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[12/21/07 - 06:31 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 17-21
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!
AMC ORIGINAL SERIES (AMC, New!) - The cable channel has added four new projects to its development slate. Said efforts will eventually result in one of two pilots the network plans to order next year. The other pilot will be based off its previously announced projects. As for the newcomers, they are: "Fort Smith," from "24's" Robert Cochran, about Isaiah Parker, who polices the Five Points - comprised of five different Indian tribes - with his posse in the lawless post-Civil War West; an untitled hour from Alison Anders and Terry Graham, about Comanche leader Quanah Parker, who fights the U.S. Army for the rights to his tribe's land; "Greenfields," from playwright Nicky Silver ("Raised in Captivity"), about a psychiatrist who breaks his patient out of jail; and "Uninvited Guest," from "Less Than Zero" screenwriter Harley Peyton and Mandalay's Peter Guber and Elizabeth Stephens, about a character who suffers from multiple personality disorder.
THE AMERICAN MALL (MTV, New!) - MTV is teaming with "High School Musical" producers Bill Borden and Barry Rosenbush for a romantic comedy/musical set at a mall in the vein of the Disney Channel sensation. Nina Dobrev and Rob Mayes will topline the project, about Ally, a high school grad/singer-songwriter (Dobrev), who battles to save her mother's music store and to keep the boy she loves (Mayes), a musically gifted young janitor who fronts a garage band. Autumn Reeser also stars as Ally's mean-girl adversary Madison, the spoiled and ruthless heiress to the owners of the mall, while Wade Allain-Marcus, Bianca Collins, Rodney To, Neil Haskell, Brooke Lyons, David Baum, Blythe Auffarth, Yassmin Alers, Bresha Webb, Neil Haskell and Al Sapienza round out the cast. Production is set to begin next month at a mall in Provo, Utah with Shawn Ku ("Pretty Dead Girl") directing. Borden is producing "Mall," which was originally set up as a feature at Columbia Pictures prior to "Musical's" release, with Rosenbush and Arata Matsushima serving as executive producers. "Mall" then will premiere this summer with a DVD release a couple of days later.
BACKYARDS & BULLETS (NBC) - The Peacock has opted not to move forward with the drama pilot, about a suburban Neighborhood Watch group gone awry. The news comes as a result of the network letting its options on the cast expire. The show's ensemble included Abigail Spencer, Billy Burke, Casey LaBow, Enuka Okuma, Jessalyn Gilsig, Kristen Lehman, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mathew St. Patrick and Richard Ruccolo. Charles McDougall directed the Sony Pictures Television/Pariah-based hour from a script by Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. Pariah's Gavin Polone and Jamie Tarses also served as executive producers.
COCO CHANEL (Lifetime, New!) - The cable channel is developing a biopic/mini-series about the famed fashion icon featuring Barbora Bobulova and Shirley MacLaine as the designer in the early and later periods of her life, respectively. Christian Duguay ("Human Trafficking") is on board to direct the Alchemy Television Group-based project, which is currently filming. Enrico Medioli ("Once Upon a Time in America") penned the script while Lux Vide SpA, Pampa Productions, Rai and France 2 are co-producing alongside Alchemy. The two-part effort, which is being done in cooperation with Chanel's estate, tracks her upbringing in an orphanage outside Paris through her move to reinvent herself in her 70s, after spending years in exile.
KAYA (MTV) - MTV development chief Tony DiSanto confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter this week the series, the network's first scripted effort in more than five years, won't be returning for a second season. "Kaya" opened its 10-episode run on Monday nights following "The Hills" before being banished to Saturday nights after failing to capitalize on said lead-in. DiSanto however was quick to note the network still plans to push forward in the scripted genre as several projects are in the works, including an untitled effort from Adam Ripp and Steven Wolfson as well as "Darius," from "Law & Order" veteran Michael S. Chernuchin.
SAINT OF CIRCUMSTANCE (FOX, New!) - "The Office" alum David Denman is set to topline a new single-camera comedy pilot for FOX about a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. "Scrubs" star Zack Braff is in talks to direct the ABC Studios-based half-hour, which was created by Braff's brother, Adam ("Andrew Henry's Meadow"). Denman then will play the lead role of Wayne with the Braffs executive producing alongside Emile Levisetti. Production on the pilot is expected to begin after the WGA strikes concludes.
