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[03/25/10 - 12:05 AM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 25
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!
THE GATES (ABC) - Marisol Nichols, Rhona Mitra, Victoria Platt, Justin Miles, Skyler Samuels, Travis Caldwell and Colton Haynes have all joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about Nick Monohan (Frank Grillo), "a big-city cop who becomes chief of police in a seemingly sleepy planned community, the Gates, where he discovers there's more to the residents than meets the eye." Nichols is believed to be playing Nick's wife, Sarah, "who relocates to the community looking for a fresh start," with Caldwell as their teen son Charlie. Samuels then is set as Andie Bates, a local girl who Charlie quickly falls for.
Meanwhile, Haynes is playing Brett Crezski, Andie's boyfriend, a star linebacker for the football team who also happens to be a werewolf. Miles is on board as Marcus Jordan ("mid-twenties, eager, sometimes too much so"), one of Nick's deputies. Then there's Mitra as Claire Radcliff, a housewife/vampire who's not as keen on assimilating as her husband/fellow vampire Dylan (Luke Mably). And finally, Platt is understood to be playing Peg Mueller, the owner of an exotic/magical tea shop whose less-than-scrupulous pupil Devon (Chandra West) sets up her own shop across the street. Grant Scharbo and Richard Hatem are behind the Fox Television Studios-based hour, due this summer.
GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC) - ABC Studios has confirmed to Entertainment Weekly co-star Katherine Heigl has officially departed the series. "By mutual agreement, Katherine Heigl has ended her successful run as Dr. Isobel Stevens," reads the statement. "The studio wishes her well. Everyone at 'Grey's Anatomy' is now focused on delivering a shocking season finale and a great show for seasons to come." Heigl last appeared in the show's January 21 episode.
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER (CBS) - Lindsay Sloane ("Help Me Help You") is set to star opposite Kyle Bornheimer in the comedy pilot, about a Pittsburgh couple (Sloane, Bornheimer) who are dating - and mulling the next stage of their relationship. She'll play Gina, "a waitress who fantasizes about running her own business." Jaime Pressly and Joe Manganiello co-star in the half-hour, which comes from 20th Century Fox Television and co-creators Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, Joe Kelly and Kourtney Kang. Pamela Fryman is directing.
LOVE BITES (NBC) - Jennifer Love Hewitt, Greg Grunberg, Lindsay Price, Jason Lewis and Craig Robinson are all set to guest star in the drama pilot, "an anthology of love and sex," Entertainment Weekly reports. As for specifics, the opener revolves around three stories of "firsts." Grunberg will play Judd, a married Venice Beach tattoo artist who improbably meets the only person on his "Celebrity Exemption List" (i.e., the list of famous people you get to sleep with if you ever get the chance) - Hewitt, as herself - while on a flight to a friend's bachelor party.
Hewitt replaces Alyssa Milano, who was originally featured in the script. Robinson then is believed to be playing Bowman, Judd's single friend who encourages him to approach Hewitt. Meanwhile, Lewis is playing either Jordan, a handsome stranger who the promiscuous Frannie (the previously cast Jordana Spiro) hooks up with while pretending to be like her virgin best friend Annie (Becki Newton); or Carter, a handsome lawyer that returns home after being fired to find his fiance Liz (Price) seemingly cheating on him. Marc Buckland is directing the Universal Media Studios-based hour from a script by Cindy Chupack.
MIKE & MOLLY (CBS) - Melissa McCarthy ("Samantha Who?") has booked the title role on the comedy pilot, about "Mike (Billy Gardell), an overweight, charming police officer, and Molly (McCarthy), a pretty and plump woman, who meet at Overeaters Anonymous." She joins the previously cast Katy Mixon, Nyambi Nyambi, Reno Wilson and Swoosie Kurtz in the half-hour, which comes from Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions. Mark Roberts penned the script while James Burrows is directing.
PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) - Executive producers/showrunners Robert Rovner and Jon Cowan are departing the series after two seasons. No reason was given for the pair's exit while no immediate replacement has been named. Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon and Mark Tinker also serve as executive producers.
