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[05/18/07 - 05:15 PM]
Development Update: Week of May 14-18
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!
THE ANATOMY OF HOPE (A.K.A. UNTITLED TOM SCHULMAN/RAFAEL YGLESIAS PROJECT) (HBO) - Chris Messina, John Ortiz, Simon Callow, Valerie Pettiford, Matt Craven, Deepti Daryanani, Daryl Edwards, Diego Klattenhoff, Kerry Condon and Sarah Knowlton have all been cast in the pilot, a hospital drama that explores cancer battles from the patients' point of view. In addition, executive producer J.J. Abrams has confirmed he'll direct the hour from a script by Tom Schulman and Rafael Yglesias. As for specifics, Messina will play an oncologist who goes between being overly friendly and aloof; Ortiz will play a recent cancer survivor; Callow is set as one of the top oncologists in the U.S.; Pettiford is playing a terminally ill cancer patient; Craven will play a hyper guy who may have prostate cancer; Edwards will play a patient with advanced cancer; Klattenhoff is playing a recently engaged young man with bone cancer in his leg with Condon as his fiancee; Daryanani is set as a beautiful young doctor; and Knowlton will play a nurse who runs the chemo ward. Abrams, Schulman and Yglesias then are executive producing alongside Bad Robot's Bryan Burk via the company's overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.
BIG LOVE (HBO) - The pay channel has commissioned a trio of three-to-five minute mini-episodes of the series collectively dubbed "Big Love: In the Beginning." All three installments will feature the regular cast and crew as well as fill in various elements of the backstory of the Henricksons. The first, "Post-Partum," is set five years ago when Bill's wife Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) suffers a breakdown after her child is born; the second "Meet the Babysitter," takes place three years ago when youngest wife Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) comes into the picture; and the last, "Moving Day," focuses on an incident set a little over a year ago when the family considers a move to the suburbs. HBO on Demand subscribers will have access to the episodes starting Monday, June 4 before they're actually broadcast on the channel itself on Sunday, June 24 at 7:45/6:45c.
FAMILY MAN (TNT, New!) - William H. Macy ("The Wool Cap") has been tapped to star in a potential new drama series for the cable channel, about a man who organizes charity drives by day and cracks the safes of major corporations by night. Macy himself will co-write the script with longtime collaborator Steven Schachter (who will also direct) as well as executive produce alongside Craig Zadan and Neil Meron via their Sony Pictures Television-based Storyline Entertainment. As for specifics, it's understood the story will be told with the use of flash forwards, with Macy's character seen in prison in the future.
JOURNEYMAN (NBC) - Alex Graves, who helmed the drama pilot to the series, has inked a one-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. The pact calls for Graves to continue on as an executive producer for the first 13 episodes of the project as well as develop new series projects for the studio.
JUDGMENT DAY (Lifetime) - Graham Norton ("The Graham Norton Show") has been tapped to host the pilot, which is described as an in-studio popularity contest where seven women are voted off one by one by a female audience based on how they handle a series of questions and challenges, demonstrating how people all too often judge a book by its cover. Production on the hourlong project, from Simon Andreae ("Ebaum's World") and Fox Television Studios, is set to begin next month in Los Angeles.
MR. & MRS. SMITH (ABC) - Regency Television reportedly is set to begin shopping the pilot to other networks as early as next week. The project, which was co-produced by Doug Liman's Dutch Oven banner, didn't make the cut for ABC's 2007-2008 schedule this week. It's understood creator Simon Kinberg and co-stars Jordana Brewster and Martin Henderson are all still attached to the pilot, however no option length was given.
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - Executive producers Salma Hayek and Jose Tamez have signed a new two-year overall deal with the show's producer ABC Studios. The pact sets up their Ventanarosa Productions at the studio where they'll develop new series projects as well as continue with their duties on "Betty."
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[01/22/26 - 08:18 AM]
ESPN's 2026 United Football League Schedule Revealed
A combination of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App will feature 22 games, including showcasing the league debut of the Columbus Aviators and Orlando Storm in primetime, kicking off the UFL Playoffs and presenting the UFL Championship game.