UNTITLED CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER PROJECT (ABC) - ABC Studios has extended the options on the entire cast of the multi-camera comedy pilot, about a family man (Cedric the Entertainer) who always has been the proud breadwinner but has difficulty adjusting when his wife's (Regina Hall) hobby turns into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Production on the project, which also stars Charles Malik Whitfield, Jasmine McNeal, Melissa Peterman, Peter Mackenzie and Steven Wash, Jr., was completed in October. Ken Whittingham directed from a script by co-creators Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Soccio and Rock Reuben.
WIFE SWAP (ABC) - Lifetime's purchase of the show's off-network rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television on Tuesday (read the story) is said to be valued at $250,000 per episode. The four-year pact, which begins in October, gives the cable channel the right to play reruns of the series twice a day.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[12/01/25 - 12:43 PM]
Video: "Zero Star: The Cam Ward Story" - Official Trailer - Tubi Original
Witness Cam Ward's unlikely rise from overlooked high school QB with one Division I FCS offer to the NFL draft's no. 1 pick.
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[12/01/25 - 12:30 PM]
Production Begins on "Power: Origins" as Six Recurring Cast Members Join the Starz Prequel Series
The first season will consist of 18 episodes and is filming in New Jersey.
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[12/01/25 - 12:00 PM]
"Wicked: One Wonderful Night" Encore to Air Dec. 31 at 8 P.M. ET/PT on NBC
This once-in-a-lifetime musical event is a thrillifying celebration of the cinematic release of Universal Pictures' "Wicked: For Good," the epic finale to the global cultural phenomenon, now playing in theaters.
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[12/01/25 - 11:01 AM]
First Look: Hulu Original Series "The Artful Dodger" Season 2
The comedy-adventure series starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewlis and Maia Mitchell returns for season two on February 10 on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[12/01/25 - 09:44 AM]
USA Sports Announces 2025-26 Atlantic 10 College Basketball Schedule & Commentators
The 2025-26 season marks the fifth consecutive year of live Atlantic 10 basketball on USA Network.
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[12/01/25 - 09:00 AM]
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards Airs May 17, 2026 Live from Las Vegas, Exclusively on Prime Video
Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the 61st ACM Awards promises to build on the momentum of its milestone year, celebrating the artists, collaborations, and moments that continue to shape Country Music.
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[12/01/25 - 07:16 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for Holiday Special "The First Snow of Fraggle Rock"
The special features a cameo appearance by musical artist and internet sensation Lele Pons that includes a duet of the classic, beloved "Fraggle Rock" song "Our Melody" with Gobo, along with two other holiday numbers.
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[12/01/25 - 07:01 AM]
HBO Max Wraps the Year with Its "Always the Season" In-App Collection, Spotlighting the Year's Best Picks and Holiday Offerings
Packed with award-winning originals, fan-favorite films, and quintessential holiday favorites, the "Always The Season" page reminds subscribers that every season is the perfect time to stream on HBO Max.
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[12/01/25 - 06:01 AM]
"Maxton Hall - The World Between Us" Successfully Wraps Filming for Third and Final Season
The second season confirms its status as the most-watched international original series of all time on Prime Video, reaching number one on Prime Video charts in almost 100 countries during its launch week, including Germany, the USA and the UK.
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[12/01/25 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" - Official Teaser - Netflix
This documentary series unpacks the shocking allegations behind Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career.
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[12/01/25 - 04:31 AM]
Video: "Run Away" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A desperate father searching for his runaway daughter gets caught up in a murder case - and stumbles upon secrets which could destroy his family for good.
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[11/30/25 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Cashero" - Official Teaser - Netflix
An ordinary man who inherits super strength discovers a greater evil out to steal his power. The one catch? Every use drains money from his wallet.
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[11/29/25 - 11:06 AM]
Flex Games! Nikola Jokic and Nuggets Host Kevin Durant and Rockets; Cade Cunningham and Pistons Visit Jaylen Brown and Celtics on "Peacock NBA Monday" Doubleheader, Dec. 15, on Peacock and NBCSN
One quarter of the NBA's top 20 scorers (Jokic, Cunningham, Brown, Durant, and Jamal Murray) are on the four teams in the doubleheader.
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[11/28/25 - 04:32 PM]
NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Sets All-Time Viewership Record
The 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered 34.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, its biggest combined audience on record, outperforming last year's parade by +8% (2.5 million viewers).
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[11/28/25 - 01:59 PM]
Thanksgiving Day Hoops Scores FOX's Most-Watched CBB Game in History
Michigan State's Thanksgiving Day win over UNC in the Fort Myers Tip-Off scored 5,488,000 viewers on FOX - the most-watched college basketball game ever on the network.
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