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[08/07/08 - 07:01 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, August 7
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) - The network has ordered nine additional episodes of the series, bringing its third season total to 22 hours. Mark Burnett Productions and Zoo Productions are behind the project, which shifts to Friday nights starting September 5. Jeff Foxworthy hosts.
THE CONVERSATION (AMC) - Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 feature is once again being eyed for the small screen, this time at AMC. Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") and Erik Jendresen ("Band of Brothers") are penning the latest adaptation, following their previous pass for ABC/ABC Studios in 2006. Tony Krantz and Coppola are also returning via their respective companies Flame Ventures and American Zoetrope for Sony Pictures Television. McQuarrie, Jendresen and Heather McQuarrie then will executive produce alongside Krantz. As for specifics, the new incarnation will center on electronic surveillance expert Harry Caul (played by Gene Hackman in the film) as he works as an eavesdropper with a larger, ongoing storyline about who's monitoring him as he hears conversations he shouldn't be privy to. The AMC version will also bet set in the 1970s, unlike the ABC version which was set in present day. Prior to ABC, Krantz sold a version to NBC in 1995 as an agent, with Ron Bass writing and Kyle MacLachlan attached to star.
DROP DEAD DIVA (Lifetime) - Golden Brooks ("Girlfriends") and April Bowlby ("Two and a Half Men") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Deb, a dead aspiring actress-model who is reincarnated in the body of Jane (Brooke Elliott), a chubby, brilliant attorney. Brooks is set as Kim Kastle, who's detailed via the casting notice as: "Late 20s-Mid 30s, all ethnicities, in a Michael Kors suit, with a blue Hermes bag. Kim is a partner at the same law firm as Jane. Confident, savvy, manipulative and rather bitchy, she is not as smart as Jane, or as well liked by the clients, but she does know how to play the office politics game. For Kim, "everything's a competition. Every woman, a threat. Every man, a conquest"." And Bowlby then is playing Stacy Punt: "Early 20s, all ethnicities, "Sports Illustrated swimsuit sexy," a vapid but sweet young woman. She is Deb's best friend. Shallow, but with a gushy, fun personality, she is offended when Deb suggests she get a job and tells her, "I'm a model." Later, Stacy is the only person in whom Jane (Deb) confides about her rather unusual situation." Jackson Hurst and Margaret Cho also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, which James Hayman is helming from a script by Josh Berman.
THE INFORMANT (FOX, New!) - Tom Szentgyorgyi ("Journeyman") is developing a domestic take on the Australian series of the same name, about Richard Button, a regular middle-class suburban dad who works as a police informant for an elite federal investigative agency. Greg Haddrick was behind the original version. 20th Century Fox Television and Alchemy Entertainment are co-producing.
LOVELAND (FOX, New!) - The network is reportedly close to importing the upcoming U.K. dating series, in which participants select their dates based on interactions with computer-generated versions of potential suitors. Jo Pine created the format, which comes from Tom Gutteridge's Standing Stone Productions. Antwerp animation house Nazooka is behind the technology used in the show, which is set to roll out on Sky One later this season, as is a web-based version of the format.
SHAWN RYAN PROJECTS (Various, New!) - "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan has set up three new projects around town - "The Lead Sheet" at A&E, "Millionaires Club" at FOX and an untitled hour at FX. That's in addition to "Confessions of a Contractor" at CBS, which was announced earlier this week. All four stem from his overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. "Sheet," created by author James Ellroy, chronicles the hunt for the infamous Hillside Strangler - a prolific serial killer who tortured, raped and killed young women in 1977-78 in the hills above Los Angeles. The series then follows three police officers and two DAs as they investigate the killer, with each episode of the crime procedural starting with a tip leading to a violent crime that may or may not be related to the Strangler. Ellroy is penning the hour and executive producing alongside his manager Joel Gotler. As for "Club," the single-camera comedy revolves around a ragtag group of wannabe millionaires who keep coming up with ill-fated plots to get rich. "Semi-Pro" helmer Kent Alterman attached to direct the half-hour from a script by Ryan. And finally, Ryan is teaming with "Ocean's Eleven" writer Ted Griffin for the FX project, which is billed as a comedic drama about a private eye. Ryan is executive producing each via his MiddKid Productions banner with 20th producing the broadcast projects and Fox 21 shepherding the cable projects.
