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[12/10/09 - 06:13 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, December 10
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!
AMERICA: THE STORY OF US (History) - Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Colin Powell, Brian Williams, Buzz Aldrin, Tommy Franks, Donald Trump, John Lasseter and Stevie Wonder have all been tapped to participate in the upcoming 12-part event, which will "focus on the elements that distinguish American democracy, the conflicts that shaped it and the myriad social and industrial innovations that have fueled the country's prosperity." Said talent will serve as on-camera commentators with Jane Root executive producing via her Nutopia production banner. "America" is due sometime in 2010.
DELTA BLUES (TNT) - Alfre Woodard ("Three Rivers") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), "a Memphis police officer who lives with his mother (Celia Weston) and moonlights as a tribute artist." She'll play "the formidable new lieutenant who tries to exercise her power over Dwight," a role presumably in second position to the hiatused "Rivers." Warner Horizon Television and Smokehouse Productions are behind the hour, which also stars Abraham Benrubi, DJ Qualls, Leonard Howz, Robyn Lively and Sam Hennings. Clark Johnson is directing from a script by Joshua Harto and Liz Garcia.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (HBO) - Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have announced via their web site their pay channel series won't be returning for a third season. "We've noticed the less we say about the future of the show, the more people want to talk about it, so in an effort to reverse this trend we are today announcing that we won't be returning for a 3rd season," said the statement. "We're very proud of the two seasons we made and we like the way the show ended. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the show and also everyone who watched it. While the characters Bret and Jemaine will no longer be around, the real Bret and Jemaine will continue to exist." The show wrapped its second season back in March.
GLEE (FOX) - Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel ("Wicked") is reportedly in talks to recur on the back half of the show's freshman season. She would play the coach to glee club "Vocal Adrenaline," the McKinley High glee club's main competition. Menzel had already been the focus of a fan campaign to cast her as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) biological mother. Also signing on for a five to six episode arc is Jonathan Groff. He'll play the lead male vocalist of "Vocal Adrenaline" and a potential love interest for Rachel Berry. Groff co-starred opposite Michele in the Broadway production of "Spring Awakening."
KEEP HOPE ALIVE (FOX) - Kate Micucci ("Scrubs") has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about Jimmy (Lucas Neff), "a 25-year-old single parent raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby -- with whom he had a one-night stand -- ends up on death row." She'll play Mike, "an unkempt, fairly oblivious cousin of Jimmy living in a tent in the laundry room of their great-grandmother's house." Said role was originally envisioned a male. Garrett Dillahunt, Kate Micucci, Martha Plimpton and Olesya Rulin also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based half-hour, which Michael Fresco is directing from a script by Greg Garcia.
THE SIX (ABC, New!) - Merv Griffin Entertainment has landed a presentation order from the Alphabet for a new game show based on the Russian format "What? Where? When?" Said project, which has been running for 35 years in its home country, is being redubbed "The Six," after the number of contestants on the show. The late Vladimir Voroshilov created (and hosted) the series, which pits a panel of six knowledgeable persons against the viewing audience. Said experts are tasked with answering audience-submitted questions listed on a spinning horizontal wheel divided into segments. If the experts answer correctly in the allotted 60 seconds they receive a point, if they don't the audience receives a point with question's author also earning a prize. (Sample question: "They first appeared in 1908 in Mexico. There were two of them. Over time, they came closer and closer together, like wings of a black raven. Name them." Answer: "Frida Kahlo's eyebrows.") Exact format details however are still being worked out. Merv Griffin's Roy Bank is executive producing the project alongside Ukranian-born actor Alex Reznik, Jonathan Barry and Ron Ward. Dwight Smith and Michael Agbabian are the showrunners with Brian Veskosky serving as a co-executive producer.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[09/21/17 - 08:20 AM]
Wednesday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC, "America's Got Talent" Win Summer Finale Showdown
The Peacock holds off "Big Brother" on CBS and "MasterChef" on FOX.
