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[03/30/09 - 06:08 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 30
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!
ACE IN THE HOLE (CBS) - Newcomers Skylar Astin and Darien Provost have joined the cast of the Adam Carolla-led comedy pilot, which stars Carolla as a husband and father who works as a driving instructor. Provost will play his nine-year son while Astin is set as his teenage stepson. Carolla and Kevin Hench co-created the half-hour, which is set up at CBS Paramount Network Television.
DIAMONDS (ABC, New!) - The Alphabet has picked up the broadcast rights to a new four-hour mini-series from Alchemy Television. The ensemble drama, featuring Judy Davis, James Purefoy, Derek Jacobi, Louise Rose and Joanne Kelly, tells five storylines linked to the "personal and political effects of the blood diamond trade on a global scale." Sienna Films is behind the $15 million production, which was originally filmed in South Africa and Canada for the CBC and the U.K. It's understood it will turn up here in late May following the sweeps period. As for specifics, Davis stars as "a U.S. senator who travels to Africa to find out why her daughter was killed at a diamond mine in Sierra Leone." Andy Wilson helmed the project from a script by David Vainola wrote.
HAPPINESS ISN'T EVERYTHING (CBS) - Mary Steenburgen ("Joan of Arcadia") is returning to the small screen, this time on the comedy front. She's been cast as Audrey Veill, the mother of Jason Biggs's character in the comedy pilot, about adult siblings (Biggs, Ben Schwartz) and their parents (Dreyfuss, Steenburgen) who are overly involved in one another's lives. James Vallely and Mitch Hurwitz are behind the project, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount banner.
THE SHARK TANK (ABC) - The network has ordered seven episodes of the series, in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ventures to five multimillionaire tycoons each week. Mark Burnett is behind the project, which is based on a Japanese format. BBC America currently airs its U.K. incarnation, "The Dragon's Den." Production was completed on a pilot last fall, which featured such beefed up elements as "a huge auditorium and placing the investors behind an intimidating desk." Burnett however admits said changes took away from "the interpersonal tension between ambitious entrepreneurs struggling to convince five strangers to part with their money" and will now be dialed down. On board as "the sharks" then are Robert Herjavec (focus: internet), Kevin Harrington (infomercials), Barbara Corcoran (real estate), Kevin O'Leary (venture capitalist) and Daymond John (clothing). No air date has been set.
STATE OF ROMANCE (NBC) - "Mad TV" alum Bobby Lee has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, which is described as a modern day "Pride and Prejudice" set in Chicago. He'll play Andrew, an unspecified character. Barbara Wallace and Tom Wolfe are behind the half-hour, which is based at Universal Media Studios.
UNTITLED JUSTIN ADLER PROJECT (NBC) - Leslie Bibb ("Kings") and John Michael Higgins ("Kath & Kim") have both joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about adult siblings and their controlling mother. Bibb is set as Vanessa, the eldest child, a perfect domestic goddess. Higgins, whose casting is in second position to "Kath & Kim," then will play Charles, her husband, a wealthy professional polo player. Justin Adler penned the half-hour, which comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.
UNTITLED ANITA RENFROE PROJECT (ABC) - "The Drew Carey Show" alum Ryan Stiles is set to star opposite Anita Renfroe in the comedy pilot, about a couple raising kids. He'll play her husband Paul, the pastor of their town. Amy Welsh and Rob Hanning are behind the project, which likewise comes from the Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.
WAITING TO DIE (CBS) - T.J. Miller ("Carpoolers") and comedian Nick Thune have been tapped for the lead roles on the comedy pilot, about two simple guys who are happy with their lives - no matter how bad things might look from the outside. They'll play Lonnie Ponce and Jeff Helmut, respectively. Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen co-created the half-hour, which again comes from the ever-busy Sony Pictures Television-based Tantamount.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[12/03/24 - 09:10 AM]
Max Sets January 16 Premiere Date for New Animated Original Series "Mermicorno: Starfall"
The series invites audiences into a dazzling underwater world where a team of Mermicornos (enchanting mermaid-unicorns) embark on exciting, hilarious and stylish adventures to save the ocean from the evil Ika Inkblot.