TREME (HBO) - Khandi Alexander ("CSI: Miami") and "The Wire" alums Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a post-Katrina-themed drama which chronicles the rebuilding of New Orleans through the eyes of local musicians. David Simon and Eric Overmyer are behind the hour, which is also executive produced by Nina Noble for Simon's Blown Deadline Productions. As for specifics, Pierce will play Antoine Batiste, "an accomplished jazz trombonist who is now scratching for gigs, trying to support a live-in girlfriend and a new baby, while still carrying a torch for a failed marriage to Ladonna Batiste (Alexander), the mother of his two children, who is single-handedly keeping her bar afloat," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Peters then is set as Albert Lambreaux, a big chief of the White Feather Nation trying to bring the tribe's members home.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[04/08/26 - 02:31 PM]
Sarah Silverman, Andrew Rannells, Keyla Monterroso Mejia Among Nine Joining Netflix's "Nobody Wants This" Season 3
Steven Weber, Avan Jogia, Poorna Jagannathan, Stephanie Koenig, Sadie Sandler and series creator Erin Foster round out the guest cast.
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[04/08/26 - 12:56 PM]
ESPN Delivers Stellar 2025-26 Women's College Basketball Campaign
The national title bout between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 1 UCLA scored 9.9 million viewers, the third most-viewed women's college basketball championship game on ESPN networks and up 15% from last year's title matchup.
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[04/08/26 - 12:19 PM]
Sue Bird to Join NBC Sports as WNBA Studio Analyst in May 2026
In addition to her studio appearances, Sue will host a series of feature stories throughout the season, with portions airing on television and extended versions available digitally, including on Peacock.
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[04/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Prime Video Reveals "Fresh Look" at Family Drama Series Starring Scott Foley, "It's Not Like That"
The series' global launch on Prime Video is set for May 15.
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[04/08/26 - 09:49 AM]
Paramount Issues Statement on Jeff Shell
Said the company: "Consistent with Mr. Shell's commitment to prioritizing PSKY's success, he has elected to transition from his positions as President of PSKY and a member of PSKY's Board of Directors to focus on this lawsuit."
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[04/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Peacock Releases Trailer, Key Art, and New Images for Upcoming Original Drama Series "M.I.A."
The crime drama series from Bill Dubuque and Karen Campbell will premiere on May 7, 2026, only on Peacock.
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[04/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Trevor Noah: Joy in the Trenches" - Official Trailer - Netflix
From unexpected social media beef to a therapist's truth bomb, Trevor Noah turns chaos into comedy with a sharp, playful, and laugh-out-loud set about our flawed world, and his own flawed self.
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[04/08/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Closes Out Its 51st Season with Three New Shows in May
Olivia Rodrigo, Matt Damon, and Will Ferrell will close out the season as hosts.
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[04/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
"Bridgerton" Adds New Members of the Ton in Season 5
Tega Alexander, Jacqueline Boatswain, and Gemma Knight Jones are among the latest additions.
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[04/08/26 - 07:08 AM]
Golden Globe Winner Uma Thurman to Reprise Her Role as "Charley" in Season Two of "Dexter: Resurrection" for Paramount+
Thurman will reprise her role as "Charley," the former Special Ops officer who served as Leon Prater's right-hand woman.
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[04/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Remarkably Bright Creatures" - Official Trailer - Netflix
While working nights at a small-town aquarium, a widow bonds with a clever octopus and an adrift young man in this moving drama based on the bestseller.
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[04/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
BYUtv's Viral Sketch Comedy "Studio C" Premieres Season 22 with Special Guest Star Rainn Wilson
Additionally, seasons 23 and 24 will be in production this spring and summer in front of studio audiences and on location with special guest stars and returning members of the "Studio C" family.
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[04/08/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "Lainey Wilson: Keepin' Country Cool" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The film captures a pivotal moment in her career, exploring the country icon's personal journey and chronicling her struggles and triumphs as she captivates fans on stage across the country.
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[04/08/26 - 06:30 AM]
Official Poster Revealed for "My Two Cents," the New Animated Series Created, Written and Directed by Zerocalcare
Zero and Cinghiale run a small business, but financial struggles, misunderstandings, and increasingly complicated personal lives begin to take their toll.
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[04/08/26 - 06:23 AM]
Sophie Cunningham Joins USA Sports' WNBA Coverage as an Athlete Contributor
Currently a free agent, Cunningham played last season with the Indiana Fever after spending her first six WNBA seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
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