or


[08/04/21 - 11:51 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, August 4
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!


AND JUST LIKE THAT... (HBO Max) - Christopher Jackson and LeRoy McClain have both landed roles on the "Sex and the City" revival. Jackson will portray Herbert Wexley, "a successful Manhattan hedge fund banker and husband to documentarian and mother of three Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker)." The latter will play Andre Rashad Wallace, "a successful musician and husband to Dr. Nya Wallace (Karen Pittman), a Columbia law professor." (Deadline.com)
BACHELOR, THE (ABC) - Jodi Baskerville, who has been with the franchise for nearly 10 years, has been promoted to executive producer. The news marks the first person of color named to said post on the series. (Variety.com)
BAKING IMPOSSIBLE (Netflix, New!) - Justin Willman will host a new competition series for the streamer "that pairs bakers with engineers to make imaginative creations." Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Kevin Healey, Daniel Calin, Neal Baer, Robert Pardo, Andrew Raines, Andrew Smyt and showrunner Daniel Calin are the executive producers for Propagate Content. Look for its debut on October 6 with its final episodes the following Wednesday. (Variety.com)
CHICAGO MED (NBC) - The medical drama will become "the first network series to mandate vaccinations for its actors as well as those who come into contact with them on set." (Deadline.com)
JEOPARDY! (Syndication) - Executive producer Mike Richards is in advanced negotiations to become permanent host of the syndicated staple. Richards was one of the early guest hosts of the current season. (Variety.com)
LIGHTYEARS (Amazon) - Beth Lacke, Stephen Louis Grush and Cass Buggé are slated to recur on the upcoming sci-fi drama series. Lacke will portray Chandra, "a former student of lead protagonist Irene York (Sissy Spacek) who is dissatisfied with her job as a caregiver at a local nursing home and with life in general." Grush then is Nick, "described as a socially awkward loner who operates the family drapery business and who boasts his own strange charisma." And Buggé is Jeanine, who "has been married to Byron (Adam Bartley) for seven years and is newly arrived in Farnsworth." (Deadline.com)
LITTLE VOICE (Apple TV+) - The streaming service has quietly canceled the half-hour romantic dramedy, which wraps its inaugural run a year ago this month. (Deadline.com)
LONG SLOW EXHALE (Spectrum) - Melissa Saint-Amand will recur on the basketball drama as Claire Brockman. No other details were given. (Deadline.com)
MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, THE (Amazon) - Newcomer Alfie Fuller is the latest to score a top-secret role on the upcoming season. (Deadline.com)
MOANA, THE SERIES (Disney+) - The film's TV series spin-off is set to be the first project out of Walt Disney Animation Studios' new facility in Vancouver, British Columbia. Oscar-nominated producer Osnat Shurer is among the auspices. (Deadline.com)
OLGA DIES DREAMING (Hulu) - Ramón Rodríguez is scored the male lead opposite Aubrey Plaza in the drama pilot as Prieto, "Olga's (Plaza) older brother is a popular Congressman who wears his Puerto Rican pride like a badge of honor. He grew up playing a part: the cheerful, overachieving, involuntary patriarch of a broken home. He's lonely and tired, but he wakes up every morning wholly prepared to be the fixer, continuing to present this facade to his constituents and his opponents alike." (Deadline.com)
OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (HBO Max) - Leslie Jones and Nat Faxon are the latest bound for the pirate comedy series. No specifics were given about their roles. (Deadline.com)
OVERLOOK (HBO Max) - The streamer has opted not to proceed with the project, a horror-thriller series inspired by and featuring iconic characters from Stephen King's masterpiece "The Shining." Producer Warner Bros. Television and studio-based Bad Robot Productions are currently shopping the show, from writers Dustin Thomason and Scott Brown. (Deadline.com)
RUTHERFORD FALLS (Peacock) - Co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas has extended her overall deal with producer Universal Television. The pact covers her duties on the recently ordered second season as well as any future development. (Deadline.com)
SCHOOL OF CHOCOLATE (Netflix, New!) - World-renowned chocolatier Amaury Guichon will topline a new series on the streamer this fall in which "eight top pastry and chocolate professionals are coming to take their skills and careers to the next level. One lucky student who manages to prove themselves best in class after eight episodes will win a prize package that includes a career-changing opportunity." Adam Cohen, Cara Tapper, Joanna Vernetti, Jeanne Begley and Andrea Richter are the executive producers for Super Delicious. (Variety.com)
SOMEONE OUT THERE (NBC) - Ed Weeks, Kimia Behpoornia, Percy Daggs IV and Elizabeth Allhands are set to star opposite Gabrielle Dennis in the comedy pilot. Weeks will play Derek, "a film composer who gets into the right restaurants, Derek is invited to the best Hollywood parties, and buys egregiously expensive sneakers that he's getting a little too old for. But beneath Derek's superficial surface, there may be a better person just waiting to come out." Behpoornia, who was attached to the project's previous incarnation, will again portray Sydney, "Chloe's assistant, a calm and ultra-cool queer woman who is a loyal friend to Chloe, even if that often means gently telling her how old and out of touch she is." Daggs then is Humphrey, "a sweet, emotionally mature little boy with a lot of big ideas about love"; and Allhands is Madison, "an impish, extremely direct little girl who has her own agenda when it comes to Derek's love life." (Deadline.com)
TOUGHEST OPPONENT, THE (Facebook Watch, New!) - Former NFL star Brandon Marshall is set to host a proposed talk show from Red Table Talk Productions which will focus on the mental pressure on athletes. Marshall himself has become an outspoken mental health advocate, going public with his diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Marshall, Jada Pinkett Pinkett Smith, Ellen Rakieten and Kennard McGuire are the executive producers for Red Table Talk Productions, Westbrook Studios and Gen Z. (Deadline.com)
WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC) - Ian Anthony Dale and Laurie Fortier are both bound for the show's final season. Dale will play Tomi, "a long-time member of a group recently discovered by our heroes. His existence continually impacts them in ways none of them could imagine, or avoid." Fortier then will play Agatha, who has yet to be detailed. (Deadline.com)





