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[08/05/08 - 06:52 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, August 5
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!
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? (FOX) - Twentieth Television and Mark Burnett Productions are reportedly close to moving forward with a syndicated version of the successful FOX game show in the fall of 2009. The project, like NBC's "Deal or No Deal," would feature a condensed half-hour version of the parent hourlong show. Jeff Foxworthy is expected to host both the FOX and the syndicated incarnations.
CONFESSIONS OF A CONTRACTOR (CBS, New!) - Richard Murphy's upcoming book, about Henry Sullivan, a blue-collar Los Angeles contractor who oversees high-end renovations for wealthy clients, is heading to the small screen. Shawn Ryan ("The Shield") is on board to shepherd the project, which has a put pilot commitment from the network and 20th Century Fox Television. Murphy will pen and co-executive produce the pilot with Ryan supervising and serving as its executive producer via his MiddKid Productions banner. Said hour is loosely on Murphy's own experience remodeling homes in L.A. off and on for 12 years. As for specifics, the book has Henry falling for two of his female clients, who happen to be former best friends. Anonymous's Jeff Okin, Murphy's manager, and Paul Green will also receive executive producing credits.
GARY UNMARRIED (CBS) - Ed Begley Jr. ("Recount") has joined the cast of the freshman comedy, which stars Jay Mohr as a newly divorced dad. He'll take over for Larry Miller as Dr. Krandall. His character is detailed in the casting notice as follows: "50-60, Male, intelligent, educated but a bit of a pompous blowhard. Dr. Krandall is the family therapist, who has been counseling Gary and Allison during their divorce. He is now engaged to be married to Allison, and comes to Gary's house to offer his services as a therapist to help Gary process his feelings about this awkward situation. Basically a decent guy who wants to help, Dr. Krandall mediates as Gary, Vanessa and Allison vent a few grievances." Producers are also recasting Louise, the daughter of Mohr's character. Laura Marano played the role in the original pilot. No reason for the changes were given.
HARPER'S ISLAND (CBS) - "Supernatural" alum Katie Cassidy has joined the cast of the midseason drama, about a group of friends who meet on an island off the Seattle coast for a destination wedding - to terrifying results. She'll play Trish Wellington, whom the casting notice describes as: "Mid 20s, Caucasian female. The bride. Radiant, dignified, intelligent, and perfectly put-together, with her charm and lovely personality she almost seems too good to be true. The heiress to the Wellington family fortune, she has fallen in love with Henry Dunn, a local boy who used to work on her daddy's boats during the summer. Intent on having the perfect wedding, she has invited dozens of friends to spend a perfect weekend on Harper's Island. But Trish has at least two surprises in store for her." Samantha Noble originated the role in the project's initial pilot presentation. Christopher Gorham and Elaine Cassidy also star.
HYPER-CHONDRIAC (NBC, New!) - Brian Frazer's memoir, subtitled "One Man's Quest to Hurry Up and Calm Down," is being developed as a potential single-camera comedy at the network. Jason Dean Hall ("Grand Theft Auto") is on board to pen the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, with the ever-busy Ryan Murphy executive producing. Frazer's tome details his journey to resolve the stress that was causing all of his unusual ailments. The adaptation then will center on Brian, a pharmaceutical salesman who's forced to sell his wares at hospitals and, as a result, consistently thinks he's suffering from a wide range of maladies. Murphy then is on board to direct from a script by Hall, who will serve as a co-executive producer.
RISE OF THE GARGOYLE (Sci Fi, New!) - Eric Balfour ("24") is set to topline a new original movie for the cable channel about an ancient gargoyle monster whose terror is unleashed in modern-day Paris. He'll play Jack Richmond, a struggling author whose outlandish theories on pagan architecture make him the laughingstock of the academic world. Caroline Neron, Jason Salinger, Nick Mancuso and Tanya Clarke also star in the project, which is currently in production at Romania's Mediapro Studios. Muse Entertainment's Michael Prupas and RHI Entertainment's Robert Halmi Sr. are executive producing with Bill Corcoran as director, Pierre Jodoin as the director of photography and Francois Sylvestre and Andreea Stanculeanu producing.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: AMERICA PLAYS (Syndication) - Actor/reality staple Christopher Knight has been tapped to host the upcoming game show, based on the iconic Hasbro board game. Production on the series begins this week for a September 22 launch on stations across the country, including FOX affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Wheeler-Sussman Productions is producing the half-hour with Debmar-Mercury distributing.