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[12/03/24 - 09:06 AM]
Peacock's Fan-Favorite Drama Series "Bel-Air" Renewed for Fourth and Final Season
Set in modern-day Los Angeles, "Bel-Air" reimagines the iconic culture-defining '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" through a new, dramatic take on Will's complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air.
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[12/03/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Big Boys" - Official Trailer - Hulu
A comedy about two mismatched boys who strike up an unlikely friendship when they're thrown together at university. They'll explore, experiment, and try to discover themselves, whilst also helping one another along the way.
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[12/03/24 - 08:44 AM]
Sean Hannity to Host New Long-Form Interview Show "Sean" on FOX Nation
Episode one kicks off with iconic actor, writer and director Sylvester Stallone alongside his wife, entrepreneur, and model Jennifer Flavin Stallone.
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[12/03/24 - 07:34 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for Stunning Docuseries "The Secret Lives of Animals"
Hailing from the acclaimed BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the series will debut globally on December 18 on Apple TV+.
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[12/03/24 - 07:13 AM]
Apple TV+ Unveils First Look at Season Two of Psychological Thriller "Surface" Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw
The eight-episode second season premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 21, followed by new episodes every Friday through April 11.
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[12/03/24 - 07:01 AM]
"Smile 2" Possesses Paramount+ - Critically Acclaimed Second Installment of the Box Office Hit Horror Franchise Is Available to Stream Now Exclusively on Paramount+
About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events.
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[12/03/24 - 07:00 AM]
Sky and Starz Darkly Comic Thriller "Sweetpea" to Return for a Second Killer Season
Season 2 will see Rhiannon Lewis return with a vengeance as her killer secret continues to spiral, and she becomes more twisted than ever.
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[12/03/24 - 06:31 AM]
Philomena Cunk Returns for a One-Hour Special, "Cunk on Life," Where She Will Try to Answer the Age Old Question "What's The Point of It All?"
Netflix will stream it globally outside of the UK and Ireland starting January 2.
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[12/03/24 - 06:00 AM]
"Family Guy" Returns to Adult Swim's Primetime Lineup in 2025 with Episodes Airing Every Weekday at 10PM ET/PT
To mark the return of "Family Guy," Adult Swim will also host a three-day marathon of episodes every evening from 7pm to 5am ET/PT beginning Wednesday, January 1.
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[12/03/24 - 04:01 AM]
Liza Minnelli's Highly Anticipated Memoir Optioned for Television Adaptation by Magnolia Hill Productions and Warner Bros. Television
The project is the result of over 15 years of deeply personal recorded conversations between Minnelli and her long-term creative partner Michael Feinstein, a Grammy and Emmy nominee, Tony Award recipient, and the world's leading authority on the Great American Songbook.
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[12/02/24 - 01:26 PM]
Apple TV+ Announces "Lucky," New Limited Series Starring Anya Taylor-Joy
In "Lucky," Taylor-Joy stars as a young woman who left behind the life of crime she was raised in years ago, but must now embrace her darker, criminal side one final time in a desperate attempt to escape her past.
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[12/02/24 - 01:00 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Returns Dec. 7 with Three Shows to Close Out 2024
Chris Rock and Martin Short will follow the previously announced Paul Mescal as hosts.
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[12/02/24 - 11:36 AM]
All-New Survivalist Competition Series "Extracted" Set to Premiere Monday, February 10 on FOX
"Extracted" features 12 untrained competitors attempting to survive extremely grueling conditions, perilous terrain, and the threat of fearsome predators in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness.
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[12/02/24 - 11:20 AM]
Video: "Light Shop" - Official Trailer - Hulu
A series about six lost strangers who find themselves drawn to a mysterious shop that inexplicably holds the key to their past, present and future.
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