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[11/29/10 - 06:38 PM]
Development Update: Monday, November 29
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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!


AZTECS (Starz, New!) - Hans Beimler ("The Middleman") is developing an eight-part limited series for the pay channel billed as "a historic re-telling of the romantic relationship between Hernan Cortes and Malinali whose love story was a twisted tale of passion and deceit, of murder, ambition, and shattered dreams that brought an empire to its knees, forever altering the fate of America and Europe." Eva Longoria and Virginia Trinkle of Unbelievable Entertainment are reportedly executive producing alongside Beimler.


BIRD DOG (TNT) - Eliza Dushku ("Dollhouse") has booked the female lead on the drama pilot, about "an unlikely partnership of two cops who happen to be father and daughter." She'll play Gail McGrath, "who followed in her father's footsteps in becoming a police officer but had little else in common with him. She left the big city she had grown up in to move to a small Pacific Northwestern town where she was patrolling the streets until her dad, a NYC cop, showed up on her front doorstep to join her as her new partner." Mike Robe is behind the hour, which is set up at Warner Horizon Television.


BRAIN TRUST (TBS) - D.B. Sweeney ("The Event") has scored the lead role on the drama pilot, about Detective Billy Doyle, "whose career and life have hit rock bottom after he accidentally ends his partner's career. Doyle's life gets turned around, however, when a recent murder case gets unexpected and unconventional help from three hyper-smart geniuses from a private think tank. If Doyle can survive the chaos and keep these new partners in line, they just may be the antidote to resurrect his career and, ultimately, his life." Dean Devlin and Marco Schnabel are behind the hour, which comes from the former's Electric Entertainment.


LIFE UNEXPECTED (The CW) - Co-star Kristoffer Polaha has inked a talent holding deal with The CW's corporate siblings CBS and CBS Television Studios. The pact calls for the duo to develop a new series projects for the actor or cast him in one of their existing properties should the netlet drama not return for a third season.


PARENTING BY COMMITTEE (ABC, New!) - Alyssa Embree and Jessica Koosed are developing a new comedy at the network about "four single women who find their lives completely changed when one discovers she is having a baby. The four proceed to raise the boy without a man via parenting by committee." Said half-hour is set up at ABC Studios and Eva Longoria's Unbelievable Entertainment. Embree and Koosed are penning the pilot and executive producing alongside Longoria and Virginia Trinkle.


SENDERA (ABC, New!) - Actors-turned-producers Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives") and Kathryn Morris ("Cold Case") are developing a new drama for the Alphabet "described as a modern day Shakespearean drama about two wealthy families, one from Texas the other from Mexico, locked in a struggle for power, land, sex and legacy." Sally Robinson is penning the hour, which Longoria and Morris will executive produce via their respective companies, Unbelievable Entertainment and Hotplate Productions, for ABC Studios. Alan Barnette, Josh Gold and Virginia Trinkle are also believed to be executive producers.


UNTITLED KEVIN WILLIAMSON PROJECT (The CW, New!) - Kevin Williamson ("The Vampire Diaries") is in the early stages of developing a potential new drama for the netlet about "a group of people who investigate paranormal happenings." Fellow "Diaries" co-creator Julie Plec is reportedly in talks to come onboard and co-write the project with him. Williamson recently inked an overall deal with producer Warner Bros. Television.


UNTITLED OWEN BENJAMIN PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Comedian Owen Benjamin ("The Jay Leno Show") is set to star in a potential multi-camera comedy for the network about "a question-everything high school counselor balancing bachelorhood and his eccentric family." Marsh McCall ("Ruby & the Rockits") is co-writing the half-hour and will executive produce alongside Bill Haber, Peter Principato, Paul Young and Joel Zadak for ABC Studios.






  [november 2010]  
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· AZTECS (STARZ)
· BIRD DOG (TNT)
· BRAIN TRUST (TBS)
· COLD CASE (CBS)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOLLHOUSE (FOX)
· EVENT, THE (NBC)
· GHOST (CW)
· JAY LENO SHOW, THE (NBC)
· LIFE UNEXPECTED (CW)
· MIDDLEMAN, THE (ABC FAMILY)
· PARENTING BY COMMITTEE (ABC)
· SENDERA (ABC)
· UNTITLED KRISTOFFER POLAHA PROJECT (CBS)
· UNTITLED OWEN BENJAMIN PROJECT (FOX)
· VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE (CW)





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