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[09/21/17 - 08:01 AM]
"AMC Visionaries: Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics" Will Premiere as a Two-Night Television Event on Sunday, November 12th at 11:00PM ET/PT and Monday, November 13th at 10:00PM ET/PT
The six-part one-hour documentary series takes a deeper look into the stories, people and events that have transformed the world of comic books.
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[09/21/17 - 08:00 AM]
"Michael Jackson's Halloween," A New One-Hour Animated Special, to Be Broadcast Friday, Oct. 27 on CBS
The special will feature the voices of actors Christine Baranski, Kiersey Clemons, Alan Cumming, George Eads, Brad Garrett, Lucy Liu, Jim Parsons and Lucas Till.
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[09/21/17 - 07:22 AM]
CMT Partners with Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges and Louisiana Calling in Statewide Push Encouraging Residents to Pursue Higher Education
Louisiana native and rising country star Courtney Cole was on-hand for the announcement, where she committed to return to her home state for an eight-stop community college tour in 2018.
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[09/21/17 - 07:02 AM]
An All-New "The Great American Baking Show" Debuts This December on ABC
Ayesha Curry and Anthony "Spice" Adams will host the new season.
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[09/21/17 - 06:10 AM]
Video: "Def Comedy Jam 25" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Dave Chappelle, Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Adele Givens, Tracy Morgan, Sheryl Underwood, D.L. Hughley and many more celebrate one of comedy's greatest institutions.
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[09/20/17 - 02:45 PM]
Comedy Central Launches Global Podcast Network Featuring Brand Extensions of Comedy Central's Hit Franchises and New Original Content
Comedy Central's late night hit "The Jim Jefferies Show" will debut "The Jim Jefferies Show Podcast" today, and it will be available for download and streaming worldwide across Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and other digital platforms.
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[09/20/17 - 01:18 PM]
A&E Network to Premiere New Nonfiction Limited Series "The Eleven" on Thursday, October 19 at 9PM ET/PT
The six-part limited series follows investigators as they reexamine the murders of 11 teenage girls after discovering a confession letter from current inmate and convicted murderer Edward Harold Bell.
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[09/20/17 - 12:31 PM]
NBC and Hulu Bring Will & Grace (and Jack & Karen) to Screens Everywhere with First-Ever Streaming Deal for Multi-Emmy Award Winning Series
The iconic series will be available on the NBC app, Hulu and on-demand through satellite, cable and telco pay TV providers, beginning Thursday, September 21, one week ahead of the return of "Will & Grace" on NBC.
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[09/20/17 - 12:01 PM]
CBS Gives 13 Episode Series Production Commitment to New Drama from Emmy Award Winner Dick Wolf for the 2018-2019 Broadcast Season
The new series, "F.B.I." (working title), is a scripted drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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[09/20/17 - 11:55 AM]
American Heroes Channel Announces Premiere of "Unabomber: 20 Years of Terror" This Sunday, September 24 at 10/9c
For 18 years, Theodore John Kaczynski mailed and planted handmade explosive devices, traumatizing the American people, claiming the lives of three innocent victims and injuring nearly two dozen more.
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[09/20/17 - 11:16 AM]
Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler to Bring New Comedy Series to Netflix
The series follows a young woman named Nadia (Lyonne) on her journey as the guest of honor at a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York City.
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[09/20/17 - 11:03 AM]
Short Film "Tokyo Project," Starring Elisabeth Moss, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Shu Kakizawa, Debuts Oct. 14 on HBO
Exploring a mysterious romance between two strangers, the exclusive presentation is written and directed by Richard Shepard.
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[09/20/17 - 10:40 AM]
eSports Docuseries "Chasing the Cup: Injustice 2" Launches Today on CW Seed and Machinima's Main YouTube Channel
The finale will air on The CW network as a one-hour primetime special on Tuesday, October 3.
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[09/20/17 - 10:31 AM]
Nora Arnezeder, Gabriel Byrne, Justin Chatwin, Tomiwa Edun and Laura Fraser Cast in Crackle's Upcoming Original Movie, "In the Cloud" from Imperative Entertainment and Automatik
The 90-minute feature is expected to release this December on the streaming network.
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