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[10/22/09 - 06:41 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 22
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!
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL (Adult Swim, New!) - The Cartoon Network sibling has picked up the broadcast rights to the Rob Corddry-led TheWB.com series and commissioned a second season of 12 episodes to run next year. The 10 existing five-minute installments will be cut together to make five quarter-hour episodes to be followed by 12 new quarter-hour episodes produced specifically for the cable channel. Corddry wrote, directed and starred in the series, a parody of hospital dramas. David Wain and Jonathan Stern also serve as executive producers alongside Corddry. Said development is part of a multi-platform overall deal Corddry has signed with Warner Bros. Television which calls for the multihyphenate to develop new series projects for the studio, including an pilot presentation described as an "unconventional family comedy."
EAGLEHEART (Adult Swim, New!) - Adult Swim has likewise order a pilot to a new live-action comedy from Michael Koman ("Important Things With Demetri Martin") and Andrew Weinberg ("The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien"). The project, which is set up at Dakota Films and Conan O'Brien's Conaco banner, revolves around "a low-level TV executive who is sent to Texas to produce an action series with a fading TV action icon as the star, [only to wind] up in a power struggle with the temperamental thespian." Conaco's David Kissinger and Dakota Films's Troy Miller will also serve as executive producers alongside Koman, Weinberg and O'Brien.
FACING KATE (USA) - Sarah Shahi ("Life") has been tapped for the lead role on the drama pilot, about "a divorced San Francisco woman who leaves her job as a lawyer to become a mediator." Her casting lifts said contingency off the pilot's production. Michael Sardo penned the script and is executive producing alongside Steve Stark for Universal Cable Productions.
FRINGE (FOX) - Sebastian Roche ("The Beautiful Life") has booked a recurring role on the sophomore drama. He'll play "a soldier from another dimension who is not quite human/not quite machine, trying to gather information for opening a stable door to the other side." Said role was originally played by Thomas Kretschmann, who was glimpsed in the closing moments of the October 8 episode. The actor reportedly had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict.
LAWMAN/TERRIERS (FX) - Jamie Denbo ("Weeds") and Joelle Carter have been upped to series regulars on two upcoming projects at the cable channel. On "Terriers," "a comedic drama starring Donal Logue as an ex-cop who partners with his best friend (Michael Raymond-James) to launch an unlicensed private-investigation business," Denbo plays an attorney the two often consult for help. Carter then is set to continue on as an old flame to the title character in "Lawman," which "stars Timothy Olyphant as U.S. Marshal Givens, a modern 19th century-style lawman enforcing his brand of justice."
MELROSE PLACE (The CW) - Colin Egglesfield and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz are both departing the freshman drama after 13 episodes. Said shakeup comes as original cast member Heather Locklear begins her arc on the series next month. It's believed said characters will be written out as the current arc involving Sydney's (Laura Leighton) murder is resolved. No specific reason however was given for their exit.
OBESE (ABC, New!) - 3 Ball Productions has landed a six-episode order from the Alphabet for a new reality series in which extremely overweight individuals shed hundreds of pounds over the course of a full year. Each episode then will feature a person's yearlong journey with the help of a personal trainer. No host will be used as each installment will be "hosted" by the participant. 3 Ball's J.D. Roth is among the executive producers of the project, which isn't due until 2011 for obvious reasons.
ABC's details the project as follows: "3 Ball Productions, the production company behind some of television's most transformational programs is producing a new weight loss show that will take the weight off right before your eyes. And this time around, participants don't need to leave their house to lose the weight. We are bringing the trainer to you! Now Casting: Men who have at least 200 lbs (or more) to lose! Women who have at least 150 lbs (or more) to lose! If you're ready to try and lose that weight and you need inspiration to show up at your door, then come be a part of what could potentially be the most remarkable transformation of your life. Our expert trainer will show up at your door and work with you throughout your journey. Finally, a show that will capture what hopes to be the most important year of your life - the year you get your weight off and your life back!"
