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[01/29/09 - 06:09 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, January 29
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!
BACK (CBS, New!) - Storyline Entertainment's Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have landed a pilot commitment from the Eye for a new drama about a man who disappeared in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks only to suddenly show up, eight years later. Dean Widenmann penned the pilot, which will track the man as he learns how to reconnect with his family and a world that moved on without him. The project is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television with Zadan and Meron executive producing and Widenmann serving as a supervising producer.
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO) - Oscar nominee Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road") and Vincent Piazza ("Rescue Me") have joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the early 20th century origins of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Shannon will play Van Alden, "a dedicated senior agent with the Treasury Department who with his team has been charged with controlling bootlegging in the Prohibition era," while Piazza is set as a young Lucky Luciano, "a young associate of Arnold Rothstein, a rich, blunt New York businessman who wants in on Nucky's (Steve Buscemi) liquor production." Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Kelly Macdonald also star in the hour, which Martin Scorsese is directing from a script by Terrence Winter based on Nelson Johnson's book of the same name.
LET IT GO (UNTITLED LAUREN GRAHAM/ALEX HERSCHLAG PROJECT) (ABC) - The Lauren Graham-led comedy pilot has formally received a production green light. Alex Herschlag is behind the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, which stars Graham as a self-help guru who teaches women how to "let it go" but fails to follow her own advice when her perfect boyfriend dumps her. Tantamount's Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum and Mitch Hurwitz are executive producing the project alongside Herschlag with Graham serving as a producer.
LOST IN THE '80S (NBC) - Billy Campbell ("The 4400") is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a family drama set in the 1980s. He'll play patriarch Pete Mobley, married with four kids and proprietor of a car dealership. Bob Brush is behind the hour, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount. P.J. Hogan is directing.
THE NEW TWENTY (ABC, New!) - Tad Quill ("Scrubs") has scored a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new comedy about two forty-something friends who embark on very different lives - one has a newborn child, while the other has a kid heading into college. The project is set up at ABC Studios where Quill will write and executive produce.
SURVIVING SUBURBIA (The CW) - ABC is reportedly in talks to acquire the rights to the Bob Saget-led comedy, which was orphaned after The CW canceled its deal with Media Rights Capital. 13 episodes have been completed of the multi-camera half-hour, which comes from executive producers Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis and creator Kevin Abbott. Cynthia Stevenson, G Hannelius, Jared Kusnitz, Jere Burns and Lorna Scott also star in the project, about a misanthropic dad (Saget) who just wants to be left alone.
UNTITLED ELLEN BARKIN PROJECT (HBO, New!) - Ellen Barkin ("Ocean's Thirteen") is set to topline a potential new comedy at the pay channel about "a woman famous for her high-profile marriage who divorces and re-enters the singles market and finds herself developing a close, platonic bond with the 24-year-old son of her ex-husband." Shauna Cross is penning the half-hour and will executive produce alongside Barkin and Mosaic's Jimmy Miller with the company's Sam Hansen and Ann Blanchard also serving as producers.
UNTITLED FRANK MILITARY PROJECT (CBS, New!) - Frank Military ("The Unit") has set up a new legal drama at the Eye. The project, which has a pilot commitment, revolves around a team of federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. Military wrote the pilot and will executive produce for CBS Paramount Network Television.
WASHINGTON FIELD (CBS) - Edward Allen Bernero's drama for the Eye has received a pilot order from the network. The project, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television, revolves around the FBI's Washington Field Office that houses the National Capital Response Squad, "a unit comprising elite experts in different areas who travel around the world, responding to events that concern the U.S. national interest." Bernero co-created the hour alongside brothers Jim and Tim Clemente, an FBI profiler and a former terrorism expert on NCRS, respectively. Bernero will then executive produce with the Clementes serving as producers.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[01/08/26 - 02:00 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Record-Breaking Viewership for 2025-26 FCS Playoffs and Championship
The 2026 FCS Championship Game averaged 2.3 million viewers on ESPN, ranking as the third-best FCS Championship audience ever.
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[01/08/26 - 01:17 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Demos
In fact, "Nightline" is ranking No. 1 in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 for the 3rd straight year.
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[01/08/26 - 01:16 PM]
ABC News' Primetime Special "The Year: 2025" Earns Nearly 4 Million Total Viewers - Growing by Double Digits Over Last Year in Multiplatform Viewing
The 15th annual year-end special earned 3.857 million Total Viewers, growing impressively over last year's performance by +37% (vs. 2.818 million), after three days of viewing on ABC, Disney+, Hulu and digital platforms.
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[01/08/26 - 01:15 PM]
"Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV" Premieres Wednesday, Jan. 14, on ABC and Streams Next Day on Disney+ and Hulu
By exploring the psychological forces that shaped the talk TV genre, the series reveals how these shows transformed from trusted confessional spaces into lightning rods of controversy, leaving a lasting impact on culture, media and the people caught in the chaos.
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[01/08/26 - 12:01 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for New Docuseries "Handsome Devil: Charming Killer"
The three-part docuseries premieres Tuesday, January 20, exclusively on Paramount+.
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[01/08/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "School Spirits" - Season 3 Official Trailer - Paramount+
Maddie Nears and her friends dive into a deeper, darker mystery as the veil between worlds grows dangerously thin, delivering twists that challenge everything they thought they knew.
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[01/08/26 - 09:35 AM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Added on January 16; Detroit Pistons vs. Golden State Warriors Added on January 30
These matchups replace the previously scheduled Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets game and LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets game, respectively.
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[01/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "What Drives You with John Cena" Season 2 - Official Trailer - The Roku Channel
Find out what fuels Mookie Betts, Kane Brown, Charlotte Flair and Saweetie to succeed in an all new season.
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[01/08/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Finding Her Edge" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A former ice dancer returns to the rink with an exciting new partner while holding onto feelings for her old one - her first love.
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[01/08/26 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original Two-Part Documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!" Debuts January 22
One of Hollywood's most daring satirists from the early years of television sketch comedy through his film and stage hits, Brooks has held a funhouse mirror up to the human condition and used laughter as a path to resilience, connection, and joy for nearly a century.
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[01/08/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "It's Not Like That" - Official Trailer - Wonder Project
From the writers of "Life As We Know It" and "Parenthood," comes a story of two families who find the courage to begin again.
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[01/08/26 - 08:11 AM]
Video: "Like Water For Chocolate" - Official Teaser - HBO Max
A kiss says more than a thousand words...
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[01/08/26 - 08:02 AM]
Video: MGM+ Unveils "The Hillside Strangler" Official Trailer
The series premieres Sunday, January 18 at 9:00/8:00c on MGM+.
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[01/08/26 - 08:01 AM]
The History Channel to Premiere New Series "History's Greatest Picks with Mike Wolfe" Celebrating Rare Collectibles on Sunday, February 22
Produced by Cineflix, the eight one-hour episode series will follow Mike as he dives into the intriguing stories and astonishing values behind legendary treasures, relics, and artifacts from history.
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[01/08/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Reveals Official Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of Hit Crime Thriller, "Cross"
From Paramount Television Studios starring and executive produced by Aldis Hodge, the new season will premiere February 11, 2026 on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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