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[12/26/08 - 06:43 PM]
Development Update: Week of December 22-26
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!
BITCHES (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") has scored a hefty script commitment from the network for a new drama about a quartet of female friends in New York who are werewolves. The project, which has a penalty attached should it not move forward to pilot, is set up at Warner Bros. Television. Writer/producers Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts ("Pushing Daisies") have been tapped to supervise Dougherty and executive produce. No other specifics were given.
GILMORE GIRLS (The CW) - One day after filing a lawsuit against CBS over "Two and a Half Men" (see below), Warner Bros. Television itself has been sued by producer Gavin Polone over "Gilmore Girls." The breach-of-contract lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the vertically integrated Time Warner companies Warner Bros. Television and The WB "have colluded to defraud the originator of hit 'Gilmore Girls' television series with a scheme that rivals the greed and bravado of any story line defendants could script." Hofflund/Polone, Polone's company with Judy Hofflund, alleges the "modified adjusted gross," the money the show earns after costs are deducted, for "Gilmore's" first six seasons was modified by the studio - through "collusion among defendants to set below-market license fees" and a series of improper charges - which cut into Hofflund/Polone's profits as a result. A third-party audit commissioned by Hofflund/Polone in October 2006 alleges that number was understated by $45.5 million and the company has asked for "tens of millions of dollars" in damages as a result. Warner Bros. has yet to comment on the suit.
LOST & FOUND (NBC) - Australian actor Damon Herriman ("All Saints") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, which centers on Tessa Cooper (Katee Sackhoff), an offbeat LAPD detective who, after butting heads with higher-ups, is sent as punishment to the basement to work on John and Jane Doe cases. He'll play Anthony Yeckel, an oddball civilian consultant to the police's lost-and-found department who has an obsessive love of old detective TV shows. Brian Cox and Josh Cooke also star in the Universal Media Studios/Wolf Films-based hour, which Michael Engler is directing from a script by creator Chris Levinson.
TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) - Warner Bros. Television filed a $49 million breach of contract lawsuit against CBS on Tuesday. Said suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims the network owes Warner Bros. additional fees toward the production deficit carried by the studio. The "deficit recoupment" was understood to be tied to "Men" hitting certain ratings milestones as specified by the show's original four-year license agreement signed in 2003. The suit indicates the studio incurred a $61.1 million deficit over the course of the first four years of the show (for instance CBS paid $750,000 per episode during "Men's" first season while Warner Bros. actual cost to produce the show came in at $1.22 million), a cost which CBS would cover should "Men" finish as a top 10 show. Additionally, should "Men" finish in the top five in its fourth season, CBS would pay an additional $650,000 more per episode in the fifth and sixth seasons (with a downward scale from there). "CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of 'Two and a Half Men" but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," Warner Bros. said in a statement. CBS countered with simply, "Wow, I wonder what they got the other networks for Christmas."
UGLY BETTY (ABC) - "Dexter" co-star Lauren Velez has booked a multi-episode arc on the Thursday dramedy. She'll play Elena, a nurse that enters the lives of the Suarez family, whom reports speculate will be linked to a major plot development. It's not clear when her first episode will air.
UNTITLED MARIA BELLO PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Maria Bello ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") is set to topline a potential new drama at the pay channel about a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed. Gary Lennon ("The Shield") is penning the hour, which sees the woman using her sons as henchmen, leading them all down a destructive road. Bello herself will executive produce alongside Lennon, Gavin Polone and John Carrabino.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[02/18/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Boyfriend on Demand" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Seo Mi-rae is worn out by work. Love? It's the last thing on her mind. But a virtual dating service sparks feelings - and maybe a real shot at romance.
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[02/18/26 - 02:34 PM]
TLC Announces the Return of "7 Little Johnstons" on Tuesday, March 17
The Johnston family is back, and this season is all about love, laughter, and one unforgettable trip down the aisle.
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[02/18/26 - 12:28 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - March 2026
Highlights include the return of "Daredevil: Born Again" plus the streaming premieres of "The Secret Agent," "It Was Just an Accident," "Dangerous Animals," and "Sentimental Value."
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[02/18/26 - 11:02 AM]
AMC Networks' March Streaming Highlights Include "Dark Winds," "The City Is Ours: A Crime Family Saga," "100 Nights of Hero" and More
Other offerings include the return of "Mystery Road: Origin" and the debut of "The Feud on Shelbury Drive."
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[02/18/26 - 11:01 AM]
New Babies, New Beginning. New Season of Bravo's "The Valley" Premieres on Wednesday, April 1 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
The season three cast includes Danny Booko & Nia Sanchez Booko, Luke Broderick & Kristen Doute, Jason & Janet Caperna, Brittany Cartwright, Jasmine Goode, Jesse Lally, Michelle Saniei and Zack Wickham.
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[02/18/26 - 10:10 AM]
Video: Official Trailer for "The Faithful: Women of the Bible" Premiering March 22 on FOX
The highly anticipated biblical event series stars Minnie Driver, Natacha Karam, and Jeffrey Donovan.
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[02/18/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare" Debuts March 10
The film reconstructs the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout.
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[02/18/26 - 09:17 AM]
Great American Media Launches, "40 Days of Scripture & Film," A Lenten Journey Featuring Acclaimed Faith-Based Films, Including "God's Not Dead," "The Blind," "Someone Like You," and "Just in Time"
Other highlights include the mid-winter finale of "Crossroad Springs"; the original movie "Blessings in Disguise"; and an all new season of "When Hope Calls: Brookfield."
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[02/18/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Unicorn Academy: Secrets Revealed" Teaser - Netflix Family
Follow Sophia and her friends as they embark on a glimmering quest to unlock Unicorn Island's mysteries and banish Grimoria - and Ravenzella - for good!
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[02/18/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Hulu Debuts Official Key Art and Trailer for Season Four of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives"
The series returns with all 10 episodes on Thursday, March 12 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ in select international markets.
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[02/18/26 - 09:00 AM]
Adult Swim Gives Green Light to Animated Comedy from Dan Licata and Joe Pera, "My Two Cars"
The animated quarter-hour comedy is the only show brave enough to explore what happens when a man owns two cars and all the joy and frustration that comes with it.
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[02/18/26 - 08:31 AM]
BET Honors the Enduring Legacy of Civil Rights Trailblazer Rev. Jesse Jackson with Special Tribute, "Jesse Jackson: In His Own Words," Airing February 18 and 19 on BET
Narrated by CBS News National Correspondent Michelle Miller, this BET News special offers a rare and powerful look at Rev. Jackson's life through archival interviews and historic speeches that capture his profound national and global impact.
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[02/18/26 - 08:06 AM]
Dawn French Sitcom "Can You Keep a Secret?" Recommissioned for a Second Series After Launch Episode Racks Up 5.3 Million Viewers
The series landed as the third biggest comedy launch on BBC iPlayer since 2024 with an audience of 3.3 million (62% of the audience) across 28-days.
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[02/18/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for "Imperfect Women," Premiering Globally March 18
The eight-episode series will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first two episodes on Wednesday, March 18, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through April 29.
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[02/18/26 - 06:31 AM]
"Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution" - Historian Lucy Worsley Explores One of History's Most Explosive Breakups and How the British Empire Lost the War for America's Independence Against a Ragtag Band of Rebels
The new two-part series, filmed on both sides of the Atlantic, premieres Tuesday, April 7.
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