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[04/02/10 - 12:08 AM]
Development Update: Friday, April 2
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!
HELLCATS (The CW) - Robbie Jones ("One Tree Hill") and Heather Hemmens ("The Candy Shop") are both on board the presentation, a drama set in the world of competitive college cheerleading. He's believed to be playing Luis Famosa, an "easy and laid-back, seriously unserious" member of the squad who befriends Marty (Aly Michalka), much to the chagrin of Dan (Matt Barr). Said role was originally written for someone of Cuban descent. Hemmens then is set as Alice Vandermark ("a willowy beauty with jaded New York cool"), a fellow Hellcat that suffers a hairline wrist fracture. Ashley Tisdale and Gail O'Grady co-star in the hour, which was penned by Kevin Murphy. CBS Television Studios, Tom Welling Productions and Warner Bros. Television are co-producing.
HITCHED (CBS) - Riki Lindhome has landed a role on the comedy pilot, about a twentysomething newlywed couple (Jack Carpenter, Kristin Kreuk) navigating their new life together. She's on board as Shari Ratner, the bride's best friend, "a ball buster" whose husband never speaks. Josh Schwartz and Matt Miller are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which also stars Eugene Levy, Kurtwood Smith and Thomas Middleditch. Rob Greenberg is directing.
HUGE (ABC Family) - Gina Torres ("Gossip Girl") is the latest addition to the series, which launches Monday, June 28 at 9:00/8:00c. She'll play Dr. Dorothy Rand in the hour, about "the lives of seven teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other." Andrew Caldwell, Ari Stidham, Ashley Holliday, Harvey Guillen, Hayley Hasselhoff, Nikki Blonsky and Zander Eckhouse also star in the ensemble.
LAW & ORDER (NBC) - S. Epatha Merkerson is departing the series after 17 seasons. Said decision comes as production is about to begin on the show's 20th season finale. Merkerson reportedly made the request in time to give her character an appropriate send-off. Earlier this week, the Peacock announced Olympic Gold Medal winning skier Lindsey Vonn would guest star on the aforementioned finale, to be written and directed by Rene Balcer. As for the future of the series, rumblings persist that a 21st season will be contingent on whether or not TNT, home to its off-network run, will extend its contract beyond season 20 which in turn will help offset the cost of production.
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS (ABC Family) - Chad Lowe ("24") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about "four estranged best friends who are reunited one year after their best friend and queen bee of the group, Alison, goes missing only to discover they are receiving messages from an anonymous "A" who knows all their secrets." He'll play Byron, one of the girls' (Lucy Hale) fathers, a "handsome professor that the college girls on campus all talk about when they get drunk and horny." Alexis Denisof originated the role in the pilot. No reason was given for the recasting. Ashley Benson, Laura Leighton, Nia Peeples, Shay Mitchell as Emily and Troian Bellisario also star in the project, which bows Tuesday, June 8 at 8:00/7:00c.
STRANGE BREW (FOX) - Greg Germann ("In Case of Emergency") and Damon Gupton ("Deadline") have both booked roles on the comedy pilot, about a family-owned brewery. The former will play Burt ("fit, comfortable in his Republican skin"), a president of a rival company who tries to convince patriarch Ted (Jere Burns) to sell him a piece of the business. Gupton then is set as Lester Lewis III, a third generation brewmaster who's a de facto member of the family. Aya Cash, Laurie Metcalf, Mo Mandel and Skylar Astin also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, which Marc Buckland is directing from a script by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters
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[04/30/26 - 10:31 AM]
Meet the Six Contestants Competing on "Fear Factor: 48 Hours of Fear," Where Fear and Sleep Deprivation Are Guaranteed!
The two-week special event airs Thursday, May 14 and May 21 on FOX.
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[04/30/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Announces New Series "Minimum Wage," Set to Debut Later This Year
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[04/30/26 - 10:00 AM]
Starz Greenlights Untitled Drama Series Set in the Electrifying World of the Black Rodeo
Infused with hip hop swagger and country soul, the series unfolds in Southeast Texas, where rodeo isn't just what you do - it's who you are.
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[04/30/26 - 10:00 AM]
Video: An Epic Story 450 Million Years in the Making - NBC Unveils "Surviving Earth" Trailer and Key Art
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[04/30/26 - 09:42 AM]
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Both moves were confirmed on social media this morning.
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[04/30/26 - 09:11 AM]
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[04/30/26 - 09:09 AM]
Discovery Channel May Programming Highlights
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[04/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
Season Two of "Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman" Premieres Friday, June 5 on USA Network
Following a breakout first season, Strowman will eat his way through 12 American culinary capitals, including Seattle, Detroit, Austin, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, New York, Houston, Bristol, and Nashville.
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[04/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
Jesse Collins Entertainment Set to Produce the 78th Emmy Awards Airing Live Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
Nominations will be announced by the Television Academy on Wednesday, July 8, streaming live at 8:30 a.m. PT on Emmys.com.
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[04/30/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Spotlights Trailer for "It's Not Like That" Starring Scott Foley Timed to Global Launch
The show blends heartfelt drama with warmth and humor, focusing on connection, second chances, and the realities of modern family life.
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[04/30/26 - 09:00 AM]
Watch The Skies! Season 7 of The History Channel's "The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch" Returns May 19
The new season will follow ranch owner Brandon Fugal and his fearless team of credited scientists and researchers as they employ cutting-edge science and technology to identify what or who is behind all of the high-strangeness that has long been reported on the 512-acre Utah property.
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[04/30/26 - 08:01 AM]
"Masterpiece" on PBS Announces New "Monarch of the Glen" Set in Scottish Highlands
This family saga promises heart, humor and romance - bound together by breathtaking landscapes, roaring hearths, and the people who call this wild corner of the world home.
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[04/30/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Untold UK" - Jamie Vardy, Liverpool's Miracle, Vinnie Jones - Official Trailer - Netflix
Three football stories, zero odds respected.
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[04/30/26 - 08:00 AM]
Saif Ali Khan Anchors a Story of Duty and Dilemma, Red Chillies Entertainment's Next with Netflix, "Kartavya"; Out on May 15
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[04/30/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "The Crash" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case in this documentary.
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