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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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[10/22/26 - 07:03 AM]
ID Sets December Premiere for "My Brother's Killer," Award-Winning Documentary That Brought Justice to a 1990 West Hollywood Murder That Went Unsolved for Decades
The two-hour documentary will make its television premiere Thursday, December 3 from 9-11PM ET/PT on ID and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
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[10/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Explosive Mid-Season Trailer for "MobLand" Season Two, Teasing the Thrilling Action Still to Come
New episodes of the 10-episode second season are available to stream weekly on Fridays, culminating in the season finale on Friday, November 20.
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[10/22/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "High End: The Watch Theft Ring" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Those closest to Chile's Caso Relojes reveal how a suitcase full of watches and jewelry unearthed a crime ring and sparked a scandal in this documentary.
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[10/22/26 - 06:01 AM]
Apple Original Films Unveils Title and Release Date for "Fleetwood Mac: The Chain"
Directed by Frank Marshall and produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company and White Horse Pictures, the documentary will make its global debut on Apple TV on Friday, January 29, 2027.
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[10/22/26 - 06:01 AM]
CMA, Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Announce Combined $1 Million Donation to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
The announcement follows last night's broadcast of "CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton."
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[10/22/26 - 05:00 AM]
Disney+ to Debut "The Pursuit: F1 Academy" Documentary Special November 19
The documentary offers unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to the 2025 season, following a group of elite female drivers as they navigate the pressures of competition and the personal sacrifices required to break into one of the most demanding sports in the world.
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[10/22/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Murder in Galicia" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is attacked in the night, a tenacious sergeant suspects her husband isn't as innocent as he seems in this drama inspired by true events.
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[10/22/26 - 12:56 AM]
Video: "Akka" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a kingdom ruled by women, matriarch Bhavani faces her biggest threat in Rudra, a ruthless rebel eyeing her land and legacy.
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[10/21/26 - 10:31 PM]
Netflix and Hoichoi Join Forces to Bring Acclaimed Stories, New Premieres and Adaptations to Audiences Worldwide
The partnership will bring all hoichoi series premiering in the next two years to Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, exclusively on the service.
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[10/21/26 - 05:01 PM]
Song Hye-kyo and GONG YOO Chase Glittering Dreams in Netflix Series "Tantara," Premiering December 11 with New Date Announcement Poster
Set against the gritty and intense backdrop of the Korean entertainment industry from the 1960s to the 1980s, the series follows individuals who, despite having little, dreamed of glittering success and gave their all to achieve it.
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[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).
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[10/21/26 - 03:31 PM]
BET Renews "ComicView: Rooftop Series" for a Second Season
The 20-episode order puts 60 comedians on the Hollywood rooftop and cements the series as an anchor of the network's Comedy Fun Night.
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[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
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[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.
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[10/21/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black" Season 4 Kicks Off Production in Atlanta
"'Beauty in Black' is back for Season 4 and the Bellarie family's story is far from finished," said Perry.
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