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[08/04/08 - 06:48 PM]
Development Update: Monday, August 4
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!
AMERICAN IDOL (FOX) - Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has announced he's departing the top-rated series to concentrate on fellow top draw "So You Think You Can Dance" as well as a new business venture with fellow executive producer Simon Fuller. Fuller's 19 Entertainment produces both shows with Lythgoe serving as president of said banner. It's not clear if Lythgoe will retain an executive producer credit on "Idol," as is sometimes custom for those executives who get a show off the ground. It's believed that Ken Warwick, also an executive producer on "Idol," will assume the day-to-day duties previously held by Lythgoe.
DROP DEAD DIVA (Lifetime) - Margaret Cho ("'Til Death") and Jackson Hurst ("Living Proof") have both been cast on the drama pilot, about Deb, a dead aspiring actress/model who is reincarnated in the body of Jane (Brooke Elliott), a chubby, brilliant attorney. Cho will play Teri, who's detailed in the casting notice as follows: "30s-40s, African-American or Latina and attractive. She is Jane's efficient, caring assistant. Patient with Jane's "amnesia," she tells Jane (who's just come back to work after a brush with death), "I don't know what's going on, but I'm here for you." Teri's got that "can-do-cheerleader-routine" down perfectly but does not suffer fools." Hurst then is set as Grayson Kent: "Late 20s-Mid 30s, all ethnicities and "so handsome it hurts". He is an attorney, a good-natured, caring, genuinely nice guy, still in touch with his inner dork. He is engaged to beautiful but vapid Deb who is killed in an accident with a tangerine truck. Soon after, he lands a plum job with firm where Jane works, unaware, of course, that his lovely but dead girlfriend has taken up residence in Jane's body." Josh Berman is behind the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, which James Hayman is directing.
THE EMANCIPATION OF ERNESTO (FOX) - Sarah Wright ("7th Heaven") and Angela Sarafyan ("In Plain Sight") have both scored roles on the hourlong pilot, which stars Wilmer Valderrama as a guileless innocent embarking on a quest to find his father amid a Los Angeles landscape polluted with excess. Wright is attached to play Madizon Cutler, whom the casting notice describes as: "Early/Mid 20s, Caucasian, strikingly beautiful but with eyes of steel. She's the daughter of Brentwood millionaire Phil Cutler. She could've gone the way of all the other rich, young heiresses we read about in tabloids, but there is a spark in Madizon. Madizon met Ernesto when they were both 8 years old, and she still has fond memories of the friend with whom she spent a long happy day in Disneyland. Accidentally reunited with Ernesto, she is attracted to him, but has no idea that he is romantically intent on wooing and winning her. Madizon feels there is something missing from her life, will Ernesto fill the empty space in her heart?" Sarafyan then has been tapped as Sydney: "20s, all ethnicities. Madizon's roommate, Sydney is a Khloe Kardashian/Paris Hilton type. She's the typical rich, heiress type...without Madizon's sweet spark. She meets Ernesto while shopping at a Melrose Avenue boutique. After hurting her ankle on a slippery waxed floor, she's given a quick adjustment by Ernesto -- and is so grateful that she buys the "vintage" clothes that he is peddling." Emily Kapnek created the project, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television.
LIE TO ME (FOX) - Kelli Williams ("The Practice") and Brendan Hines ("The Middleman") are the final additions to the drama pilot, about Cal Lightman (Tim Roth), a cutting-edge researcher in the field of "deception detection." Williams will play Dr. Gillian Foster, the female lead, who is detailed as follows in the casting notice: "35-45, any ethnicities. She's an attractive, confident, youthfully feminine psychologist, full of natural sparkle and joie de vivre. Lightman's colleague at his consulting firm, she is as perceptive as she is idealistic and loyal - attributes that have endeared her to Lightman, who relies on her for her truthfulness and insight. Happily married to a man who may be secretly deceiving her, Foster has no idea that Lightman hides a secret crush on her. For now, she's just happy to assist him on their challenging, fascinating cases." Hines then is set as Will Loker: "Late 20's, any ethnicities. Another of Lightman's colleagues, Will is a bright, eccentric but winning guy, who is constitutionally incapable of telling a lie. Will's "radical honesty" makes him a bit socially awkward at times, but he's a refreshing comrade for the deception-detecting Lightman, who finds Will's uncensored candor a rare virtue in a weary world." Monica Raymund also stars in the 20th Century Fox Television/Imagine Television-based hour, which Robert Schwentke is directing from a script by Sam Baum.
LITTLE MISS PERFECT (WE, New!) - NorthSouth Productions ("Wrecked: Life in the Crash Lane") has scored a six-episode commitment from the cable channel for a new reality series which follows Florida families entering their 5- to 11-year-old daughters in a beauty competition. The hourlong project is being targeted for the first quarter of 2009 with the company's Charlie DeBevoise executive producing.
