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[10/15/08 - 06:10 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, October 15
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!
THE AMAZING MRS. NOVAK (Lifetime) - Amy Pietz ("Aliens in America"), Tom Verica ("American Dreams") and Kristen Dattilo ("The Chris Isaak Show") are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about a supermarket manager who unexpectedly becomes the governor of New Jersey. Pietz will play the title role of Trish Novak with Verica as her husband Frank and Dattilo as her sister-in-law Goldie. Vanessa Taylor is behind the hour, which comes from Warner Horizon Television and Kudos Film & Television. Carolyn Bernstein, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett also serve as executive producers.
ELI STONE/THE GOODE FAMILY (ABC) - The Alphabet has asked for four more scripts of "Eli Stone," which returned for its second season last night. It's understood the network is pleased with the episodes filmed to date and gave the actual go ahead shortly before yesterday's premiere. Meanwhile, midseason entry "The Goode Family" has likewise been asked for seven additional scripts. The early request is a result of the lead time needed to potentially produce additional episodes the series, an animated comedy from "King of the Hill" co-creator Mike Judge.
THE IRENA SENDLER STORY (CBS, New!) - Anna Paquin ("True Blood") is set to topline a new Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation about Irena Sendler, a Polish woman credited with saving the lives of thousands of Jewish children during World War II. Paquin will play the Nobel Peace Prize nominee, who died at age 98 earlier this year. Production on the telefilm is set to begin next month in Riga, Latvia, for an April premiere. John Kent Harrison is directing from his own script, based on Anna Mieszkowska's book "Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story," with Brent Shields and Jeff Most executive producing.
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (NBC, New!) - Josh and Jonas Pate ("Surface") have scored a script commitment from the Peacock for a new drama based on the famed Greek myth following a bidding war with at least one other network. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is expected to be shot entirely on green screen, a la the recently launched Sci Fi series "Sanctuary." The Pates then are penning the pilot and will executive produce for Media Rights Capital. NBC previously aired an "Argonauts" mini-series (from Hallmark Entertainment) back in May of 2000.
MADE OVER (ABC, New!) - "Miss/Guided" co-creator Caroline Williams has landed a put pilot order from the Alphabet for a new comedy about a shallow, image-obsessed cosmetics executive who has a crisis of conscience and quits her job. She subsequently joins a younger woman with completely different values to start a unique consulting company. The project, which Williams will write and executive produce, is set up at Warner Bros. Television.
MEDIUM (NBC) - The Peacock has asked for three more scripts of the drama, which is set to return at midseason on the network. Thus far NBC has only ordered 13 episodes for the show's fifth season. The additional scripts however suggest that number may increase in the coming months.
RITA ROCKS (Lifetime) - The Nicole Sullivan-led comedy, which bows with a weeklong stunt next week, has gotten an order for three additional scripts. Following the aforementioned stunt, "Rita" will air Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c starting October 28.
UNTITLED DAVID E. KELLEY PROJECT (NBC, New!) - David E. Kelley's latest legal drama has received a series commitment from the Peacock, home to his 1986-1994 drama "L.A. Law." The newcomer, which Kelley wrote on spec, is set in a Chicago law firm and revolves around an aging partner and his daughter who works with him as well as a host of eccentric characters around them. The news marks Kelley's first new project since moving to Warner Bros. Television earlier this year. Kelley will then executive produce the pilot, which has a multimillion-dollar penalty if it doesn't go to series.
UNTITLED TRIBECA PROJECTS (CBS, New!) - Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have inked a three-for-one pilot deal with CBS. The pact calls for the pair's Tribeca Productions to develop three projects for the network, one of which is ultimately guaranteed a pilot order. Already in the works: an untitled hour set in New York from Oscar-winner William Monahan ( "The Departed"). No other specifics about the project were released.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[04/15/25 - 10:33 AM]
FOX Sports Films Announces "Culture of Winning: Polynesian Football Pride" Premiering April 20 on FOX
Executive produced by and featuring Tua Tagovailoa, the film takes a deep dive into the pillars of Polynesian culture and explores why these cornerstones drive unrivaled success on the field and create positive impact in their communities.
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[04/15/25 - 10:30 AM]
"America's Most Wanted: Missing Persons" Premieres Monday, April 28 & Special "America's Most Wanted: John Walsh's Dirty Dozen" Premieres Wednesday, May 14 on FOX
As previously announced, "America's Most Wanted" returns with an all-new season Monday, April 21 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX and next day on Hulu.
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[04/15/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Untold: Shooting Guards" - Official Trailer - Netflix
What really went down between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton? This exposé unpacks how a gambling dispute led to guns drawn in an NBA locker room.
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[04/15/25 - 10:00 AM]
Season Three of "And Just Like That..." Debuts May 29
The 12-episode season will debut new episodes weekly on Thursdays, concluding with the season finale on August 14.
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[04/15/25 - 10:00 AM]
Date Announcement: Hulu Original "Atsuko Okatsuka: Father"
"Atsuko Okatsuka: Father" will premiere on Friday, June 13 on Hulu, and is the eighth Original special in Hulu's new stand-up comedy slate, Hularious.
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[04/15/25 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "#1 Happy Family USA" - Final Trailer - Prime Video
The series follows the maniacally upbeat Husseins - the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 "Amreeka."
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[04/15/25 - 09:13 AM]
"Kevin Costner's The West" to Premiere on The History Channel with Back-to-Back Episodes Beginning Memorial Day at 9PM ET/PT
The eight-episode documentary series will provide a fresh look at the sweeping and complex history of the American West through a wide range of conflicts - all driven by the desperate struggle to control the land itself.
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[04/15/25 - 09:11 AM]
Upcoming MGM+ Comedy Series "American Classic" Casts Academy Award Nominee Laura Linney
Linney will play Kristen Forrest Bean, who grew up acting in the Millersburg Festival Theater founded and run by the Bean family.
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[04/15/25 - 08:34 AM]
Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Is Most-Watched MLB Game of Season Across All Platforms
The broadcast peaked at 9:30 p.m. ET with 2,445,000 viewers.
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[04/15/25 - 08:24 AM]
ESPN Earns Its Best Nielsen Q1 Viewership Since 2017, Further Cementing a Stellar Start to 2025
In addition, ESPN's average-minute-audience was up 22% overall and 15% in the Persons 18-49 demo from Nielsen Q1 in 2024.
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[04/15/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Snakes and Ladders" - Official Trailer - Netflix
From the creator of "The House of Flowers," Manolo Caro and Cecilia Suárez return with "Snakes and Ladders" - a dark and provocative comedy that explores the cost of power and status.
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[04/15/25 - 08:00 AM]
Another Shocking Season of "Mama June: Family Crisis" Returns Friday, May 30, at 8PM ET/PT on We TV
This season, June fights for custody of Kaitlyn after Anna's tragic passing.
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[04/15/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Four Seasons" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The decades-long friendship between three married couples is tested when one divorces, complicating their tradition of quarterly weekend getaways.
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[04/15/25 - 07:01 AM]
Apple TV+ Unveils First Look at Gripping Crime Drama "Smoke," Premiering June 27
Inspired by true events, "Smoke" follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.
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[04/15/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Exterritorial" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A boy disappears inside the U.S. consulate. Former elite soldier Sara (Jeanne Goursaud) embarks on a nerve-wracking search for her son.
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