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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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[01/16/26 - 06:31 PM]
NBC Adds "Puzzled," "What the Dead Know" to Drama Pilot Orders
Joey Falco is behind the former while Beth Rinehart penned the latter.
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[01/16/26 - 01:08 PM]
"20/20" Is the Most-Watched Program Across Broadcast and Cable on Friday Night - Scoring Largest Viewership in Over 7 Months
For the second week in a row, "20/20" posted Total Viewers increases versus the previous week and the corresponding year-ago telecast.
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[01/16/26 - 12:04 PM]
All-New Season of "Naked and Afraid" Premieres Sunday, February 15 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel
This season, survivalists face hell on Earth and the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit as they are dropped into five of the world's most brutal and diverse locations, armed only with their determination and without water, food or clothing.
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[01/16/26 - 09:01 AM]
Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Star in "The Madison" Premiering on Paramount+ March 14
The series is Taylor Sheridan's most intimate work to date, unfolding across two distinct worlds - the beautiful landscape of Montana and the vibrant energy of Manhattan - as it examines the ties that bind families together.
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[01/16/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: We TV Releases a Sneak Peek of the Highly Anticipated New Season of "Mama June"
This season, as Jessica and Shyann plan their wedding, June and Shyann's mother, Trina, battle it out butting heads on just about everything.
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[01/16/26 - 08:22 AM]
"The Tonight Show" Goes for Gold with Special Post-Olympic Opening Ceremony Episode on Friday, Feb. 6
The episode will feature a guest lineup worthy of the podium, including Chris Hemsworth, MrBeast and a musical performance from Lil Uzi Vert.
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[01/16/26 - 08:09 AM]
Video: Oxygen Unveils Premiere Date and Official Trailer for "Love, Ted Bundy"
As America's most notorious serial killer Ted Bundy awaited execution, he exchanged a series of death row letters with the woman who loved him like a brother - his cousin, Edna Martin.
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[01/16/26 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "A Father's Miracle" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A devoted father is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, leaving his daughter to fend for herself as he fights to prove his innocence.
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[01/16/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Star Search" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The reimagined talent competition series returns as a live, five-week event hosted by Anthony Anderson, featuring an all-star judging panel with Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen.
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[01/16/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: NBC Releases First Official Promo and Key Art for New Comedy Series "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins"
Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Precious Way, and Jalyn Hall star in the series.
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[01/15/26 - 05:01 PM]
"Culinary Class Wars" Returns for Season 3, Raising the Stakes with a Team-Based Showdown
Building on two consecutive seasons of global success, Season 3 raises the stakes with four-person teams representing a single restaurant, transforming the competition into a collective fight for pride, reputation, and survival.
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[01/15/26 - 03:22 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - February 2026
Highlights include "The Muppet Show," "The Artful Dodger," and "Paradise."
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[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
Video: Tubi Debuts Chaotic Trailer for New Original Film "Terri Joe: Missionary in Miami"
In this wild farce, Southern Belle Terri Joe ventures to Miami to outrun wacky criminals and find a new church where she can atone for her sins.
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[01/15/26 - 02:01 PM]
NBC Commissions Drama Pilot from Dean Georgaris and John Fox
Professor Georgia Ryan is a trailblazing psychologist who challenges the field of criminology by shifting the investigative focus to the victim rather than just the perpetrator in order to uncover the crucial clues that more traditional methods leave behind.
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[01/15/26 - 01:38 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Christmas Week Shoots to a Season High Among Total Viewers - Scoring Show's Best Performance in 10 Months
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 152 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
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