THE PHILANTHROPIST (NBC) - The Peacock and Universal Media Studios are reportedly looking for an international partner for the upcoming drama, about a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need no matter the risks or costs. Said co-producer would shoulder half the production costs - much like fellow NBC newcomers "Crusoe" (Power Entertainment), "Merlin" (BBC) and "The Listener" (CTV) - as well as open up the possibility of shooting the series on location in different countries. Talks are still underway with James Purefoy for the lead role with David Eick executive producing and Peter Horton directing the pilot.
PUSHING DAISIES (ABC) - Entertainment Weekly reports Stephen Root ("NewsRadio") has signed on for a four-episode arc on the show's upcoming second season. He'll play a character who "has a shared history with both Ned's dad and Chuck's dad," creator Bryan Fuller told the publication. "He stirs up a lot of hullabaloo for everyone, particularly Aunts Lily and Vivian." Look for the new season on October 1.
UNTITLED VICTOR FRESCO PROJECT (ABC) - Writer/producer Victor Fresco ("My Name Is Earl") has inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with ABC Studios. Fresco currently has an untitled single-camera pilot presentation for 20th Century Fox Television at network sibling ABC, about a moral guy (Jay Harrington) trying to do right in an amoral world. The pact then would call for him to develop new projects for the studio.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/11/25 - 05:01 PM]
"You and Everything Else" Premieres September 12 - A Story of Two Best Friends Bound by Love, Fractured by Envy
The Netflix series tells the complicated, tender story of two best friends whose lives have been tightly intertwined since they were kids.
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[08/11/25 - 12:05 PM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: Boston Red Sox Host New York Yankees at Historic Fenway Park on September 14
In addition, on Wednesday, September 24, ESPN will exclusively air the New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs game at 8 p.m. ET.
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[08/11/25 - 11:05 AM]
A&E's New Non-Fiction Series "Family Lockup" Premieres Thursday, August 21 at 10PM ET/PT
The series follows a groundbreaking re-entry program in which estranged family members of inmates attempt to rebuild their broken relationships from within prison walls to help their incarcerated loved ones regain the support that can help them stay out of jail - for good.
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[08/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
The CW Network Sets Broadcast Crews for 2025 ACC and Pac-12 College Football
The CW's broadcast crew for ACC games will once again be led by veteran broadcaster Thom Brennaman, who is returning for his second year as play-by-play announcer for CW Sports.
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[08/11/25 - 09:15 AM]
Lori Harvey Joins the "Reasonable Doubt" Cast for Season 3
She'll play Chelsea, an unpredictable force with a troubled past that resurfaces to challenge Jax in unexpected ways.
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[08/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Swiped" - Official Trailer - Hulu
"Swiped" introduces recent college grad Whitney Wolfe, played by Lily James, as she uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry and launch an innovative, globally lauded dating app (two, actually), paving the way to becoming the youngest female self-made billionaire.
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[08/11/25 - 09:00 AM]
Primetime Special "Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale" Set to Air Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 9 P.M. ET/PT on NBC and Next Day on Peacock
The one-hour telecast features special conversations with the beloved cast of the highly anticipated third and final film as they reunite at London's famed Savoy Hotel to exclusively share personal memories and never-before-told secrets from the franchise's 15-year journey.
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[08/11/25 - 08:16 AM]
Archewell Productions Extends Creative Partnership with Netflix
"With Love, Meghan" Season 2 will debut later this month.
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[08/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Haunted Hotel" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A single mother of two struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the hotel and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas.
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[08/11/25 - 08:00 AM]
ESPN DTC and FOX One to Launch Combined Bundle Offer
Consumers will have the opportunity to purchase the two services bundled together starting October 2 for $39.99 per month.
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[08/11/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" - Final Trailer - Netflix
From a trio of Super Bowl triumphs to a string of controversies, this documentary series relives the wild ride of the '90s Dallas Cowboys dynasty.
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[08/11/25 - 06:30 AM]
For the First Time Ever, Hallmark and the Grand Ole Opry Share the Holiday Stage in Celebration of the Opry's Centennial Year
The duo will team for "A Grand Ole Opry Christmas," a new, original movie starring Nikki DeLoach and Kristoffer Polaha, premiering this year during Hallmark Channel's 16th annual Countdown to Christmas programming event.
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[08/11/25 - 05:07 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils First-Look Clip of Five-Part Documentary Event "Mr. Scorsese"
The five-part documentary event from acclaimed director Rebecca Miller is set to premiere globally on October 17.
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[08/11/25 - 05:01 AM]
Paramount and TKO Announce Historic UFC Media Rights Agreement
Starting in 2026, Paramount will exclusively distribute UFC's full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights via its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, with select numbered events to be simulcast on CBS, Paramount's leading broadcast network.
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[08/10/25 - 04:01 PM]
New Series "Plastic Beauty" Cuts Deep into Japan's Cosmetic Surgery Industry, Premiering 2026
At the center of the Netflix series is Fumi Numata (Mayu Matsuoka), a gifted surgeon whose passion lies in saving lives through medicine.
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