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[01/25/08 - 06:37 PM]
Development Update: Week of January 21-25
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!
FRINGE (FOX) - John Noble ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King") and Lance Reddick ("The Wire") have landed two of the principal roles on the drama pilot, about a young female FBI agent who is forced to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena and work with an institutionalized scientist whose work might be at the center of the coming storm. Noble is set as Dr. Walter Bishop, said scientist, with Reddick as Phillip Broyles, a special agent for Homeland Security who heads the special Fringe division. They join the previously cast Kirk Acevedo and Mark Valley. Production on the two-hour pilot is set to begin shortly with Alex Graves helming from a script by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The quartet also serve as executive producers alongside Bad Robot's Bryan Burk for Warner Bros. Television.
KATH & KIM (NBC) - Selma Blair is in talks to star opposite Molly Shannon in the comedy pilot, about the dysfunctional relationship between a mother (Shannon) and her daughter (Blair). Blair's character, Kim Day Fattibene, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "26-32, any ethnicity. Also attractive, but not on the same healthy path as her mother, Kim is oblivious to needing any fitness or life plan whatsoever. Although loveable and endearing, she is a drama queen, tends to sit on the couch a lot, self absorbed and a little spoiled. She carries a few extra pounds but still thinks she's the hottest thing around and resists her mother's advice on pulling her life together. She's just left her perfectly nice husband, Dennis, not for the first time, just because he shushed her at a ballgame. Kim - after moving back home - now fully expects her mom and best friend Debbie to drop everything and attend to her and is horrified to learn that her Mom has a boyfriend and a sex life." Michelle Nader is behind the Universal Media Studios/Reveille-based half-hour, which Paul Feig is directing. Nader and Rick McKenna also serve as executive producers alongside original Aussie creators Gina Riley and Jane Turner.
LEGALLY BLONDE (MTV, New!) - The cable channel is casting a potential new "Grease: You're the One That I Want"-esque series in which women ages 18 and older with vocal, acting and dancing skills compete for the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of the film franchise. Laura Bell Bundy plays said role in the current production, which opened in April and has grossed a little over $30.8 million to date, a performance of which was broadcast on MTV on October 13. Casting calls are set for the coming weeks in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Nashville and Orlando. No production details however have been confirmed.
S.I.S. (Spike TV) - Keith David ("First Sunday") has scored the lead role in the two-hour backdoor pilot, about a five-man elite secretive police unit within the LAPD that tackles major crimes and major criminals. He'll play Assistant Chief Joseph Armstrong who's detailed in the casting notice as: "50's-60's. The head of the S.I.S. unit, Armstrong is a righteous man with a crisp military bearing. A devout Mormon, Armstrong prides himself on believing in men who have lost belief in themselves, and Billy Beckett is his latest "adoptee". Believing that Billy is a great detective who has lost his confidence, Armstrong is willing to buck official disapproval in order to get another great detective on his squad, no matter the price. A tough-minded man who has to stop his determined squad members from using their covert status to execute assassinations, Armstrong is the moral center of the S.I.S. team." Omari Hardwick, Matt Nable, Peter Stebbings and Colleen Porch also star in the project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and Neal Moritz's Original Film. John Herzfeld will direct the pilot from his own script as well as executive produce alongside Moritz and Vivian Cannon.
A VERY MERRY DAUGHTER OF THE BRIDE (Lifetime, New!) - Luke Perry, JoAnna Garcia, Helen Shaver and Kenneth Welsh are set to star in a Christmas-themed movie at the cable channel. The project, due in December, centers on Roxanne (Garcia), a twentysomething wedding planner who conspires with Charlie (Perry), the son of her mother Rose's (Shaver) new beau Jack (Welsh), to break up their parents' impending nuptials but an unexpected romantic development forces Roxanne to re-examine her feelings. Actor/director Leslie Hope ("24") is helming the project from a script by Scott Eastlick and Nadine Van Der Veld. Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev are producing for Nomadic Pictures.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[11/19/25 - 01:00 PM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh" Debuts December 12
Sarah Sherman's unholy alter ego, Sarah Squirm, slithers onto your screen in her first stand-up comedy special.
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[11/19/25 - 12:31 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - December 2025
Highlights include season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"; the original film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw"; and the premiere of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era."
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[11/19/25 - 12:26 PM]
ESPN, Major League Baseball Reach Innovative New Agreement Featuring Significant Collection of National and Local Rights
ESPN to produce new exclusive package of 30 regular season games for its linear networks and direct-to-consumer offering.
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[11/19/25 - 12:24 PM]
Major League Baseball Returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026 with Three-Year Media Rights Partnership Featuring Extensive Exclusivity
"Sunday Night Baseball" on NBC/Peacock now joins NBC Sports' presentations of "Sunday Night Football" (NFL) and "Sunday Night Basketball" (NBA) to deliver year-round primetime sports programming on the same night each week - a broadcast network first.
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[11/19/25 - 12:01 PM]
MLB on Netflix Live in 2026: Opening Night, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and Field of Dreams
From 2026 to 2028, Netflix will kick off each MLB season with a singular game on Opening Night, the evening prior to a full slate of traditional Opening Day matchups.
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[11/19/25 - 11:03 AM]
Romantic Drama Series "Heated Rivalry" Debuts November 28 on HBO Max
New episodes of the six-episode season will debut weekly leading up to the finale on Friday, December 26.
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[11/19/25 - 11:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces "The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize"
The latest special is set to premiere directly after "The Daily Show" on Monday, December 8 at 11:30pm ET/PT and will be available on Paramount+, "The Daily Show's" YouTube Channel, and VOD starting December 9.
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[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
Maria Zuckerman Enters Into Multi-Year First-Look Producing Deal with FOX Entertainment Studios to Develop Slate of Premium Scripted Content and Prestige Non-Fiction
An Emmy Award-winning producer and respected industry leader, Zuckerman is known for her ability to identify and champion brand-defining stories and talent that balance artistic excellence with commercial success.
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[11/19/25 - 11:00 AM]
AMC Networks' December Highlights Include "Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale," "Midsomer Murders," "Bridezillas," "Best Christmas Ever" and More
"Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale" returns Thursday, December 25 with new episodes through January 29.
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[11/19/25 - 09:18 AM]
Peacock Announces January 15 Premiere Date for "Ponies"
The espionage thriller series starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson will premiere on Thursday, January 15.
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[11/19/25 - 09:05 AM]
The CW Network Sets 2026 Midseason Premiere Dates for Returning Hit Series
Highlights include the season premiere of "Wild Cards" on Monday, January 26 at 8:00/7:00c.
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[11/19/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: "Stargate" Announcement - Prime Video
Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit a new "Stargate" series for Prime Video.
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[11/19/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration" - Official Trailer - Netflix
'Tis the season! Meghan shares her favorite holiday traditions, seasonal crafts and family recipes with friends old and new in this festive special.
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[11/19/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Available December 8 on Disney+
Follow your friends one last time.
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[11/19/25 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original "Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East" Debuts December 2
New episodes will premiere on subsequent Tuesdays through the end of the NFL regular season and continue into the NFL playoffs in January 2026.
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