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[03/22/11 - 11:11 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, March 22
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!
BIRD DOG/THE RABBIT FACTORY (TNT) - On the heels of ordering the Eric McCormack-led drama "Perception" to series, the cable channel has reportedly passed on the other two drama pilots from said development cycle. "Bird Dog," from writer/director Mike Robe and Warner Horizon Television, revolved around an unlikely partnership between two cops (Gerald McRaney, Ashley Williams) who happen to be father and daughter. "The Rabbit Factory," from writer Alan Loeb and Lionsgate Television, tracked a recently widowed police detective (Steven Weber) and his newly married partner (D.L. Hughley) as they delve into a world of mystery, intrigue and occasional hijinks. Currently in the pipe at TNT are the "Dallas" reboot as well as the cast-contingent "Generations."
BOSS (Starz) - Connie Nielsen ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, about Thomas Kane (Kesley Grammer), "the mayor of Chicago who is diagnosed with a degenerative mental condition that only he and his doctor know about." She'll play his wife, Meredith ("suited, immaculately groomed"), whom his marriage has disintegrated to the point they only speak in public. Gus Van Sant is directing the pilot to the Lionsgate Television-based hour, from writer Farhad Safinia.
DAMAGES (DirecTV) - Judd Hirsch ("NUMB3RS") is the latest actor set to recur on the show's upcoming fourth season. He'll play a former mentor of Patty's (Glenn Close), "a man who took her under his wing during her first job out of law school," but now spends his time "at the bottom of a bottle." Other new additions this season include Chris Messina, Dylan Baker and John Goodman.
FREE AGENTS (NBC) - Natasha Leggero ("Last Comic Standing") has been cast in the comedy pilot, about "two quirky co-workers - Alex (Hank Azaria) and Helen (Kathryn Hahn) on the rebound who are attracted to one another." She'll play Emma, Alex's opinionated executive assistant. Mo Mandel co-stars in the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, which Todd Holland is directing from a script by John Enbom.
MAD MEN (AMC) - Matthew Weiner is reportedly on track to sign a new deal with producer Lionsgate Television to continue as showrunner of the Emmy-winning series. Said negotiations will likely push the start of production by several weeks, potentially bumping its usual summer debut into the fall or beyond. No other details were given.
THE RIVER (ABC) - Daniel Zacapa has scored a role on 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). He'll play Emilio Valenzuela, who along with his daughter Jahel (Paulina Gaitan), run the engine room of the S.S. Hopewell, the vessel spearheading the search. Eloise Mumford, Paul Blackthorne, Shaun Parkes and Thomas Kretschmann also star. Meanwhile, Zack Estrin ("No Ordinary Family") has joined the project as part of an overall deal with producer ABC Studios. There he'll serve as an executive producer alongside showrunner Michael Green and ultimately take over said post for the back nine of its presumed freshman run. Green, who's based at 20th Century Fox Television, will then transition back to development. Should the pilot not get ordered to series, Estrin will join another ABC Studios-based property.
UNTITLED SUSANNAH GRANT PROJECT (CBS) - "Law & Order" alumnus S. Epatha Merkerson has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Michael Halstead (Patrick Wilson), an ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife, Anna Lindberg (Jennifer Ehle), dies and begins teaching him what life is all about from the hereafter. She'll play Rita, Michael's "don't cross her" assistant. Afton Williamson and Julie Benz also star in the CBS Television Studios-based hour, to be directed by Jonathan Demme.
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[11/03/26 - 03:57 PM]
Tami Roman Returns to Executive Produce and Star in Lifetime's Sequel to Its Highest-Rated Original Movie of 2026 - "Double Double Trouble 2" Set to Debut in 2027
Slated to premiere in 2027, Roman will reprise her role as identical twins Drea and Ali.
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[11/03/26 - 03:01 PM]
USA Sports Delivers Most-Watched WNBA Playoff Game Ever; 3.3 Million Viewers Watch Valkyries Win Title in First-Ever Game 7
Viewership was up 128% vs. the 2025 WNBA Finals deciding game (LV-PHX Game 4).
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[11/03/26 - 02:42 PM]
"College GameDay" Continues Historic Run Over Halloween at IU, ABC Takes Top Spot and Delivers Three of Top Five Most-Watched Games
ESPN topped all networks in Week 9, with ABC delivering three of the week's five most-watched games and winning the noon and afternoon windows.
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[11/03/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of October 26 - "Lupin" Part 4 Captures the No. 1 Spot in This Week's Top 10
"The One About Matthew Perry" debuted in the No. 1 spot on the English TV list, gathering 9.5 million views.
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[11/03/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Up +12% from Its Week #2 Last Year - Network Places 14 of the Top 20 Series; Top Two Comedies; Top Three New Series
CBS episodes topped the Nielsen live plus 7-days of multiplatform viewership for the week of October 12-18.
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[11/03/26 - 10:31 AM]
Netflix Announces Straight-to-Series Order for Coming-of-Age Adaptation "Prep"
The coming-of-age story is about scholarship girl Lee Fiora's high school years at Ault, a prestigious New England boarding school, and her journey to navigate friendship, crushes and class as a fish out of water among her privileged, confident classmates.
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[11/03/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "High Country" - Season 2 Official Trailer - Hulu
Nine months after closing the Artemis case, Detective Andie Whitford is drawn into a shocking double murder aboard a houseboat on drought-stricken Lake Eildon.
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[11/03/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Mickey and Pluto Stir Up Holiday Mayhem with "Mickey's Home Alone" Trailer, Premiering Thanksgiving Day
The new holiday special premieres Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST on Disney Jr. and streams the next day on Disney+.
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[11/03/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Rob Lowe: The Outsider" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This definitive documentary goes beyond the highlight reel to reveal what it really took for Rob Lowe to survive Hollywood - and become one of its most enduring stars.
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[11/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
"Blue Eye Samurai" Unleashes Season 2 Release Date
Mizu's bloody quest for revenge will bring her to London on January 19, 2027.
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[11/03/26 - 04:02 AM]
"Operation TAP": Netflix's First Film in Portugal Is Already in Production
The film is loosely based on the true story of the hijacking of a TAP flight in 1980, carried out by a 16-year-old boy with a head full of dreams.
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[11/03/26 - 01:02 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the Official Teaser for "The Law of Beasts" - Kasper Bajon's Series Premieres November 18
Two friends, two perspectives, and a case that resurfaces after 25 years.
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[11/03/26 - 01:01 AM]
"Chapapote", the New Film by Daniel Sanchez Arevalo and Starring Tamar Novas, Begins Filming
The year is 2002. The oil tanker Prestige breaks in two off the Galician coast, and an oil slick covers its beaches. All of them, that is, except one: the beach in the small town of Agarimo.
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[11/02/26 - 06:21 PM]
Surprise! Korean Epic "The Remarried Empress" to Premiere One Day Early Exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu
Originally scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, November 4, "The Remarried Empress" will now debut on Tuesday, November 3 as a special thank you to fans for their overwhelming support.
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[11/02/26 - 03:48 PM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Official Fall Sizzle for "Days of Our Lives"
Featuring drama, romance, mystery, and suspense, "Days" follows the lives, loves, and conflicts of the Horton, Brady, DiMera, Kiriakis, and Hernandez families and their many friends and colleagues.
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