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[02/13/09 - 08:10 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 13
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!
FUNNY IN FARSI (ABC, New!) - Firoozeh Dumas's book, subtitled "A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America," is set to be the focus of a potential new comedy at the Alphabet. The network has commissioned a director-contingent pilot for the project, which chronicles her upbringing as an Iranian immigrant in 1970s Newport Beach. Nastaran Dibai and Jeffrey Hodes ("Rita Rocks") penned the pilot and are executive producing for ABC Studios.
GOOD GIRLS (CBS, New!) - Sherry Bilsing-Graham and Ellen Kreamer ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") are the latest to land a pilot commitment from the Eye, this time about two women/childhood friends who are trying to reinvent themselves after making some youthful mistakes. The pair wrote the CBS Paramount Network Television-based pilot and are executive producing alongside Katalyst Films's Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and Karey Burke.
THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) - Charles McDougall ("The Tudors") has scored helming duties on the drama pilot, about a politician's wife, who takes a legal job after her husband is disgraced. Robert and Michelle King are behind the hour, which comes from CBS Paramount Network Television and Scott Free Productions. Production nevertheless is contingent on casting the lead role.
HAPPY TOWN (ABC) - Lauren German ("Hostel: Part II") is the first to be cast on the drama pilot. She'll play a newcomer to the town, which had enjoyed a seven-year peace after a series of kidnappings until it is hit by another crime. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are behind the ABC Studios-based project, which Gary Fleder is directing.
HOT GIRLS IN SCARY PLACES (E!, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for a potential new reality series in which, you guessed it, hot girls are challenged to spend the night in a scary place for a $10,000 cash prize. For the inaugural installment, set to air as a special on Friday, March 13, three University of Southern California cheer squad friends will be tasked with an overnight trip to a supposedly haunted abandoned hospital. Go Go Luckey Productions ("Paranormal State") is behind the project, which is being executive produced by the company's Gary Auerbach.
NCIS (CBS) - Louise Lombard ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), Peter Cambor ("Notes From the Underbelly") and Daniela Ruah have all joined the cast of the show's proposed spin-off. Lombard will play Clara, "a former major in the military police... an intelligent, sharp investigator who can look after herself"; while Cambor is set as Nate, "the team's conscience and beating heart... an operational psychologist and a walking encyclopedia of American culture"; with Ruah as Kensi, "a super bright young investigator who studied forensics and criminology in college." The trio will potentially join Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, who are still in negotiations with producer CBS Paramount Network Television.
UNTITLED FRANK MILITARY PROJECT (CBS) - "Jericho" alum Lennie James is the first to be cast in the drama pilot, about prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. He'll play a former assistant DA who works as a paralegal after getting disbarred. Frank Military is behind the hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.
UNTITLED JEFF STRAUSS PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Jeff Strauss ("All of Us") has booked a pilot order from the Alphabet for a new multi-camera comedy which examines marriage and parenthood as seen through the eyes of three couples. The untitled half-hour is set up at ABC Studios with Acme Productions's Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis ("Surviving Suburbia") also serving as executive producers alongside Strauss.
UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount has locked in yet another pilot, this time at NBC. Justin Adler is behind the half-hour, a multi-camera family comedy featuring adult siblings. He penned the pilot and is executive producing with the Tantamount team of Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.
UNTITLED NEW YORK CITY PRIVATE SCHOOLS PROJECT (Bravo, New!) - Broadcasting & Cable is reporting the cable channel has begun production on a new reality series referred to as a "real life" version of "Gossip Girl." Stone & Company Entertainment is behind the project, which will track the lives of New York City private-school kids, although it won't feature Manhattan's exclusive schools specifically.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[02/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Focus Features' "Song Sung Blue" Beginning February 13
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, in her Academy Award, Golden Globe and Actor Award-nominated role, star in Focus Features' unforgettable romance alongside Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir and more.
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[02/09/26 - 08:00 AM]
Callum Vinson Signs on to Play Atreus in Prime Video's "God of War" from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios
Atreus, the ten-year old son of Kratos, grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother Faye.
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[02/09/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Virgin River" Season 7 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Newly married, Mel and Jack pursue their dream of adopting a baby, while old loves smolder and new threats challenge Virgin River.
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[02/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: More "Sesame Street" Coming to Netflix - Vol. 2 Official Trailer - Netflix Jr
Miley Cyrus brings us a new song and EVEN MORE fun with Sesame Street, dropping on Netflix, March 9.
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[02/09/26 - 04:00 AM]
HBO Max to Launch in the UK & Ireland on Thursday, March 26
Already available in over 110 territories worldwide, HBO Max offers the ultimate mix of best-in-class series, movies, extraordinary real-life stories and, via TNT Sports in the UK, live sport.
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[02/08/26 - 11:23 PM]
A Home for World-Class Filipino Entertainment: The Journey and What's Next on Netflix Philippines in 2026
After 10 years of being part of Filipino entertainment culture, Netflix Philippines enters 2026 with a slate that marks a striking new chapter - bigger in ambition, deeper in creative partnerships, and unmistakably Filipino at its core.
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[02/06/26 - 11:39 PM]
Development Update: Week of February 2-6
Updates include: Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano to lead HBO Max's "How to Survive Without Me"; FOX extends "The Floor" through season seven; and Craig Mazin to bring "Baldur's Gate" to HBO.
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[02/06/26 - 12:49 PM]
TBS Unveils First Superstar Guests for "Foul Play with Anthony Davis" with More A List Names to Come
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Jordan Chiles, and Rickea Jackson will kick off series premiere on Monday, April 6.
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[02/06/26 - 09:16 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Heads to Hawaii for Season 2
Season two of the hit mystery thriller series will take place in Hawaii, as a new case brings Eric Bana's Kyle Turner to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.
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[02/06/26 - 08:00 AM]
All Six Seasons of "Schitt's Creek" Arrive on HBO Max Tomorrow in the U.S.
The beloved comedy follows rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap-star wife Moira, and their two kids, son David and socialite daughter Alexis.
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[02/06/26 - 07:36 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams "Wicked: For Good" Beginning March 20
The feature's Peacock debut will be accompanied by a sing-along version of the film and a full collection of bonus content.
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[02/06/26 - 07:12 AM]
"Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown" Coming Soon from CNN Original Series, National Geographic International and Windfall Films
Co-produced by CNN Original Series, National Geographic EMEA and Windfall Films, the series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, March 1 at 9:00/8:00c.
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[02/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
NHL on ESPN Networks: Viewership Up Nearly 40% Year-Over-Year Through First Four Months
Through 22 games, the NHL on ESPN networks is averaging 795K viewers, +39% YoY.
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[02/06/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Strangers in the Park" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A former communist militant and a "live and let live" man form an unlikely friendship on a park bench, sharing their life stories with humor and heart.
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[02/06/26 - 12:31 AM]
Next on Netflix Thailand 2026: The Widest Variety of Thai Stories, All in One Place
Netflix is deepening its commitment to Thai storytelling with its most ambitious slate to date: three new series, four films, and Netflix's first local documentary feature.
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