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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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[12/04/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: AMC Networks Debuts Official Trailer for Sports Docuseries "Rise of the 49ers," Narrated by Executive Producer Tom Brady
The limited series event, exploring the dramatic and iconic run of the San Francisco 49ers during the '80s and early '90s, premieres with the first two episodes on Sunday, February 1 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by the remaining two episodes on Monday, February 2 at 9pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.
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[12/04/25 - 10:31 AM]
"The Hunting Wives" Season 2 Adds Kim Matula and Alex Fitzalan
The duo joins previously announced returning cast members Brittany Snow, Malin Akerman, Jaime Ray Newman, Dermot Mulroney, Evan Jonigkeit, George Ferrier, Karen Rodriguez, Hunter Emery, and Branton Box.
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[12/04/25 - 10:01 AM]
The World Knew Him as Dirty John: New Documentary Series Exposes the Real John Meehan
From Bunim/Murray Productions, a Banijay Americas company, and Empress Films, director Emma Cooper and executive producers Julie Pizzi, Jesse Daniels, and Melissa G. Moore, comes the definitive documentary series of the man behind the myth.
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[12/04/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hularious Original "Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts"
The latest special in the Hularious stand-up slate premieres Friday, December 19 on Hulu, and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, in the US, and on Disney+ internationally.
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[12/04/25 - 09:32 AM]
Food Network Will Kick Off 2026 with a Fresh New Competition Series, "Baking Championship: Next Gen"
Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown are the hosts and judges of the series, due on Monday, January 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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[12/04/25 - 09:31 AM]
First Look - Bert Kreischer Stars in Netflix's "Free Bert"
The new scripted comedy series, starring Bert Kreischer, premieres on Netflix in January 2026.
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[12/04/25 - 09:06 AM]
PBS and WETA Announce Four-Part Documentary "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History" with Henry Louis Gates Jr. to Premiere February 3, 2026
Black and Jewish Americans began on fundamentally different footing, but by the early 20th century, they were drawn together by entrenched racism and rising antisemitism.
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[12/04/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "What's in the Box?" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Giant boxes conceal jaw-dropping prizes, wild surprises and unexpected reveals in "What's in the Box?," a high-stakes arching game show that tests smarts, strategy and stamina.
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[12/04/25 - 09:01 AM]
New Animated Family Comedy Series "Hey A.J.!" Kicks Off Jan. 13 on Disney Jr. and Next Day on Disney+
Inspired by children's book author and former Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett, the upcoming new series is a whimsical and music-filled family comedy about an imaginative young girl who, along with her stuffed bunny sidekick Theo, uses her big imagination to make ordinary life moments extraordinary.
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[12/04/25 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Premiere Date, Official Teaser and First Look Photos for "The 'Burbs" Starring Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall
All eight episodes will premiere on Peacock Sunday, February 8, 2026.
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[12/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Members Only: Palm Beach" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Set within the exclusive enclaves of Palm Beach County, the series follows a group of women navigating the unspoken rules, inherited traditions and high-stakes hierarchies of America's most rarefied social circles.
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[12/04/25 - 08:00 AM]
Disney+ Celebrates 35 Years of Home Alone with Multiple Experiences That Bring the Holiday Classic to Life
Fans can relive the iconic scenes and heartwarming moments from the film by visiting the world's largest gingerbread house built as a nod to the McCallister home, trying "A Lovely Cheese Pizza" from Prince St. Pizza, and experiencing the ultimate travel day with CLEAR.
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[12/04/25 - 07:53 AM]
Popular Soap-Opera Mystery Series "The Beach Hotel" from Bestselling Swedish Crime Author Camilla Lackberg Returns with Suspenseful Season 4 Exclusively in the U.S. on Thursday, December 11 on Viaplay
The eagerly-anticipated fourth season makes its exclusive U.S. debut on the European streaming service, Viaplay on Thursday, December 11 with the first four episodes, and the final four episodes on December 18.
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[12/04/25 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Love from 9 to 5" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A hardworking employee and the boss's charming son compete for the CEO position at a major underwear company, but romance threatens to sabotage them.
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[12/04/25 - 07:02 AM]
Video: "The Elephant" - Official Trailer - Adult Swim
Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, Patrick McHale, Rebecca Sugar, and Pendleton Ward.
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