WRIGHT VS. WRONG (ABC) - Cheryl Hines and Carrie Fisher are the latest additions to the comedy pilot, about Evelyn Wright (Debra Messing), "a strong-minded, ambitious political personality who espouses the conservative, right-wing agenda." Hines will play Keri Daly, "Evelyn's liberal counterpart, Sundance catalogue attractive, smart, funny - the women are friendly rivals who enjoy verbally sparring with each other." Fisher then is set as Joan Harrington ("gruff, a pessimistic dresser"), Evelyn's manager. Melissa Rauch and Patrick Fugit also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, which Andy Fickman is helming off a script by Stephanie Weir.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[03/11/26 - 01:44 PM]
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones Joins Season Two Cast of "The Lowdown" Coming to FX and Hulu
Jones joins previously announced Betty Gilpin in the next season, which begins production this spring in Tulsa.
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[03/11/26 - 01:22 PM]
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped from the Headlines" Films for Spring
Nancy Travis and Stana Katic are among the featured talent.
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[03/11/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Studios Signs Development Commitment with Frankie Quinones for New Comedy Series
Quiñones is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian and actor known for his viral character, "Creeper" and for starring in the Hulu comedy series "This Fool."
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[03/11/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women's College Basketball Regular Season Since 2008-09
ESPN networks were home to six of the top 10 women's college basketball regular season games across all networks this season and 29 of the top 30 on cable.
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[03/11/26 - 11:01 AM]
98th Oscars Rounds Out Show Presenters
Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver are all on tap.
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[03/11/26 - 10:05 AM]
Josh Gates Returns with an All-New Season of "Expedition Files," Revealing Striking New Revelations Behind History's Biggest Mysteries
The series is returning with a brand-new season on Wednesday, April 1 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
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[03/11/26 - 10:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Color Theories by Julio Torres" Debuts March 27
In his second HBO comedy special, Peabody-winner Julio Torres presents a helpful guide to understanding the world through his playful interpretations of colors.
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[03/11/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: MLB Opening Night: Yankees vs. Giants - Official Trailer - Netflix
The 2026 Major League Baseball season leads off on Netflix, with Yankees vs. Giants in a star-studded opener live at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Date & Cast Announcement: Hulu's "Love Overboard"
Produced by Alex Cooper's Unwell Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, "Love Overboard" premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.
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[03/11/26 - 09:01 AM]
Nikki Glaser Returns to Host "The 84th Annual Golden Globes" Airing Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027 on CBS and Paramount+
Glaser said, "I'm thrilled to host the Golden Globes for a third time, not only because it's the greatest gig I've ever had, but because my sister has three kids and now we will be equal in the eyes of my parents and the Lord."
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[03/11/26 - 07:04 AM]
"#SKYKING," the Gripping New Documentary Set to Make Its World Premiere at SXSW 2026, Premieres on Hulu April 14
The feature-length documentary tells the story of Richard "Beebo" Russell, who captured the world's attention when he stole a commercial plane and took off on a flight that would come to embody the dreams and despair of the American working class, while offering a look at the US mental health crisis.
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[03/11/26 - 07:02 AM]
New Episodes of "Rick and Morty" Premiere May 24 on Adult Swim
Get ready to portal-jump back into the multiverse - Adult Swim's #1 series returns with a season that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.
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[03/11/26 - 07:01 AM]
"Friday Night Baseball" Returns to Apple TV on March 27 for Its Fifth Season
Highlights include the storied New York Subway Series matchup between the Yankees and Mets, plus multiple appearances by reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
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[03/11/26 - 06:47 AM]
Matt Vasgersian Joins NBC Sports as a Play-by-Play Voice for "MLB Sunday Leadoff" on Peacock and NBCSN
Vasgersian, who spent the last five years as a Los Angeles Angels TV play-by-play voice, will continue his role at MLB Network, a position he has held since its inception in 2009.
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[03/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: "The Hawk" - Lonnie Hawkins Character Reveal - Netflix
One of the greatest names in golf history (that you're somehow only just hearing about), American hero Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins is Will Ferrell's newest original character.
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