  [august 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· AND JUST LIKE THAT… (HBO MAX)
· BACHELOR, THE (ABC)
· BAKING IMPOSSIBLE (NETFLIX)
· CHICAGO MED (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· JEOPARDY! (SYNDICATION)
· LITTLE VOICE (APPLE TV PLUS)
· LONG SLOW EXHALE (SPECTRUM)
· MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, THE (AMAZON)
· MOANA, THE SERIES (DISNEY PLUS)
· NIGHT SKY (AMAZON)
· OLGA DIES DREAMING (HULU)
· OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (MAX)
· OVERLOOK (NETFLIX)
· RUTHERFORD FALLS (PEACOCK)
· SCHOOL OF CHOCOLATE (NETFLIX)
· SOMEONE OUT THERE (NBC)
· TOUGHEST OPPONENT, THE (FACEBOOK)
· WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC)





[02/27/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Survivor 50" Premiere Wins the Night Posting CBS' Most-Watched Wednesday Since 2022
Said premiere averaged 5.06 million viewers, peaking with 6.18 million.

[02/27/26 - 01:28 PM]
Paramount to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery to Form Next-Generation Global Media and Entertainment Company
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close in Q3 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances and approval by WBD shareholders, with a vote expected in the early spring of 2026.

[02/27/26 - 12:30 PM]
The Jaw-Dropping Fifth and Final Season of Starz's Hit Drama Series, "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" Set to Premiere June 12
To date, the series has accumulated over 21 billion minutes viewed across all episodes and remains one of Starz's top-performing series.

[02/27/26 - 09:12 AM]
Team USA Hockey Olympic Gold Medalists Hilary Knight, Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes to Appear Together on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday, March 2
The episode will also feature guests Nicole Kidman, Luke Thompson and a cooking demo by Chef Mario Carbone.

[02/27/26 - 08:12 AM]
Paul Wesley Joins Season Three of Hit Apple TV Series "The Buccaneers"
Wesley will play the role as Frank, a mysterious but charming stranger who arrives into Nan and Mrs. St. George's world, turning it upside down.

[02/27/26 - 07:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Focus Features' "Hamnet" Beginning March 6
Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, the film tells the untold story behind one of Shakespeare's most memorable works and celebrates the power of imagination and the creative spirit.

[02/27/26 - 07:01 AM]
Prime Video Debuts First-Look Image of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus On Set of New Series "God of War"
The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions, and has received a two-season order.

[02/27/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Netflix and Apple TV Join Forces to Stream Formula 1 Thrills
The entire new season of "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" is now on Netflix globally and Apple TV in the U.S.

[02/26/26 - 08:46 PM]
"Dandelion": Netflix Adapts "Gintama" Creator Hideaki Sorachi's Debut Work into New Anime Series
Set within the Send-Off Department of the Japanese Angel Federation, Dandelion follows "Angels" Tetsuo Tanba and Misaki Kurogane as they scramble to track down Earthbound spirits - souls unable to move on and find peace - and gently guide them to pass on.

[02/26/26 - 06:01 PM]
Video: "Still Shining" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After falling in love as teens, two young adults drift apart - only to reunite 10 years later and confront their heartbreak, growth and new challenges.

[02/26/26 - 02:46 PM]
Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros.
"The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," said co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters.

[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[02/26/26 - 02:08 PM]
Britbox Unveils Spring Slate with "The Lady" Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce; Premieres March 18
Other highlights include the return of "Hope Street" and the debut of "Mudtown."

[02/26/26 - 01:36 PM]
Paramount Comments on Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Determination of Paramount's Proposal as Superior
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: "We are pleased WBD's Board has unanimously affirmed the superior value of our offer, which delivers to WBD shareholders superior value, certainty and speed to closing."

[02/26/26 - 01:16 PM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors Determines Revised Proposal from Paramount Skydance Constitutes a "Company Superior Proposal"
Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a "Company Superior Proposal."