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[12/08/20 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, December 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!


DARK SIDE OF THE '90S/DARK SIDE OF THE FOOTBALL (Vice, New!) - The cable channel is expanding its "Dark Side of the Ring" franchise with two new spin-offs due in 2021. Railsplitter Pictures and Insight Productions are behind "Dark Side of the '90s" which "will look at the most captivating pop-culture moments, trends and personalities of the decade through interviews with people who studied the time period. Each episode will dissect the nostalgia, uncovering the surprising dark truths underlying the glitz, the glamour and the headlines." And 44 Blue Productions is producing "Dark Side of the Football," which "will explore the sometimes-flawed men behind the masks; the coaches, teams and leagues who control their fates; and the untold story behind bizarre and tragic off-the-field events - facts that often have been hidden to shield fans from discovering unsettling truths about the game they love." No specific auspices were given. (Deadline.com)
DEAD PLACES (Sundance Now/UMC, New!) - The streaming siblings have acquired the South African horror series, which "centers on an author who has dedicated his career to solving paranormal cases, returning home to South Africa to investigate the biggest mystery of his life: His sister's death in a water canal 20 years ago." Writer/director Gareth Crocker is behind the project, which stars Anthony Oseyemi, Rea Rangaka, Shamilla Miller, David Butler, David James, Luthuli Dlamini, S'Dumo Mtshali and Pallance Dladla. Sean Mik'ael Butler, Patrick Strom, Chris Lawrence and Philip Wolmarans are also executive producers for Motion Story. (Deadline.com)
GENERATION (HBO Max) - Alicia Coppola, Marwan Salama and Marisela Zumbado will recur on the upcoming series, a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community. Coppola plays Carol, "the mother of Riley (Chase Sui Wonders) who is terribly uncool, painfully suburban and obsessed with meddling in Riley's business"; with Salama as Bo, "an under-the-radar high school junior who is direct, utterly unself-conscious and refreshingly comfortable in his own skin"; and Zumbado as Lucia, "a young junior who is confident, bold and queer and loves to shake things up." (Deadline.com)
HOOPS (Netflix) - The streamer has axed the adult animated comedy after one season. (Variety.com)
HOPE CAFÉ (NBC, New!) - Linda Videtti Figueiredo has sold a multi-camera comedy to the network in which "the friendships, lives and loves of the workers and customers are all intertwined at the Hope Café, a coffee shop where the baristas are also trained as mental health counselors." Mayim Bialik and Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught of Sad Clown Productions and Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow of Two Shakes Entertainment are also on board to executive produce for Warner Bros. Television with Dave Kunicki and Jonny Boucher, whose Hope for the Day's Sip of Hope in Chicago serves as the project's basis, as consultants. (Deadline.com)
HOUSE OF HO (HBO Max) - Katy Wallin and Stephanie Bloch Chambers's Wallin Chambers Entertainment has extended its overall deal with Lionsgate Television where they'll continue to develop new series projects. (Deadline.com)
MINX (HBO Max) - Idara Victor, Oscar Montoya, Jessica Lowe, Lennon Parham, Michael Angarano and Jake Johnson have landed roles on the Ophelia Lovibond-led comedy pilot, about Joyce (Lovibond), "an earnest young feminist who dreams of producing a magazine by, for and about women and joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women." Victor will play Tina, "the publisher's sardonic secretary"; with Montoya as Richie, "the magazine's recently out-of-the-closet photographer"; Lowe as Bambi, "a former centerfold hoping to reinvent herself behind the camera"; Parham as Shelly, "a conventional housewife starting to question her life choices"; Angarano as Glenn, "Joyce's unsupportive and manipulative ex-boyfriend"; and Johnson will guest star as Doug, "the publisher who teams with Joyce to create the magazine." (Deadline.com)
ONE DAY AT A TIME (Pop) - Gloria Calderón Kellett took to social media with the news a new home could not be found for the series following its latest cancellation. (@everythingloria)
PIVOTING (FOX) - Maggie Q is set to star opposite Eliza Coupe and Ginnifer Goodwin in the comedy pilot as Sarah, "a tightly wound doctor, fresh out of a divorce from her wife who cheated on her. This combined with the loss of her childhood friend, Coleen, makes her rethink her life decisions. In the pursuit of an easy, happy life, she leaves medicine and tries to get a job at a local supermarket, which concerns but also excites her best friends Amy (Coupe) and Jodie (Goodwin)." (Deadline.com)
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS (CBSAA) - Creator Mike McMahan has signed a two-year overall deal with producer CBS Studios. The pact covers his duties on the series as well as any future projects. (Deadline.com)
UNDER THE VINES (Acorn TV, New!) - The streamer is set to team with New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ for a six-part series about "two unlikely city slickers who inherit a failing vineyard in rural New Zealand." Rebecca Gibney stars as "socialite Daisy Munroe, who heads to New Zealand for a vacation at her recently deceased stepfather's winery, which she intends to sell"; while Charles Edwards is "grumpy UK-born lawyer Louis Oakley who also travels to New Zealand to escape a spiraling series of unfortunate events in his life." Dean O'Gorman, Sara Wiseman, John Bach, Matt Whelan, Simon Mead, Sarah Peirse, Cohen Holloway, Carrie Green, Catherine Wilkin, Robbie Magasiva and newcomer Trae Te Wiki also star. Libertine Pictures and EQ Media Group are behind the project, from creator Erin White and executive producers Gibney, Richard Fletcher and Brendan Dahill. Production begins in February with Carmen J. Leonard producing. (Deadline.com)





