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[03/17/11 - 11:30 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, March 17
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!
90210 (The CW) - Rebecca Sinclair is stepping down as showrunner of the netlet's soap. "It was a creative decision," she told Deadline.com. "I'm eager to write my own stuff. I'm going to try to write a novel - something I've been wanting to do since college - a pilot and a movie. Working on '90210' has been an incredible learning experience, like going to the most intensive school, and I feel I've come out ready to create my own show." No replacement has been named. The series, which is widely expected to get a fourth season, returns April 18 with its last five episodes of the season.
THE ASSISTANTS (CBS) - David Henrie ("How I Met Your Mother") has snagged a principal role on the comedy pilot, about four assistants who toil for a celebrity couple - Gale Meeks and Ali Vance (who are likened to Rob Riggle and Sarah Jessica Parker). He'll play Mike Beadle, the eager new house assistant. Emily Rutherfurd, Lamorne Morris and T.J. Miller co-star in the CBS Television Studios-based half-hour, from writer Tucker Cawley and director Pamela Fryman.
HERD MENTALITY (CBS) - Damon Wayans ("My Wife & Kids") has been tapped for the lead role on the comedy pilot, inspired by the life of ESPN radio personality Colin Cowherd. He'll play Nick Herd ("fortyish, confident, good looking and well-dressed, though he'd never admit he tries"), whose acerbic ways get him in trouble at home and at work. Bill Martin and Mike Schiff are behind the CBS Television Studios-based half-hour, to be directed by Andy Cadiff. Danny Comden also stars.
MY LIFE AS AN EXPERIMENT (NBC) - Donald Sutherland ("Pillars of the Earth") is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about A.J. Wilder (Jon Dore), an immersion journalist whose unusual assignments frequently affect his home life in Brooklyn with his wife, Stacie (Paget Brewster), and two kids. He'll play Sam Bobkin ("pompous, arrogant"), Stacie's father, who is less than thrilled with her choice in a husband. Adam Campbell also stars in the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, from co-creators Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith.
POE (ABC) - Marco Grazzini is the newest addition to the pilot, a period drama which envisions famed author Edgar Allan Poe (Chris Egan) as the world's very first detective in 1840s Boston. He's set as Alexander Shelton ("handsome, wealthy, in a military uniform"), the current beau of Poe's childhood sweetheart Sarah Royster (Tabrett Bethell). Kevin McNally, Leslie Odom Jr. and Natalie Dormer also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from writer Chris Hollier and director Alex Graves. Separately, Grazzini is also guesting on The CW pilot "Awakening" in an unspecified role.
REVENGE (ABC) - Joshua Bowman (U.K.'s "Holby City") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp), a mysterious young woman who comes to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her family. He'll play her fiance, Daniel Grayson ("young 20s, all American, son of privilege"), whose parents (Madeleine Stowe, Henry Czerny) she blames for her father's death. Ashley Madekwe, Christa B. Allen, Connor Paolo, Gabriel Mann and Nick Wechsler also star. Phillip Noyce is directing the ABC Studios-based hour, which was penned by Mike Kelley.
THE RIVER (ABC) - Thomas Kretschmann and Paulina Gaitan have both boarded the drama pilot, about the search in the Amazon for Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), a missing TV explorer, led by his wife Tess (Leslie Hope) and son Lincoln (Joe Anderson). Kretschmann will play Captain Reese Byrne ("a soldier's comportment, a boxer's economy of movement; dedication and efficacy rubbed deep into his skin"), the expedition's head of security. Gaitan then is set as Jahel Valenzuela - the daughter of the ship's engineer, Emilio - who's just as good a mechanic as her father. Eloise Mumford, Paul Blackthorne and Shaun Parkes also star. Jaume Collet-Serra is directing the ABC Studios-based hour from a script by Michael Green.
S.I.L.A. (NBC) - Jimmy Smits ("Outlaw") is returning to the Peacock as the actor has booked a role on the pilot, a drama depicting a complex web of crime, policework and politics in Los Angeles. He'll play Virgilio Zaragoza, the mayor of Los Angeles, who "cares deeply about his city, power, and women, perhaps in reverse order, and the nakedness of his need to be loved is part of his considerable charm." Also featured in the ensemble are Daniella Alonso, Danny Pino, Emma Dumont, Luis Chavez, Madchen Amick, Matthew Levy and Noah Emmerich. Stephen Gaghan is behind the hour, from 20th Century Fox Television.
SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Shelley Hennig and Jessica Parker Kennedy have each snagged a role on the drama pilot, about Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson), a California teen who moves to her mom's hometown of New Salem, Maine and discovers that she comes from a family of witches. They'll play two more of the seven-member circle, a coven of young witches: Diana Meade ("smart, sexy, not overly done up"), who quickly befriends Cassie; and Melissa ("steely, disinterested"), who keeps her at arm's length. Phoebe Tonkin and Thomas Dekker also star while Liz Friedlander is directing from a script by Andrew Miller.
UNTITLED LIZ MERIWETHER PROJECT (FOX) - Damon Wayans Jr. ("Happy Endings") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel), an optimistic Midwestern woman who moves into a New York apartment with three juvenile guys. He'll play one of the trio, Coach, an out-of-shape trainer. Said role is in second position to his duties on the yet-to-debut ABC comedy. Hannah Simone, Jake M. Johnson and Max Greenfield also star. Liz Meriwether penned the half-hour for 20th Century Fox Television. Jake Kasdan is directing.
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[03/28/26 - 10:11 PM]
Video: "Sparks of Tomorrow" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The newest work from Kyoto Animation, "Sparks of Tomorrow" begins streaming worldwide on July 5, only on Netflix.
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[03/28/26 - 09:16 PM]
Video: "BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai" - Official Teaser - Netflix Anime
Baki and the strongest Underground Arena fighters face a threat of historical proportions: the resurrected Musashi Miyamoto, Japan's greatest samurai.
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[03/28/26 - 03:30 PM]
Lion Forge Entertainment Announces Premiere Date for Second "Iyanu" Animated Movie
"Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes" will debut on Cartoon Network on July 11, 2026, and be available on HBO Max the following day.
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[03/28/26 - 02:46 AM]
Video: "STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" 2nd STAGE - Official Teaser - Netflix
In the 2nd STAGE, the racers must cross a 750-mile expanse of desert.
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[03/27/26 - 09:16 PM]
Video: "Dandelion" - Official Trailer - Netflix
At an afterlife agency where angels guide lingering souls, Tetsuo and Misaki take on any challenge to help the dead find peace in their own offbeat style.
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[03/27/26 - 06:46 PM]
Video: "Blue Box" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Netflix
Season 2 is coming to Netflix in October 2026.
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[03/27/26 - 03:16 PM]
Official Trailer for HBO's Harry Potter Series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," Shatters Records as HBO and HBO Max's Most-Watched Ever by More Than Double, Amassing +277 Million Organic Views in 48 Hours
The series will debut Christmas 2026 on HBO and will be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max.
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[03/27/26 - 01:01 PM]
Hugely Popular "Chicago" Series Set to Return to NBC in the Fall
"Chicago Fire" will begin its 15th season in the fall, "Chicago P.D." its 14th and "Chicago Med" its 12th.
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[03/27/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix Rounds Out Cast of "Kennedy" with Production Underway in London
The new drama series based on Fredrik Logevall's book, "JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956," will explore the triumphs and tragedies of the Kennedy family from Chernin Entertainment.
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[03/27/26 - 09:48 AM]
FOX Sports Assembles Top-Tier Roster for 2026 Major League Baseball Regular Season Coverage
Entering their fifth season together, first-ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz and Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Davis call FOX Sports' top regular season and playoff games.
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[03/27/26 - 09:46 AM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late-Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" scored its best Adults 25-54 performance in 11 months.
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[03/27/26 - 09:21 AM]
"The Morning Show" News Incoming - Sean Hayes Joins the Cast of Season 5
Apple TV confirmed the news on social media this morning.
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[03/27/26 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Original Documentary Series "The Dark Wizard" Debuts April 14
The four-part documentary series is an up-close and unflinching portrait of Dean Potter, one of the world's most influential and controversial climbers, BASE jumpers, and highline walkers.
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[03/27/26 - 07:01 AM]
ESPN Original "Why Not Us: UMES Volleyball" to Premiere March 30
Presented by Andscape and produced by Sport & Story, the latest installment follows the inspiring journey of the newly formed men's volleyball team at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore - the first men's volleyball program at a Division I HBCU.
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[03/26/26 - 02:05 PM]
"The Madison" Marks Taylor Sheridan's Biggest Debut Season Launch with 8 Million Views Globally for Paramount+
The debut of the six-part series also marks the biggest freshman season launch for the prolific creator among women 35+.
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