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[10/27/09 - 04:33 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, October 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!
DELTA BLUES (TNT) - The cable channel has commissioned a pilot for the drama project, about "an outstanding but unusual Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator and lives with his mother." Liz Garcia ("Cold Case") and Josh Harto penned the Warner Horizon Television-based hour and are executive producing alongside Smokehouse Pictures's George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Abby Wolf-Weiss. Casting is underway.
DRY (Showtime, New!)/THE NATURE OF FIRE (CBS, New!) - Augusten Burroughs ("Running With Scissors") has set up a pair of projects, including a comedy at Showtime and a drama at CBS. The former, dubbed "Dry," is based on the author's experience as an advertising executive struggling toward sobriety. The latter, "The Nature of Fire," will center on "a group of male firefighters whose world is rocked when they're joined by a female arson investigator." Burroughs is penning both efforts and executive producing alongside Created By's Vince Gerardis ("FlashForward") and Katalyst's Karey Burke, Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg ("The Beautiful Life") for CBS Television Studios. As previously reported, Bryan Fuller and Bryan Singer are developing a small screen take on Burroughs's book "Sellevision" for NBC.
FAMILY GUY (FOX) - Microsoft has dropped out as the sole sponsor of the show's upcoming "Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show" special. Said development reportedly comes after the company's executives attending its October 16 taping and grew concerned over its content. "We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of 'Family Guy,' but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand," said a Microsoft spokeswoman. "We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent." The special will nevertheless continue with another, yet-to-be-named, sponsor when it airs on November 8.
FLASH FORWARD (ABC) - Paula Newsome ("Women's Murder Club") is the latest to land an arc on the freshman drama, Entertainment Weekly reports. She'll play a doctor in several upcoming episodes however details about her character weren't released.
GHOSTS/ALIENS (Comedy Central) - Joey Kern ("The Sasquatch Gang") has been tapped as the new lead of the comedy pilot, about "two potheads who set out on a quest to expose the truth about the existence of ghosts and aliens." He'll take over from Jonathan Sadowski as one of said men, Trey Hamburger. Keir O'Donnell, Allan McLeod, Kaylee DeFer, Keir O'Donnell, Nathan Barnatt and Rebecca Wisocky also star in the project, which Michael Patrick Jann is directing from a script by Phil Johnston.
GOSSIP GIRL (The CW) - Sherri Saum ("In Treatment") has booked a multi-episode arc on the series. She'll play Holland Kemble, "a powerful business executive-turned-Upper East Side trophy wife and could be trouble for Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and Rufus (Matthew Settle)." It's not clear when her first episode will air.
HOUNDS (Comedy Central) - Ron White is back in business with the cable channel as the comedian will lend his voice to a new animated comedy described as "a blue-collar Southern neo-gothic comedy." Chris Thompson ("Ladies Man") is behind the half-hour which White will also co-executive produce. As for specifics, White will voice Chicken, "a countrified Yoda with a bottle of Jack and a bag of weed, an opinionated Southern philosopher who considers himself the center of the universe." Earlier this year, White toplined a pilot presentation for the network in which he "looked at stories from across the country and ran them through his everyman perspective."
RAVENS PARISH (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Dan McDermott ("Eagle Eye") has scored a script commitment from the network about "a man and his teenage son who return to their rural Mississippi hometown in search of a fabled cavern hidden beneath a nearby swamp that allegedly holds hidden treasure." McDermott, who previously served as head of current programming at the network, will pen the hour and executive produce for 20th Century Fox Television. Generate's Peter Aronson and Jordan Levin are also attached as executive producers via their first-look deal with the studio.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[10/26/26 - 11:00 AM]
FOX's All-New "Baywatch" Series Premiere Wednesday, January 6 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)
The series will celebrate the franchise's enduring legacy, while re-energizing it for today's global audience.
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[10/26/26 - 10:00 AM]
Hulu Announces Provocative New Docuseries "Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death"
The three-part series will debut November 10 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally.
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[10/26/26 - 09:26 AM]
"CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton" Scores Nearly 5 Million Total Viewers on ABC and Disney+
The special ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers from 9-11 p.m. (4.74 million), leading its closest competitors in the timeslot by double digits.
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[10/26/26 - 09:23 AM]
Amy Madigan to Star Alongside Viola Davis in New Thriller "Ascent" for Paramount+
Madigan will play Rachel, a former executive at Ascent Ventures and Catriona's (Davis) lifelong mentor.
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[10/26/26 - 09:05 AM]
TLC Uncovers The Case That Had America Asking, "Who Did This?" in New Special, "The Mad Pooper"
The two-hour special premieres Thursday, November 19 at 8PM ET/PT.
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[10/26/26 - 08:14 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights the Supernatural Horror Investigation Series "The Black Tapes" Starring Emmy-Nominee Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
The eight-episode supernatural horror investigation series is based on the hit horror podcast of the same name created by Terry Miles and Paul Bae.
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[10/26/26 - 07:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces November 5 Premiere Date for "Terrell & T.O."
The documentary captures the turbulent rise from childhood to Hall of Fame of NFL trailblazer Terrell Owens, whose undeniable talent and outspoken personality made him one of the most celebrated, scrutinized, and misunderstood figures in NFL history.
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[10/26/26 - 06:01 AM]
Netflix Announces the Start of Production on "Jotade", the Adaptation of Santiago Diaz's Novel
Jotadé is an unconventional police officer: brazen and irreverent, yet sharp, sincere, and fiercely loyal to both his colleagues and his Romani community.
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[10/26/26 - 12:01 AM]
This Diwali, Home Is Where the Heart Is: Netflix Announces a Heartwarming New Film "Dilwali Diwali" Premiering November 5
The film features a heartwarming festive family reunion and the wonderfully messy dynamics of intergenerational relationships.
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[10/23/26 - 03:54 PM]
ESPN's NBA Opening Wednesday Delivered Its Second-Largest Audience Ever
The Minnesota Timberwolves' victory over the Miami Heat averaged 2.52 million viewers, up 16% from last year's comparable game.
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[10/23/26 - 03:25 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 3 Since 1999, Best Ever on Cable
1.71 million viewers on average tuned into Wednesday night's Game 3 coverage across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network and CNBC) and streaming on Peacock.
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[10/23/26 - 12:53 PM]
Video: "New State of Mind" - First Look at aspireTV's New Comedy Series Coming in 2027
The series premieres January 7, 2027 at 8 p.m. ET on AspireTV and AspireTV+.
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[10/23/26 - 10:37 AM]
FOX Sports Unveils Elite 2026-27 Regular Season College Basketball Schedule
FOX's Saturday primetime slate features No. 17 Kansas at No. 4 UConn, No. 6 Michigan State at No. 22 UCLA, Villanova at Creighton, Nebraska at Michigan State and Providence at UConn.
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[10/23/26 - 09:30 AM]
Season 3 of History's "Mysteries Unearthed" Returns Nov. 12 at 8/7c
Whether it's buried underground, hidden in ice, or concealed deep underwater, the world is full of mysteries just waiting to be unearthed.
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[10/23/26 - 09:00 AM]
Comedy Central Announces "Chloe Radcliffe: Eyes Down Here"
The brand new hour-long standup special premieres Tuesday, October 27 on the Comedy Central Stand-Up YouTube Channel.
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