  [december 2020]  
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· DARK SIDE OF FOOTBALL (VICE)
· DARK SIDE OF THE 90S (VICE)
· DARK SIDE OF THE RING (VICE)
· DEAD PLACES (SUNDANCE NOW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· GENERA+ION (HBO MAX)
· HOOPS (NETFLIX)
· HOPE CAFÉ (NBC)
· HOUSE OF HO (HBO MAX)
· MINX (STARZ)
· ONE DAY AT A TIME (POP)
· PIVOTING (FOX)
· STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· UNDER THE VINES (ACORN TV)





[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
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[12/05/25 - 03:30 PM]
In Anticipation of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," ABC News to Premiere Two New Specials This December
First up: "Avatar: A New Era - Special Edition of 20/20" premieres Friday, December 12 on ABC.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 10:05 AM]
"Landman" Booms Into a Third Season Renewal and Breaks Viewing Records on Paramount+
The second season is set to be a top three series among all original content the week of November 17 and a top two series for the week of November 24 according to Nielsen preliminary data.

[12/05/25 - 09:45 AM]
Video: "Taylor" - A CW Documentary Special - Trailer
The special - airing Saturday, December 13 - explores the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift and digs deep across the musician's 20-year career, a period that has seen her transcend the realm of pop star to become a cultural icon like no other.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/05/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Monkeypaw Productions' "Him" Beginning December 19
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and more.

[12/05/25 - 08:01 AM]
BET+ Original Film, "Vera's Holiday Flop," Premieres Thursday, December 18
The film stars Charity Jordan, Terri J. Vaughn, Griff, Chrissy McDaniel, Tyler Chronicles, Algebra Blessett, Jelani Akil, Scotty ATL, and Saycon Sengbloh.

[12/05/25 - 07:01 AM]
Academy Award Winner Cillian Murphy Returns as the Legendary Gypsy Gangster Tommy Shelby in "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man"
In select theaters March 6 and on Netflix March 20.

[12/05/25 - 07:01 AM]
Apple's Acclaimed Comedy "Platonic" Lands Season Three Renewal
"Platonic" follows a platonic pair of former best friends approaching midlife (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) who reconnect after a long rift.

[12/05/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Time Flies" - Official Trailer - Netflix
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[12/05/25 - 04:01 AM]
Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Following the Separation of Discovery Global for a Total Enterprise Value of $82.7 Billion (Equity Value of $72.0 Billion)
This acquisition brings together two pioneering entertainment businesses, combining Netflix's innovation, global reach and best-in-class streaming service with Warner Bros.' century-long legacy of world-class storytelling.

[12/05/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the First Look for "Land of Sin" - Premiering on January 2, 2026
Set in the Scanian countryside, this five-part series follows the investigation of a young teenager who is found dead on the Bjäre peninsula.