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[10/07/08 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, October 7
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!
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (FOX, New!) - Christine Zander ("Samantha Who?") is developing a domestic take on the infamous U.K. comedy, about the friendship of two boozy, over-40 best friends who are desperate to stay hip and youthful. The project, which has script commitment with a penalty attached, is set up at Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum's Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount banner. Jennifer Saunders, the mind behind the U.K. original, along with Ian Moffitt will also executive produce via BBC Worldwide Productions. ABC was the last network to take a stab at importing the show nearly a decade ago with Roseanne Barr and Carrie Fisher in the roles made famous by Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
THE RICHES (FX) - The cable channel confirmed this week the Minnie Driver/Eddie Izzard-led drama won't return for a third season. The news had been widely expected as its strike-shortened sophomore run experienced a significant 44% drop in the key 18-49 demographic. Dmitry Lipkin was behind the hour, which was co-produced by Fox Television Studios, FX Productions and Maverick Television.
THE WASHINGTONIENNE (HBO) - Rachael Taylor, Amanda Walsh and Bitsie Tulloch have scored the lead roles in the Sarah Jessica Parker-produced comedy, about the professional and personal lives of three smart, sophisticated 28-year-old girls working on Capitol Hill. Taylor will play Jackie, "a recent transplant from New York who has decided to pursue a career as a speechwriter but first must work her way up from the intern desk"; with Tulloch as April, her mentor friend from college "who has been on the Hill since graduation and lives a prematurely middle-age lifestyle with a boyfriend who seems more in love with his flashy senator boss than with her"; and Walsh as Laura, "a small-town girl whose workaholic ways often come at the expense of a social life and who is constantly defending her Republican views to her liberal friends." Also signing on is David Furr as April's boyfriend Tom, an aide to a charismatic senator. Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz penned the pilot script based on Jessica Cutler's semi-autobiographical book. Vanessa Taylor was previously attached to pen the adaptation. Parker, Parker's producing partner Alison Benson, Sarah Condon and Stacy Traub are the executive producers.
WIPEOUT (ABC) - Japanese broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against ABC, alleging "Wipeout" is "a blatant copycat" of several of its classic Japanese competition series, including "Takeshi's Castle," "Sasuke" and "Kuniochi." Spike TV's "MXC" and G4's "Ninja Warrior" feature footage from "Castle" and "Sasuke," respectively, here in the U.S. "ABC's willful and wrongful use of Plaintiff's shows to create 'Wipeout' is egregious, inexcusable and not to be tolerated," the complaint reads. Among its claims: ABC bought search terms such as "MXC" on Google to help drive traffic to the official "Wipeout" page and a memo from Alphabet executive VP Howard Davine indicating producers to "carefully scrutinize" whether licensing foreign formats "is necessary or appropriate." A separate lawsuit against producer Endemol is also said to be pending.
THE WISHING WELL (Hallmark, New!) - Ernest Borgnine, Jordan Ladd and Sally Kellerman are set to star in a new original movie at the cable channel about a reporter (Ladd) sent to Slow Creek, Illinois, to write a fluff piece on the local wishing well, which ends up having an impact on her life. Borgnine then plays a local innkeeper with Kellerman as a waitress/the unofficial town therapist. David Jackson is directing the movie, from a script by Steven H. Berman with Larry Levinson executive producing and Brian Gordon and Susan McGuire producing.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[06/08/26 - 10:55 AM]
Production Begins on Season Two of CBS' "Marshals" - The #1 New Broadcast Series
Produced by Paramount Television Studios and 101 Studios, the series averaged 20.4 million multiplatform viewers for the first eight episodes.
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[06/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "The Bear" - Season 5 Official Trailer - Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach - FX
The final season premieres June 25.
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[06/08/26 - 10:00 AM]
Rocket, Groot, Mr. Fantastic and Silk Join "Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends" Season 5, Premiering July 13
This season will introduce a new "Rescue-Webs" story arc in which Team Spidey is able to tackle even more daring rescues with their new Spidey-themed firetruck and rescue gear.
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[06/08/26 - 09:16 AM]
"Lupin" Part 4 Will Premiere on October 23rd on Netflix
Omar Sy reprises his iconic role as Assane Diop, the gentleman thief, in these new eight episodes alongside Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, Théo Christine and Laïka Blanc-Francard.
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[06/08/26 - 09:04 AM]
Chef Anna Gass Returns for Season 2 of "Instant Italian" Premiering Monday, June 29 on FYI Network
Season 2 of "Instant Italian" joins chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and culinary influencer Anna Francese Gass back in the kitchen as she shares fresh takes on beloved Italian dishes.
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[06/08/26 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN Scores Second Most-Watched WCWS Finals on Record; Game 2 Delivers Most-Watched College Softball Game Ever
Game 2 averaged 2.5 million viewers across ESPN/ESPNU, delivering the most-watched college softball game on record.
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[06/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "The American Experiment" - Official Trailer - Netflix
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the new five-part documentary series The American Experiment reexamines the improbable achievement that was the nation's founding, and the radical question at the center of the revolution: Can a people govern themselves?
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Roku Originals Celebrates the Greatest Women in Sports with "Gamechangers: America's Top 25 Female Athletes," Executive Produced by Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, and Peyton Manning
This hour-long special, which is the second iteration of Roku's "Gamechangers" anthology series, will feature interviews with star athletes, sports media voices, and celebrities, celebrating the legacy and impact of 25 of the greatest female athletes in American sports history.
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
BritBox Announces "Hercule," Starring Edward Bluemel as Agatha Christie's Legendary Detective Hercule Poirot
The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...
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[06/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for High-Octane Series "Ride or Die" Starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham
A Paramount Television Studios and Amazon MGM Studios production, the fast-paced series will debut all eight episodes on Wednesday, July 15, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.
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[06/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: New Teaser for "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Drops Down the Rabbit Hole, Debuting July 16 on Disney Channel and Next Day on Disney+
A new teaser was revealed today, along with the premiere date, poster art and casting news confirming that critically acclaimed actress and comedian Awkwafina will step into the twisted world of Wonderland as Chessy the Cat.
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[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Meet Scooby-Doo! Netflix Reveals Live-Action Take on the Iconic Canine
This marks the first time in the Scooby-Doo franchise that the character of Scooby-Doo will be portrayed by a real dog.
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[06/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Disney's Andscape Debuts Trailer for "They Fight," Starring Andre Holland, Wendell Pierce, and Samira Wiley Ahead of the Film's World Premiere at Tribeca
The film follows a reformed ex-con who finds purpose mentoring young boxers at a Washington, D.C. youth gym as they pursue their dreams in and out of the ring.
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[06/08/26 - 07:00 AM]
National Geographic's Fin-Favorite Summer Event Returns with Even More Shark-Filled Fun, Kicking Off with Marquee Special "Hammerhead Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory
Additional fin-tastic programming will roll out throughout the month across Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Channel and Disney XD, with select titles also streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[06/06/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: New Teaser - Hulu Original Series "Rivals" Season 2 Return
The UK original returns this November on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US and Disney+ internationally.
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