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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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[04/17/26 - 03:01 PM]
ABC News Is #1 on Sunday Morning and Friday Night
For the third week in a row, "20/20" built on its year-ago telecast in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
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[04/17/26 - 01:03 PM]
Fourteen Elite Survivalists Compete for National Pride and the Ultimate Cash Prize in "Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown"
Divided into seven pairs representing their homelands, survivalists' skills will be tested by three brutal and unpredictable ecosystems in South Africa's Zululand.
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[04/17/26 - 11:31 AM]
A Magical Cast Summoned for the "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" Final Season
Jennifer Stone, Gregg Sulkin, Maria Canals-Barrera, and Selena Gomez are among the featured talent.
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[04/17/26 - 10:10 AM]
TNT Sports Announces Commentators for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by Geico First Round Games on Sunday, April 19
TNT Sports will drop the puck on its coverage of the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs featuring up to 28 First Round games.
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[04/17/26 - 09:31 AM]
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Presented by Geico Begin Saturday on ESPN
In all, 16 First Round games will play out over the first ten days on ESPN and ESPN2.
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[04/17/26 - 09:04 AM]
Video: "Glory" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a small-town boxing hub, two brothers investigate a shocking murder while navigating a troubled reunion with their father, a renowned coach.
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[04/17/26 - 09:00 AM]
Hulu Adds "Handsome," "The Mess Around," "Prison Breaking," and "That Was Us" to Podcast Slate Beginning This Month
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[04/17/26 - 07:15 AM]
TNT Sports Acquires Multi-Year U.S. Broadcast Rights to FIA World Endurance Championship Races
A new era of endurance racing arrives in the U.S. as truTV airs three premier events in full: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, and Lone Star Le Mans in Austin, Texas.
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[04/17/26 - 06:31 AM]
Bokeem Woodbine and Nona Parker Johnson Join Season Two of "Dexter: Resurrection" for Paramount+
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[04/17/26 - 06:14 AM]
All Roads Lead to Rome: Eternal City Tip-Off Featuring Notre Dame vs. Villanova Launches 2026-27 NCAA College Basketball Season on FOX & FS1
The contest between the two Catholic college basketball powerhouses promises to be an electric start to the 2026-27 season on FOX, with coverage highlighting the incredible atmosphere surrounding the event.
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[04/16/26 - 05:01 PM]
A Turn-of-the-Century Superpower Adventure of Goofy Misfits: "The WONDERfools" Premieres May 15
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[04/16/26 - 01:11 PM]
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" Renewed for Season 28 by NBC
The network confirmed the news on social media this afternoon.
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[04/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
NBC Sports Adds to Game and Studio Teams for WNBA Coverage Beginning May
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[04/16/26 - 12:01 PM]
Next on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN - May 2026
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[04/16/26 - 10:36 AM]
"American Idol" Rocks to a 5-Week High
Among Adults 18-49, "American Idol" grew over the prior week, delivering its best performance in 7 weeks.
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