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[03/27/09 - 06:24 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 27
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!
BEN HUR (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet is set to team with Alchemy Television Group and Spain's Drimtim Entertainment for a new mini-series about the renegade hero in ancient Rome. William Wyler's 1959 film about the subject took home 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. Steve Shill ("Rome") will direct the $22.5 million production from a script by Alan Sharp ("Rob Roy"). Casting is underway on the project, which will begin filming in May in Spain, Morocco and Canada. David Wyler, William Wyler's son, is executive producing alongside Alchemy's Simon Vaughan and Drimtim's Roger Corbi. It's understood ABC plans to air the project as a limited series however no air date has been set.
EMPIRE STATE (ABC) - David Call is the latest addition to the drama pilot, "a contemporary Romeo-and-Juliet tale about the love between the blue-collar Sam (Mike Vogel) and the wealthy Annabelle (Beau Garrett) whose fathers are nemeses." He'll play the man's younger brother in the project, which comes from writer Michael Seitzman, director Jeremy Podeswa and ABC Studios.
MASTERWORK (FOX) - Aussie Matt Passmore and Brit Tom Ellis have both landed lead roles on the drama pilot, a thriller about a race against time to recover the world's most sought-after artifacts. They'll join the previously cast Natalie Dormer. Passmore will play an FBI agent specializing in the acquisition of stolen art who teams with Dormer's character, an MI-5 agent. Ellis then plays her fiance, a special agent at Scotland Yard. Paul T. Scheuring penned the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Jeffrey Nachmanoff is directing.
NEW YORK GOES TO WORK (VH1, New!) - Tiffany "New York" Pollard is set to topline another series for the cable channel in which she undertakes various jobs suggested by text-messaging viewers. The series, from reality house 51 Minds Entertainment - home to previous Pollard efforts "I Love New York" and "Flavor of Love," will launch on Monday, May 4 at 10:00/9:00c. Here's the network's official description: "Each week America will choose from a list of three possible job opportunities and vote via their mobile phones by texting which job they would like to see Tiffany try. Will she be a Cal Trans sewer worker, a mortuary beautician, or a fast food employee? It will be up to you. And don�t think it will be easy for Tiffany. She�ll be worked, in all aspects of the job! Why again is she doing this? For the money of course. If she can impress her new employers, she�ll receive a $5,000 bonus each week. But, if she quits, fails, or gets fired, she�ll get absolutely nothing." Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego are the executive producers.
STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC) - Stephen Rannazzisi ("Big Day") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about the "Pride & Prejudice"-esque relationship between Mike (Steve Howey) and Emily (Lindsey Broad). He'll play Mike's roommate in the project, which comes from Universal Media Studios and co-creators Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe.
VICTORIA SILVSTEDT: MY PERFECT LIFE (E!, New!) - The cable channel has acquired the rights to the rights to the U.K.-produced reality series, which tracks the life of the former Playboy Playmate of the Year. Set to roll out Thursday, April 2 at 8:00/7:00c, the project bowed on E!'s counterpart in the U.K. back in November.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[02/11/26 - 09:33 AM]
Video: Trailer Debut - "Scrubs" Season One Premiering February 25th
With the show picking up in modern day, the series reunites the original cast for more heartwarming laughs and hijinks while introducing a new generation of interns.
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[02/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Rental Family" - Trailer - Hulu
The Brendan Fraser-led film streams on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ February 18.
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[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Meet the Three New Farmers Ready to Cultivate Real Connections as "Farmer Wants a Wife" Returns Tuesday, April 21 at 8/7c on FOX
Hosted once again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley, season four strips the experience down to the roots, focusing on fewer farmers and deeper connections as a new group of single women leave behind city comforts for muddy boots, early mornings and the promise of forever.
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[02/11/26 - 09:00 AM]
Raj Kapoor, Sarah Levine Hall and Jack Sussman to Produce "The 79th Annual Tony Awards"
Kapoor, whose live event work has earned him multiple Emmy Awards, joins the celebratory event for the first time, while Emmy winner Levine Hall and Sussman have a long history contributing to the success of Broadway's biggest night.
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[02/11/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix's "XO, Kitty" Season 3 - First Look, Date Announcement & Synopsis Debut
The new season of the spin-off series returns to Netflix on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
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[02/11/26 - 08:07 AM]
ID's "Hunt for the Missing: Chicago" Looks to Find Answers to Some of the City's Most Haunting Unsolved Cases
Following Retired Chicago Detective Pamela Childs, a fearless and unflinching investigator whose mission is to not let cold cases go forgotten, the series explores some of the city's most haunting unsolved missing persons cases.
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[02/11/26 - 08:06 AM]
BritBox Announces March 18th Premiere for "The Lady"
The four-part drama series captures the rise and fall of former royal aide Jane Andrews, and stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews, Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Ed Speleers as Thomas Cressman.
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[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Vladimir" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When an English professor becomes obsessed with a handsome new colleague, her already complicated marriage and career are thrown into total chaos.
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[02/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Official Key Art and Trailer for "Scarpetta," Based on Patricia Cornwell's Bestselling Novels, Premiering March 11
With over 120 million copies sold worldwide since the character's debut in 1990, this adaptation marks the culmination of decades of anticipation as the beloved forensic pathologist finally comes to the screen.
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[02/11/26 - 06:00 AM]
The "Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special" Is Coming to Disney+ and Disney Channel
The special will premiere February 19 on Disney Channel and will be available to stream the next day on Disney+.
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[02/11/26 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere" - Official Teaser - Netflix
With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.
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[02/11/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: The Story Didn't End in Inferno - "Single's Inferno" Reunion - Netflix
The "Single's Inferno" reunion is coming February 14, only on Netflix.
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[02/10/26 - 05:01 PM]
Netflix Confirms Production of "Love O'Clock" from the Writers of "Business Proposal" and "True Beauty" Director
Based on a popular webtoon, the series introduces a fresh twist on the body-swap romance: for just one random hour a day, two opposites step into each other's shoes - literally.
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[02/10/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Agents of Mystery" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
The cases have evolved. The investigation has already begun.
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[02/10/26 - 03:51 PM]
Super Bowl LX Is Second Most-Watched All-Time with Nearly 125 Million Viewers, Peaking at All-Time U.S. Record 137.8 Million Viewers Across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo
Super Bowl LX is the most-watched show in the history of NBCUniversal, which celebrates 100 years of NBC in 2026.
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