UNTITLED POLITICAL THRILLER (AMC) - Jason Horwitch and Joshua Maurer's drama for the cable channel has been given the green light to produce a pilot. The untitled hour revolves around a secret society that pulls the strings on the world political stage and an analyst at a national think tank who discovers that his employers are not who they seem to be. Horwitch penned the pilot and is executive producing alongside Maurer. Production is set to begin in October.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[08/04/25 - 01:58 PM]
Video: "Shipwreck Hunters Australia" - Season 2 - Official Trailer - Streaming August 27 on Disney+
The team is diving into six epic new missions along Western Australia's ruggedly beautiful "Treasure Coast."
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[08/04/25 - 12:52 PM]
"King & Conqueror" Commands Key Licensing Deals in Global Markets
The epic historical drama starring James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been licensed to Prime Video in the United States.
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[08/04/25 - 11:35 AM]
FOX Nation Greenlights Two New Seasons of "God. Family. Football."
Season three will premiere on Thursday, August 7, with eight new episodes airing weekly and season four will follow come fall 2026.
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[08/04/25 - 11:00 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - Hulu's New Unscripted Series "Are You My First?"
All 10 episodes drop Monday, August 18 with the premiere also broadcast on ABC that night following an all-new episode of
"Bachelor in Paradise."
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[08/04/25 - 10:03 AM]
"TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan" Premieres Tuesday, August 12 at 8/7c on FOX
The special will highlight interviews from Sylvester Stallone, Vince McMahon, Mick Foley, Bill Goldberg, Jimmy Hart and Mark Henry with additional interviews from WWE Superstars including Alexa Bliss, Jacob Fatu and Charlotte Flair.
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[08/04/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: All-New Trailer and Poster for "Electric Bloom" Revealed Ahead of Disney+ Debut on Sept. 17
The first 13 episodes of the music-driven comedy series will stream September 17 on Disney+, with the remaining episodes hitting Disney+ on October 15.
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[08/04/25 - 09:04 AM]
New Season of "Mountain Men" Premieres September 3 on History Marking Tom Oar's Farewell Season
With mounting challenges and high stakes, veterans and rookies alike must dig deep to protect their freedom and preserve the frontier way of life.
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[08/04/25 - 09:02 AM]
Ice-T to Host A&E's New Special "Fame and Fentanyl" Providing an Unflinching Look at the National Epidemic
The two-hour special premieres Monday, August 25 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E.
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[08/04/25 - 09:01 AM]
NBC Renews Hit Show "American Ninja Warrior" for Season 18
Season 17 has reached more than 23 million total viewers across NBC and Peacock so far this summer.
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[08/04/25 - 08:06 AM]
Video: MGM+ Unveils "Let the Devil In" Official Trailer
The project is a haunting and mysterious four-episode documentary series about a decades-old tragedy that destroyed one family and ignited the darkest fears of a small New Jersey town.
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[08/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
Sope Dirisu Will Star in "All the Sinners Bleed" - A New Series from Joe Robert Cole and Based on the Novel by S.A. Cosby.
Haunted by his mother's death, the first Black sheriff in a Bible Belt county hunts for a serial killer preying on the Black community in the name of God.
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[08/04/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new batch of singles in the UK search for love sight unseen. Who will make it from the pods, to living together, to all the way up the aisle?
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[08/04/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Highest 2 Lowest" - Official Trailer - Apple TV+
The fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest, is in theaters August 15 and streaming September 5 on Apple TV+.
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[08/04/25 - 06:05 AM]
NBC Sports Announces Courtside Reporters and NBA Insider for Upcoming NBA Coverage
Jordan Cornette, Ashley ShahAhmadi, and Zora Stephenson are joining its NBA coverage as courtside reporters with Grant Liffmann as an NBA Insider focusing on front office news.
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[08/04/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Magic City: An American Fantasy" - Official Trailer - Starz
This star-studded documentary explores the rise of Atlanta's iconic strip club, Magic City, and its massive influence on hip-hop culture.
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