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[02/20/20 - 11:26 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 20
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
AMERICAN AUTO (NBC) - Harriet Dyer has scored the lead role on the single-camera comedy pilot as Sadie, "an ambitious type-A head of communications at Payne." The Justin Spitzer-penned project "is set at the headquarters of a major American automotive company in Detroit, where a floundering group of executives try to rediscover the company identity amidst a rapidly changing industry." (Deadline.com)
AMERICANAH (HBO Max) - Executive producer Danai Gurira has signed a two-year overall deal with ABC Studios. The pact calls for her to develop new series projects for the studio. (Deadline.com)
BOUNDLESS (Amazon, New!) - Simon West is attached to direct a four-part series at the streaming service which "will tell the story of Juan Sebastián Elcano and Ferdinand Magellan's epic voyage around the world after they set sail from Spain 500 years ago." Mono Films and Kilima Media are behind the project, due in 2021, which Amazon will co-produce with Spanish broadcaster RTVE. Miguel Menéndez de Zubillaga is the producer. (Deadline.com)
CORTES (Amazon) - Tenoch Huerta and Yoshira Escárrega have both been cast in the Javier Bardem-led limited series as Moctezuma, "the Emperor of the Aztecs"; and Marina, "strategic partner, translator and consort to Hernán Cortés," respectively. (Deadline.com)
EMPIRE (FOX) - Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett - also known as En Vogue - will drop by the show's March 17 episode, which also marks Taraji P. Henson's directorial debut. (Variety.com)
FLIGHT ATTENDANT, THE (HBO Max) - Bebe Neuwirth is set to recur on the upcoming thriller as Diana Carlisle, "a senior partner at the law firm where Annie (Zosia Mamet) works. Graceful and hard like polished marble, she's a real mentor to Annie." (Deadline.com)
HARLEM'S KITCHEN (ABC) - Delroy Lindo is in negotiations to star in the drama pilot as Ellis Rice, "Executive Chef and patriarch, who runs a successful restaurant with his wife and three daughters. But an unexpected death thrusts the family into turmoil and puts the restaurant's future in jeopardy as long-buried secrets are revealed." Said talks come as the actor is bowing out of "The Good Fight" after its upcoming fourth season. In addition, Stephen Williams is set to direct from a script by Zahir McGhee. (Deadline.com)
JURY DUTY (A.K.A. WE THE JURY) (CBS) - Jack Cutmore-Scott is the first to be cast in the hybrid comedy pilot as John "Hutty" Huttman, "a charismatic natural leader and winner in every way, who isn't happy about being made an alternate juror, so he's going to make it fun for himself." (Deadline.com)
LA BREA (NBC) - Michael Raymond-James, Karina Logue and Zyra Gorecki are the first to be cast in the high-concept drama pilot, in which "when a massive sinkhole mysteriously opens in Los Angeles, it tears a family in half, separating mother and son from father (Raymond-James) and daughter (Gorecki). When part of the family find themselves in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers, they must work to survive and uncover the mystery of where they are and if there is a way back home." Raymond-James and Gorecki will play the aforementioned Gavin Wolcott and Izzy Wolcott with Logue as Marybeth Hill, "a police officer with strong opinions." Additionally, Thor Freudenthal has been tapped to direct from a script by David Appelbaum. (Deadline.com)
MACGYVER (CBS) - Jeri Ryan has booked a season-long arc on the series as Mac's aunt Gwendolyn Hayes, "an ex-DXS agent who was presumed dead. Mac never knew she existed but Gwen was always keeping track of her nephew's life in the shadows. She is now the presumed head of Codex, the organization that the Phoenix has been hunting this season." (TVInsider.com)
POWER, THE (Amazon) - Rainn Wilson has signed onto the Naomi Alderman adaptation as Daniel Dandon, "the self-righteous and self-important Governor of Washington and constant thorn in Margot's [Leslie Mann] side. But when the Day of the Girls arrives, Dandon's position begins to look decidedly precarious." (Variety.com)
REBEL (ABC) - Ariela Barer is the latest addition to the Katey Sagal-led drama pilot as Ziggie: "The rebellious adopted daughter of Aiden and Rebel, Ziggie is going through a bad patch. She got hooked on pain medication after an injury, but has been drug-free for the last 72 days. A teenager who needs to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings on a very regular basis, Ziggie is vulnerable as hell and needs her mother - only her mother is busy-busy-busy with her latest cluster of tormented clients." (Deadline.com)
RENO 911! (Quibi) - Niecy Nash (Williams), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Johnson), Cedric Yarbrough (Jones), Carlos Alazraqui (Garcia), Ian Roberts (Junior), Joe LoTruglio (Rizzo) and Mary Birdsong (Kimball) are all bound for the show's revived seventh season. They'll reprise said roles alongside co-creators Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, and Kerri Kenney-Silver. (Deadline.com)
SHANTARAM (Apple TV+) - The Charlie Hunnam-led drama is on the hunt for a new showrunner while production is on hiatus due to the monsoon season in India. Creator Eric Warren Singer, who "had fallen behind on scripts," will remain as an executive producer. (Deadline.com)
THIRTYSOMETHING(ELSE) (ABC) - Melanie Mayron and Polly Draper will reprise their roles of Melissa Steadman and Ellyn Warren, respectively, on the sequel series pilot. (Deadline.com)
WILD CHILD (ABC, New!) - Writer Emily Kapnek and director Dean Holland are set to team for a single-camera comedy at the Alphabet, "centering on New York City teenager Lennon Cochrane, whose life is turned upside down when she stumbles on a family secret." Quintessa Swindell has been tapped as the lead in the project, which has a pilot order. Swindell's Lennon is "creative, rebellious, and endlessly indulged by her mother. Lennon rarely heard the word no growing up. Raised to believe she could do anything, Lennon never worried about fitting into any conventional box. Lennon found music early and it became the primary outlet for her self-expression. When her city life is upended, Lennon struggles to adjust to her new circumstances." Kapnek penned the script from a story with Holland and will likewise executive produce via her ABC Studios-based Specifica Productions. (Deadline.com)
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[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.
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[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.
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[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
Quiñones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."
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[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.
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[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.
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[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
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[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.
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[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."
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[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.
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[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.
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[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.
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[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.
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