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[01/22/26 - 08:06 AM]
Your Table's Ready! Season Four of Bravo's "Southern Hospitality" Premieres Wednesday, March 4 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Leva Bonaparte, the Queen of King Street, and her staff - Joe Bradley, Bradley Carter, TJ Dinch, Michols Peña, Maddi Reese and Lake Rucker - are back, and this summer is one for the books.
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[01/22/26 - 07:58 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NFL Divisional Playoff Game on Record as Rams-Bears Thriller Averages 45.4 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock
The audience for Rams-Bears - which increased in every quarter hour from 8:15 p.m. ET until the game-winning score - peaked in the game's closing minutes, with an average of 52.6 million viewers from 9:45-10 pm ET.
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[01/22/26 - 07:24 AM]
Bob Costas Returns to NBC Sports, to Host "Sunday Night Baseball" Pregame Show
Costas debuts as host of NBC's new primetime MLB package on Thursday, March 26, at Dodger Stadium, as the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers host the Arizona Diamondbacks, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock in the only primetime game on MLB's Opening Day.
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[01/22/26 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "Ella McCay" - Trailer - Hulu
From acclaimed director James L. Brooks, the film streams on Hulu February 5.
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[01/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
USA Sports Announces WNBA Commentators Highlighted by Elle Duncan and Renee Montgomery as Studio Team
Kate Scott and Meghan McPeak will serve as play-by-play commentators; while Sarah Kustok joins USA Sports as game analyst.
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[01/22/26 - 06:03 AM]
FOX Nation Extends Partnership with Real American Freestyle in New Long-Term Deal
Through this expanded deal, FOX Nation will exclusively stream all upcoming RAF matches, delivering nationwide live events featuring elite competitors including Bo Nickal, Wyatt Hendrickson, Colby Covington, Michael Chandler, and more.
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[01/22/26 - 06:00 AM]
The Ninth and Final Season of "The Office: Superfan Episodes" Streams Exclusively on Peacock January 26
The episodes feature longer cuts packed with never-before-seen footage, re-cut scenes, and rare bonus moments - giving fans insider access to Dunder Mifflin like never before, from every prank and talking head to every unforgettable conference room meltdown.
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[01/22/26 - 05:06 AM]
Paramount Files Proxy Materials and Extends Tender Offer
Paramount has also extended its $30 per share all-cash tender offer to February 20, 2026, reaffirming its commitment to a transaction with WBD at a $108.4 billion enterprise value that is significantly greater and far more certain than the purported $82.7 billion enterprise value of the Netflix transaction.
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[01/22/26 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "The Investigation of Lucy Letby" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Unseen footage and unheard insider accounts reveal the harrowing and divisive case of Lucy Letby, the neonatal nurse convicted of fatally harming infants.
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[01/22/26 - 03:00 AM]
Maribel Verdu, Carmen Maura, Maria Leon, Cecilia Suarez, Ana Mena, and Clara Sans Join Claudia Salas and Ana Torrent for Season Two of "Rage," Debuting This Year
The second season will follow several women trapped in a market system where everything is susceptible to becoming a lucrative spectacle.
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[01/22/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Unfamiliar" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When the past catches up with two former spies, their biggest challenge isn't car chases, shootouts or fistfights - it's telling each other the truth.
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[01/21/26 - 02:57 PM]
Smithsonian Channel Announces Three Network Series Renewals
"How Did They Build That?," "How Did They Fix That?" and "Ice Airport Alaska" are all due back.
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[01/21/26 - 02:43 PM]
Video: Preview - Loveuary 2026 - Coming This February
This February tune in for all-new romantic movie premieres on Hallmark Channel, Saturdays starting February 7.
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[01/21/26 - 01:40 PM]
Black Stories Always: Community Is Everything This Black History Month on Hulu
From multigenerational legacies to chosen families and collective joy, these stories highlight the communities that uplift, inspire, and bring us together.
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