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[07/16/08 - 08:05 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, July 16
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!
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS) - Executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar have confirmed William Petersen is departing the series as a full-time cast member. Petersen, who already was set for a reduced role on the show's upcoming ninth season (read the story), will exit in episode 10. Nevertheless, he'll continue as an executive producer on the series alongside his producing partner Cynthia Chvatal and make occasional guest appearances. As part of the build up to Petersen's exit, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) and "The Miniature Killer" are all expected to make return appearances. Entertainment Weekly further reports that to help fill Petersen's (as well as Gary Dourdan's - who was killed off in the season finale) void, Liz Vassey and David Berman have been upped to regulars while casting has begun for a new regular ("a male professor with a genetic quirk") in addition to the previously announced Lauren Lee Smith. Lastly, feature director William Friedkin ("To Live and Die in L.A.") has been recruited to helm the show's upcoming 200th episode following last year's duties on the episode "Cockroaches."
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) - Newcomers Joshua Moore, Kendall Applegate and twins Charles and Max Carver are all set to join the cast of the show's upcoming fifth season. They'll play Parker, Penny, Porter and Preston, respectively, the children of Tom and Lynette Scavo (Doug Savant and Felicity Huffman) who, due to the show's "flash forward," are now five years older. Zane Huett, Kerstin Pinkerton, Brent Kinsman and Shane Kinsman all originated said roles.
IRREPARABLE HARM (HBO, New!) - Writer Jesse Wigutow ("Eragon") and director Eugene Jarecki ("Why We Fight") are developing a new telefilm at the pay channel about the true story of Frank Snepp, the head of the CIA's strategic analysis in Saigon during the Vietnam War. The project, which Jarecki is also executive producing, will track Snepp as he returns to the U.S. after the fall of Saigon and, after being conflicted over what had just happened, decides to reveal the true story of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam. Said account, detailed in his book "Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End, Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam," ultimately led to a court battle with the CIA. Wigutow's script then will be based on Snepp's second book, "Irreparable Harm: A Firsthand Account of How One Agent Took on the Agency in an Epic Battle Over Free Speech." Paula Weinstein and Spring Creek's Palak Patel are also executive producing.
LIFE ON MARS (ABC) - "October Road" alum Jonathan Murphy has joined the cast of the newcomer, about a modern-day police detective (Jason O'Mara), who, after a car crash, finds himself mysteriously transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective. Murphy will play Chris Skelton, a jittery young detective who is new to the department. His casting is part of a post-pilot revamp of the series by incoming executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg. Michael Imperioli also stars.
SCRUBS (ABC) - Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff confirmed during the show's panel at the TCA the latter will likely depart the series after its upcoming eighth season. Like William Petersen (see above) however, Braff says he's open to returning as a guest star and/or director. "My sense is this is my last year," Braff told reporters. "If the show does continue like he's saying, like an 'ER' kind of thing, I would love to come back and visit and definitely direct some - and do craft service if they need some help." In any case, production on the show's 18-episode order will be completed next month. Also confirmed at the panel: the series will finally switch to HD for its eighth season; six two- to four-minute webisodes are being shot to help promote the show's move to ABC; and upcoming guest stars include Courteney Cox, Lee Thompson Young, Aziz Ansari, Betsy Beutler and Eliza Coupe.
SINCERELY, TED L. NANCY (FOX, New!) - Ted L. Nancy's book "Letters From a Nut" is once again being targeted for the small screen, this time by FOX. The network has given a cast-contingent presentation order to the project, which centers on a regular guy who, after suffering through too many faulty products and customer service mishaps, decides to take on the corporations by writing letters that "seek to avenge the consumer frustrations of people everywhere." Barry Marder, Chuck Martin, Gary Auerbach and Rob Lee are all behind the Lionsgate-based half-hour, which is being likened to a "Borat"-like mockumentary style, featuring him doing outrageous stunts involving regular people. ABC previously took at stab at bringing the book to the small screen back in 2002. Lionsgate, Auerbach's Go Go Luckey Productions and Lee's Bayonne Entertainment subsequently picked up the rights last year (read the story).
SIT DOWN, SHUT UP (FOX) - Sony Pictures Television and most of the show's writing staff have settled their dispute over the animated comedy's status as part of the IATSE's Animation Guild. "This contract is a compromise -- an improvement over the standard TAG terms we were initially offered but not full WGA coverage," said writers Mitch Hurwitz, Josh Weinstein, Rich Rinaldi, Aisha Muharrar, Alex Herschlag, Laura Gutin, Dan Fybel, Aaron Ehasz, Michael Colton and John Aboud in a joint statement. "Compromises are never easy nor satisfying, always less comforting than a clear victory. We know that this is part of an ongoing struggle." Not agreeing to terms however were Bill Oakley, Weinstein's longtime writing partner, and Ken Keeler. A statement from the WGA, where the writers were trying to move the show to, noted that "when Sony offered to pay 'WGA equivalent residuals' and to give each writer up to $200,000 in additional compensation through a blind script deal, most of the writers decided to accept. We understand why they did so but wish they hadn't. Had they stuck together we believe that they would have won WGA coverage for 'Sit Down, Shut Up!'"
