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[03/11/08 - 05:37 PM]
Development Update: March 10-11
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!
DRIVING AROUND WITH JONI (HBO, New!) - Jhoni Marchinko ("Men in Trees") has scored a pilot commitment from the pay channel for a new comedy about an eccentric, successful 40-year-old widow who spends her days driving around Los Angeles with her French bulldog, looking for meaning in her life after the sudden death of her husband. The project was originally set up at Warner Bros. Television where Marchinko had an overall deal prior to its termination during the WGA strike. Marchinko then will pen and executive produce "Joni" while Warner Bros. will still retain a piece of the show but not be creatively involved.
ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS) - Marley Shelton ("Grindhouse") has been tapped as the female lead in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama pilot, about Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell), a special science adviser to the government who - with his feisty female bodyguard Rachel Young (Shelton) in tow - saves people from the worst abuses of science. Ashley Jensen originated Shelton's role in the U.K. version. Danny Cannon is directing the hour from a script by Mick Davis with the pair executive producing alongside Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman for Granada International and Warner Bros. Television.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS, New!) - Feature writer Ari Schlossberg ("Hide and Seek") has booked a pilot presentation order from the Eye and CBS Paramount Network Television for a new horror-themed drama that unfolds during the course of a season as a group of friends meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding. "Jericho's" Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct and executive produce alongside his Junction Entertainment partners Karim Zreik and Dan Shotz. The latter pair then will serve as co-executive producers, as will Schlossberg.
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - Josh Cooke ("Big Day") is set to star opposite Tim Peper in the multi-camera comedy pilot, about two best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Peper) starts dating the ex-wife of the other (Cooke). Mike Sikowitz is behind the half-hour, which is set up at Sony Pictures Television.
THE SAINT (New!) - Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, Roger Moore and Geoffrey Moore are set to team to produce an independently financed two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot based on Leslie Charteris's famed novels about debonair international thief Simon Templar. Zamacona and Macdonald previously set up the project at TNT last season (read the story) but it didn't move forward. The rights subsequently reverted back to them, after which Fontana and Levinson came aboard. Nehst Studios is behind the project while James Purefoy ("Rome") in talks to topline. Production then is set to begin next month with filming in Budapest, Hungary, New York and Puerto Rico. Since the 1997 feature starring Val Kilmer, both UPN (director John McTiernan and producer ATG in 2000) and ABC (writer Stephen Nathan and producer FremantleMedia North America in 2004) have taken stabs at developing a new small screen take.
UNTITLED NICK LACHEY PROJECT (MTV, New!) - Nick Lachey is developing a "Fame"-esque reality series set at his alma mater, the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. The untitled project then would track its students, blending their performances with a narrative about what takes place in the school. Marc Platt and Russell Heldt are executive producing alongside Lachey.
WORST WEEK (CBS) - Erinn Hayes ("The Winner") has landed the female lead in the comedy pilot, about a guy named Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) and his rocky relationship with the parents of his fiancee (Hayes) during a family holiday. Her character, Melanie "Mel" Cook, is further detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30. Sam's fiancee. She's a beautiful, warm woman who is unaffectedly striking, even when she's not wearing any make-up. Currently in her first trimester of pregnancy, Mel is throwing up on a regular basis and just trying to soldier on until she's feeling better. Very attached to Sam, she's hoping that his visit for Dick's birthday will sweeten up her parents and set the stage for their announcement of Mel's pregnancy and engagement. However, Sam's surreal string of blunders, gaffes and boneheaded misfortunes make it very hard for Mel to convince her folks that Sam is indeed Mr. Right." Jay Malone also stars in the half-hour, which comes from Universal Media Studios and executive producers Jimmy Mulville, Marc Buckland and Matt Tarses.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/18/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of August 10 - "My Life with the Walter Boys" Lassos No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes" launched in the No. 2 spot on the English TV list, gathering 4.9 million views.
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[08/18/26 - 11:56 AM]
Lifetime Adds Two New Movies Inspired by Actual Events to Its "Strength of a Lifetime" September Slate
"Sole Survivor of Flight 119" and "The Ocean Between Them" join the previously announced "Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story."
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[08/18/26 - 10:05 AM]
FOX Sports Unveils Landmark Production Plans and Broadcast Schedule for Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.
The unprecedented event, a centerpiece of the nation's 250th birthday celebration, will showcase the most ambitious live motorsports production in FOX Sports history while offering viewers unparalleled coverage of a revolutionary event in American motorsports.
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[08/18/26 - 10:00 AM]
Darren Criss, Sherry Cola and James Monroe Iglehart Join the Cast of "Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story"
Hugo Ateo, Sean Yves Lessard and Dan Bakkedahl are also bound for the project.
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[08/18/26 - 09:31 AM]
Netflix's New Unscripted Dating Format "Weight to Date" Explores Love After Extreme Weight Loss
The series is a dating format that follows singles during and after extreme weight loss as they navigate dating, identity, and the search for lasting love.
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[08/18/26 - 09:26 AM]
Horror Has No Off-Season: Terror on Tubi Becomes a Year-Round Destination for Fans
With more than 13,000 hours of horror content, Tubi gives fans the depth and freedom to follow their obsessions wherever they lead.
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[08/18/26 - 09:16 AM]
Video: "El Juicio" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The new series, inspired by true stories, premieres on September 11, only on Prime Video.
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[08/18/26 - 08:03 AM]
Olivia Colman Joins Season 6 of "Only Murders in the Building"
Hulu confirmed the news on social media this morning.
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[08/18/26 - 08:02 AM]
Video: "The Creep Tapes" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Shudder
Peachfuzz isn't finished with you yet.
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[08/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
Kim Kardashian and the Producers of "Love Island USA" Bring "Team Moms: Baseball" to Paramount+ September 24
The series follows a group of parents whose sons attend Legendary Prep Academy: a premier baseball training school in Scottsdale, Arizona, dedicated to molding the next generation of star athletes.
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[08/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
First Look at "East of Eden" Coming to Netflix October 1, 2026
Starring Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Faist, the multigenerational saga follows the Trask family through generations shaped by ambition, betrayal, and the haunting, indelible antihero Cathy Ames.
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[08/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
One of America's Most Frightening Homes Gets an Overhaul in New HGTV Competition Series "A Very Haunted Renovation"
In the six-episode season, hosted by actress Anna Camp, six daring designers, SK Stokes Kennedy, Patrick Peel, John Ryan, Bershan Shaw, Logan Wright and Diana Vogel, will live inside the uncanny abode for 31 days while completing a top-to-bottom transformation - all in pursuit of a $50,000 dollar cash prize.
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[08/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
Two Seasons of Circa Sports' Hit "Circa Survivor" Docuseries Premieres on AXS TV Sunday, August 23, 30 & September 6, Featuring "The Quest for $14.2 Million" and "The Quest for $18.7 Million"
Expertly crafted, "Circa Survivor" offers a rare and unfiltered look into the ever-growing field of sports betting - showcasing all of the unprecedented highs and devastating lows, packed with unforgettable moments, larger-than-life personalities, and the ultimate in high-stakes competition.
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[08/18/26 - 07:31 AM]
Elizabeth Chambers Returns to Investigation Discovery to Explore the Dark and Dangerous Side of Love with New Season of "Toxic"
The new season will premiere Tuesday, September 15 at 10PM ET/PT on ID, with new episodes airing weekly.
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[08/18/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Case Reopened! BritBox Debuts Official Trailer for Season Two of "Ludwig," Premiering on October 13
The six-episode season premieres on BritBox in North America on October 13, with weekly episodes following until the finale on November 17.
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