishola's Auntie Olu; Henley as Tunde, Olu's husband; and Jones as Douglas, Bob's brother. Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins and Gina Yashere are all behind the project, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline.com)
ELEMENTARY (CBS) - The veteran drama will sign off with its upcoming 13-episode seventh season. "A lot of parties came together and talked about their positions on the show - both in terms of business and in terms of creative - and we all decided that this was an opportune time to say goodbye to a show that has been very, very good to us," CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said in a statement. The news comes as filming wrapped on the series last week. Additionally, it was revealed James Frain will play the great Holmes foe Odin Reichenbach in the fifth episode of the season. (Deadline.com)
EXTRA (Syndication) - The syndicated entertainment staple will move to the FOX Television Stations Group for its 25th season, due in fall 2019. The series currently airs on the NBC Owned Television Stations group. (Deadline.com)
MAGNUM P.I. (CBS) - Director Justin Lin has signed an exclusive, multi-year overall TV deal with Apple, where he'll develop potential series for the company via his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner. (Deadline.com)
NOS4A2 (AMC) - Ashley Romans will recur on the upcoming supernatural fantasy horror drama as Tabitha Hutter, "a no nonsense detective who's tough yet caring. She is assigned to a difficult case and must use her intuition to suss out what she's not being told." (Deadline.com)
PASSAGE, THE (FOX) - Executive producer Liz Heldens has signed a new multi-year overall deal with the studio behind the series, 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)
REEF BREAK (ABC) - Ray Stevenson has signed onto the Poppy Montgomery-led drama as Jake: "A man's man, a bit down on his luck at the moment, Jake Elliot prefers the beach bum lifestyle, even if he is a federal agent. Preferring to lay low near the water, Jake is rarely at the office. He's got a history with Cat, and the two aren't completely emotionally done with each other." (Deadline.com)
SKATE KITCHEN (HBO, New!) - Crystal Moselle is developing a comedy series at the pay channel inspired by her critically acclaimed feature in which she "immersed herself in the life of skater girls, resulting in the film's authenticity, combining poetic, atmospheric filmmaking and hypnotic skating sequences." The potential series then will be "set against the backdrop of New York City, and will follow a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male oriented world of skateboarding." Moselle is co-writing the half-hour alongside fellow executive producer Lesley Arfin and is also attached to direct. (Deadline.com)
SMILF (Showtime) - The second-year series has reportedly "become a production plagued by allegations of abusive behavior and violations of industry rules." Among the issues: "one performer is exiting amid claims her contract was breached due to two mishandled sex scenes, numerous employees have contacted Disney's anonymous tip line about an array of issues and complaints have reached the major talent guilds, including allegations of separating writers by race." Both creator Frankie Shaw and producer ABC Signature issued statements saying an investigation is underway and they will take appropriate steps going forward. (THR.com)
TURN OF THE SCREW (Freeform, New!) - Alexandra McNally has sold a modern take on the 1898 horror novella by Henry James to the cable channel, about Elena, "a Mexican-American nanny who is hired to care for the two children of a widowed-father at their summer home on idyllic Bainbridge Island. It seems like the perfect job with potential for a "happily ever after" ending, but things take a sinister turn when Elena begins seeing ghosts and her grip on what is real and what is not blurs." Sony Pictures Television is behind the potential drama with Osprey Productions' Josh Berman and Chris King also executive producing. (Deadline.com)
UNICORN, THE (CBS, New!) - Writers Bill Martin and Mike Schiff are set to team with director Peyton Reed for a potential comedy at the Eye about "a widower who is eager to move on from the worst year of his life, only to find he's utterly unprepared to raise his two daughters on his own. He's equally unready for a dating world where, to his shock, he's suddenly a hot commodity." Kapital Entertainment's Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor and TrillTV's Wendi Trilling are also executive producing for CBS Television Studios. (THR.com)
VILLAGE, THE (NBC) - Guy Lockard is bound for the midseason drama in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com)





  [december 2018]  
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· BETTY (HBO)
· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· BOB (HEARTS) ABISHOLA (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· ELEMENTARY (CBS)
· EXTRA (SYNDICATION)
· MAGNUM P.I. (NBC)
· NOS4A2 (AMC)
· PASSAGE, THE (FOX)
· REEF BREAK (ABC)
· SMILE (LIFETIME)
· TURN OF THE SCREW (QUIBI)
· UNICORN, THE (CBS)
· VILLAGE, THE (NBC)





[12/18/25 - 01:56 PM]
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[12/18/25 - 11:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "So Far Gone" with Straight-to-Series Order After Competitive Bidding
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[12/18/25 - 10:15 AM]
Starz Acquires Action Drama "The Nowhere Man," Executive-Produced by and Starring "Power's" Naturi Naughton-Lewis, Set to Premiere January 16, 2026
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[12/18/25 - 10:11 AM]
Tubi's Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami" Premieres Exclusively on Tubi on January 30
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.

[12/18/25 - 10:01 AM]
"The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball" Exclusive Holiday Art Debut & Two More Seasons Coming Soon
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[12/18/25 - 09:31 AM]
"Today's" Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb Set to Host NBC's Live Coverage of the 137th Rose Parade Presented by Honda
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[12/18/25 - 09:12 AM]
New Norwegian Family Drama "Stayer," Season 1 Exclusive US Debut Thursday, January 15, 2026 on Viaplay
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[12/18/25 - 09:00 AM]
Adult Swim Renews "Haha, You Clowns" for Two Additional Seasons
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[12/18/25 - 08:39 AM]
TV One Announces Return of "Uncensored" with All Star Lineup, Premiering February 19
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[12/18/25 - 08:31 AM]
Harrison Ford to Be Honored with the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award
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[12/18/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Debuts the Trailer for "Tom Segura: Teacher"
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[12/18/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Together" - Trailer - Hulu
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[12/18/25 - 08:01 AM]
Apple TV Unveils First Look at "Imperfect Women" Created by Annie Weisman
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[12/18/25 - 07:53 AM]
TNT Sports to Exclusively Present 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic - New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers - Friday, Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. ET
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[12/18/25 - 07:13 AM]
Father-Daughter Duo Transform Ordinary Objects in "Building Outside the Lines," Premiering December 30 on Magnolia Network
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