THE UNLIMITED (ABC, New!) - Sean Bailey ("Project Greenlight") has booked a $500,000 put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new drama about a Texas basketball coach who discovers that his recently deceased father was actually one of the world's most brilliant minds and that he's inherited his genius. Bailey, who penned the pilot on spec, will executive produce via his Idealogy banner. Said company was formed last year after Live Planet, his partnership with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore, got out of the TV and film business to focus on new media.
UNTITLED GREG DANIELS/MICHAEL SCHUR PROJECT (A.K.A. UNTITLED OFFICE SPIN-OFF PROJECT) (NBC) - "Saturday Night Live's" Amy Poehler is in final negotiations to join the cast of the Greg Daniels/Michael Schur project, which is no longer being billed as a spin-off of "The Office." Poehler would join the previously cast Aziz Ansari on the project, which will air after "The Office" on Thursday nights next year. Full details about the show obviously still remain under wraps. Poehler presumably will exit "SNL" or take on a reduced role.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[06/08/25 - 09:05 AM]
Video: "The Lost Bus"- Official Teaser - Apple TV+
Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera star in the film, from director Paul Greengrass.
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[06/07/25 - 11:45 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" Season Three Now Available!
The new season will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, July 17, exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States.
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[06/07/25 - 10:03 AM]
Disney Branded Television Unveils New and Returning Animated Slate Ahead of Annecy International Animation Film Festival
Highlights include the new Disney Jr. series "Sam Witch" as well as the acquisition of "Miraculous Stellar Force" from Miraculous Corp, the first original spin-off for the franchise.
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[06/06/25 - 12:56 PM]
Saddle Up! "The McBee Dynasty: Bravoleb Watch Party" Begins Monday, June 9 at 9PM ET/PT on Bravo and Streams Next Day On Peacock
Join fan-favorite Bravolebs Craig Conover & Austen Kroll, Kristen Doute & Brittany Cartwright, and Kate Chastain & Fraser Olender as they giddy up for season 2 by diving into all the family and farmhand drama from season 1.
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[06/06/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Unveils Trailer and Additional Cast for "Noah's Arc: The Movie" Premiering Friday, June 20
Michael M. Jones, Tory Devon Smith, Cocoa Brown, Novi Brown, Angela Beyince, Josca, Evari Pickett, Tjay Williams and Robb Sherman will join the previously announced cast in the movie.
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[06/06/25 - 10:42 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars with Star-Studded Week
"Live" ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 121 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
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[06/06/25 - 10:03 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Trailer for True Crime Documentary "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets" Premiering Tuesday, June 10
After the arrest of the alleged Gilgo Beach killer, this documentary goes inside the suspects home for the first time, where exclusive commentary from his own family unravels a chilling portrait of a man accused of living a double life and hiding dark secrets under their own roof.
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[06/06/25 - 07:30 AM]
Following +30% Surge in Viewership for the Season 4B Premiere, Showtime Renews "Couples Therapy"
The series follows world-renowned psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik as she deftly guides couples through real-life therapy sessions.
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[06/06/25 - 07:01 AM]
Steampunk Anime Adaptation "Leviathan" Takes Flight on July 10
This anime adaptation of Scott Westerfeld's acclaimed novels transports viewers to an alternate 1914, where bioengineered beasts battle mechanical war machines.
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[06/05/25 - 11:06 PM]
Max Original Documentary Series "Most Wanted: Teen Hacker" Debuts This September
The series follows the illegal exploits of Finnish hacker Julius Kivimäki, known as Aleksanteri Kivimäki, who rose to infamy after forcing a U.S. passenger plane to make an emergency landing, shutting down PlayStation globally and orchestrating several dangerous SWAT attacks - including one targeting the family of an FBI agent.
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[06/05/25 - 08:01 PM]
A Tender Tale Unfolds: "The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity" Premieres July 6
Serialized on the official Weekly Shonen Magazine app, Magazine Pocket, the manga has distinguished itself in the shonen genre, selling over five million copies as of June 2025.
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[06/05/25 - 12:30 PM]
Shocking Limited True Crime Docu-Series, "Butchers of L.A.," Premieres Thursday, June 26 on SundanceTV, Sundance Now and AMC+
Airing weekly, the three-part series sheds new light on the horrifying crimes of the "Freeway Killers" who terrorized Southern California over two decades.
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[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
ESPN Events Announces 17-Game College Football Bowl Schedule for 2025-26 Season
Bowl Season will begin Saturday, December 13, with the 10th edition of the ESPN Events' Cricket Celebration Bowl.
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[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
Truths and Rumors Come to a Boiling Point When Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Returns for a New Season on Thursday, July 10 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Housewives Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti and Katie Ginella return for an unforgettable season as the ladies set out to uncover the truth, restore trust, heal broken bonds and everything that lies between.
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[06/05/25 - 11:01 AM]
BET Announces the Highly Anticipated Return of "Ms. Pat Settles It" for a Third Season
As previously announced, BET Media Group extended its multi-year overall deal with Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams under which she will produce and perform in new series and other projects across BET.
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