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[01/16/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Friday, January 16
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!
ABC AT THE TCA - Alphabet chief Steve McPherson has confirmed the network won't be picking up "King of the Hill" after it completes its run on FOX. ABC flirted with the idea back in November, opening talks with producer 20th Century Fox Television to order addition scripts of the series. Meanwhile, Mike Judge's new animated comedy "The Goode Family" may not roll out until May while "In the Motherhood" is expected to bow in March, potentially as a lead out to "Dancing With the Stars." On the development side, McPherson said he hopes to shoot 10 comedy and drama pilots for next season with pick-ups set to begin as early as next week. And finally, fans looking for the remaining produced installments of axed dramas "Eli Stone," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Pushing Daisies" will have to wait a bit longer - they could be burned off over the summer or streamed online at some point in the future.
LEGALLY MAD (NBC) - Hugh Bonneville ("Five Days") has booked the male lead in the drama pilot, about Brady Hamm (Charity Wakefield), a twentysomething woman who takes a job at her father's law firm. He'll play her father, Gordon Hamm, whom the casting notice details as follows: "Late 40s, any ethnicity. The firm's senior partner, part F. Lee Bailey, part Harold Hill of "The Music Man." Fun-loving, fast-talking, a little slick...it was either a career in law or used cars. He chose the law." Jon Seda and Kristin Chenoweth also star in the hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and creator David E. Kelley.
LEVERAGE (TNT) - The cable channel has quietly asked for six additional scripts of the series, which opened to 5.6 million viewers last month. The drama wraps its inaugural 13-episode run in February.
MAD MEN (AMC) - After months of negotiations, Matthew Weiner has finally closed a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with producer Lionsgate Television. The pact puts the writer/producer back at the helm of the Emmy-winning drama. He'll also develop new series projects for the studio, including a potential feature. It's understood AMC is helping fund Weiner's deal as is typical on the cable side. Production on the new season then is set to begin in time for a summer premiere.
PHIL ROSENTHAL PROJECTS (HBO, New!) - Emmy-winner Phil Rosenthal ("Everybody Loves Raymond") has lined up three projects at the pay channel - a comedy, a drama and a original movie. First up is "The Jeannie Tate Show," a comedy based on TheWB.com digital series created by Liz Cackowski and Maggie Carey about a neurotic soccer mom (Cackowski) who hosts a talk show from her minivan. Cackowski and Carey are penning the pilot and co-executive producing under Rosenthal's supervision with TheWB.com's Rich Rosenthal, Phil's brother, producing. Warner Bros. Television originally developed the project and remains a passive partner. Next is "Random Family," a drama based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and revolves around a multigenerational family in the South Bronx. LeBlanc and Chris Terrio likewise are writing the script and co-executive producing with Rosenthal and Neal Gabler serving as executive producers. And finally there's an original movie based on portions of Raymond Arsenault's book "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice." Wayne Kramer is in talks to write and direct the film, which "chronicles civil rights activists' harrowing ride on buses through the South that escalated to a point where segregationists threw Molotov cocktails at them." Rosenthal and Gabler are executive producing.
Separately, Rosenthal is now editing the feature-length documentary "Exporting Raymond," about his outrageous experiences while remaking his own show in Russia. The series, "Vse Lubyat Kostya" (Everybody Loves Kostya), was ordered to pilot by Russian broadcaster CTC using Rosenthal's original "Raymond" script and produced by local production company Lean-M. Sony Pictures Television International, Worldwide Pants and HBO Independent Productions are behind the export, with Rosenthal's film chronicling the casting, the prep and the shooting of the pilot in December and ending with CTC's decision on whether or not to move forward with the show. No distributor has been set for the film, although Sony is widely expecting to.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[05/08/26 - 02:11 PM]
Nine Actors Join Season 2 of Prime Video's "Scarpetta" from Blumhouse Television
David Arquette, Stella Baker, Jodi Balfour, Kim Dickens, Troy Garity, Jerod Haynes, Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Holland Taylor, and William Zabka are all on tap.
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[05/08/26 - 11:01 AM]
NBC Announces Four Series Orders for the 2026-27 Season
Dramas "Line of Fire" and "The Rockford Files" and comedies "Newlyweds" and "Sunset P.I." are on tap.
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[05/08/26 - 10:50 AM]
"Law & Order" to Return for Season 26 on NBC
The network confirmed the news on social media this morning.
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[05/08/26 - 09:26 AM]
"FOX College Football Friday" Returns to Primetime with Biggest Season Yet
The network's strongest Friday night slate to-date features elite matchups across partner conferences - with appearances from the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers, projected Top-25 matchups, and culminating with the Mountain West Championship.
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[05/08/26 - 09:18 AM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most-Watched MLB Regular Season Start Since 2015
The Yankees/Mariners season opener on March 31 delivered 562,000 viewers and peaked at 735,000, making it the most watched opener on TBS since 2012.
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[05/08/26 - 09:08 AM]
Landmark Oasis Documentary Film by Steven Knight Coming to Cinemas and Disney+ This Year
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[05/08/26 - 09:02 AM]
ABC Renews "R.J. Decker" for Second Season
Get your flip flops and your lawn flamingos ready.
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[05/08/26 - 08:30 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Not Suitable For Work"
The series will premiere with three episodes on June 2, then two episodes weekly until the finale on June 23, only on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[05/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
ABC Announces Summer 2026 Premiere Dates and Unscripted Renewals
New seasons of "Celebrity Family Feud," "Press Your Luck," and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" will join the previously announced newcomer "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro."
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[05/08/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "James." - Official Trailer - Netflix
A raw and honest look at the man behind Colombia's iconic No. 10 on his road to the 2026 World Cup.
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[05/08/26 - 07:16 AM]
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The film chronicles the final generation of World War II veterans as they return to France and is produced by Delta Air Lines' Window Seat Studios in partnership with Vice Media's Pulse Films.
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[05/08/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Forever" Season 2 Starts Production in Los Angeles
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[05/08/26 - 06:05 AM]
"Groundswell," The Final Chapter in the Acclaimed Documentary Trilogy from Filmmakers Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, Will Premiere Globally on June 5 Exclusively on Prime Video
The film is narrated by Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore.
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[05/08/26 - 02:31 AM]
Netflix Announces Standalone Sequel to Global Hit "La Palma"
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[05/07/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Viral Hit" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When he accidentally goes viral after a brawl, a weak and broke teen realizes livestreaming fights against delinquents could change his life.
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