RAPTURE (Showtime, New!) - Craig Chester's memoir, "Why the Long Face?: The Adventures of a Truly Independent Actor," is being developed a comedy at the pay channel by Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky. Don Roos ("Love and Other Impossible Pursuits") is attached to direct the half-hour, which "tells the story of [Chester's] childhood as the gay son in a family of born-again Christian parents and his experiences as a thesp in the indie film world." It's understood the TV adaptation, presumably to be written by Chester himself, will be "told from the perspective of 9-year-old Chester who's coming to terms with his sexual orientation while dealing with a devout mom who has visions of Christ and a rock 'n' roll guitar player dad who fears his wife is losing her mind." Kudrow and Bucatinsky will then executive produce through their Is or Isn't Entertainment banner alongside Chester, Paul Miller and Kimber Rickabaugh.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[09/22/26 - 12:16 PM]
Netflix's "Crew Girl" Renewed for Season 2
Season 1 of the coming-of-age teen drama series launched on September 10 and debuted in the Netflix English TV Top 10, where it has remained since its release, climbing up to #2 this week.
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[09/22/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 14 - "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Again?" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" debuted at the top of the English TV list with 12.1 million views.
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[09/22/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Dateline" Is the #1 Friday Newsmagazine in Both Key Demos for Second Consecutive Broadcast Season
The broadcast remains the #1 most-watched news magazine franchise and #1 most-watched true-crime franchise in total linear minutes watched for the season, with 151.2 million total viewers, up +4% vs. last season.
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[09/22/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Darkwing Duck" Is Back with an All-New Animated Series Greenlit for Disney+
Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar lead the show's voice cast.
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[09/22/26 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Trailer Available - Hulu Original "Reasonable Doubt" Season 4
Season 4 will debut with a three-episode premiere on October 6, with a new episode premiering each Tuesday through November 24 exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[09/22/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Vampirina: Teenage Vampire" Season 2 Lets It All Fang Out with New Trailer
The series returns October 6 on Disney Channel, and the full season will stream the next day on Disney+.
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[09/22/26 - 09:33 AM]
Great American Media Unveils the Greatest Slate of Christmas Movies Ever Assembled for a Single Season
Leading the extraordinary lineup is the beloved "Queen of Christmas," Candace Cameron Bure, who stars in two films and serves as executive producer of a third movie.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Go down a wormhole in this documentary on master of deadpan humor Norm Macdonald, whose life and career were uncompromising yet full of contradictions.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Soulm8te" Kicks Off Huluween Thursday, October 1
Unnerving, sexy, suspenseful, and darkly compelling, the film follows a grieving engineer tasked with testing a ruthless tech giant's new artificially intelligent android.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
ESPN and Omaha Productions Announce ESPN Original Series "The Breakdown" Hosted by Peyton Manning and Luke Kuechly
New episodes will debut Fridays on the ESPN App, with select episodes also airing on ESPN.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
George Michael Tribute Set for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will come together for a tribute performance to honor musical genius and icon.
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[09/22/26 - 08:11 AM]
BET Launches aTwist Microseries Partnership with Psychological Thriller "Her Baby," Premiering Wednesday, October 7 at 10 P.M. ET/CT on BET
The reformatted microseries will be presented in half-hour installments and aired in a horizontal format.
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[09/22/26 - 08:10 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights Crime Thriller "Rules of Prey" Starring Jensen Ackles
The project is an adaptation of Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist John Sandford's acclaimed book series.
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[09/22/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Watch the Gripping Trailer for "Clown Panic," The Chilling New Documentary Coming Exclusively to Hulu on October 12, 2026
Featuring chilling archive footage, viral internet videos and revealing interviews with witnesses, law enforcement, clowns and cultural commentators, "Clown Panic" examines the collision of fear, social media and modern America at a moment of deep national anxiety.
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[09/22/26 - 07:46 AM]
AMC Global Media to Debut Crime Drama "Smilla's Sense of Snow," from ITV Studios and Constantin Film, in U.S and Canada on AMC+
The modern adaptation of Peter Høeg's worldwide bestseller stars Filippa Coster-Waldau, Elyas M'Barek and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and is directed by BAFTA Winner Amma Asante.
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