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[03/23/11 - 11:14 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, March 23
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!
BRAVE NEW WORLD (NBC) - Tyler Blackburn ("Pretty Little Liars") has landed a role on the pilot, a workplace comedy set at Pilgrim Village, a theme park that specializes in recreations of New England in 1637. He'll play another member of the staff, John Litchfield, "handsome, buff, tanned and shirtless; he's everything you'd want in a Native American." Anna Popplewell, Ed Begley Jr., Jazz Raycole, Nicholas Braun, Robbie Benson and Will Greenberg also star in the half-hour, from writer Peter Tolan and Sony Pictures Television.
FREE AGENTS (NBC) - Anthony Head, Al Madrigal and Joe Lo Truglio have booked the final principal roles in the comedy pilot, which "explores the attraction between two quirky PR executives working together - Alex (Hank Azaria) and Helen (Kathryn Hahn) - who both are on the rebound, Alex from a divorce and Helen from the loss of a fiance." Head, who co-starred in the original U.K. incarnation, will return as their boss Stephen ("handsome, charming, amoral"), the CEO of Dayton Group. Madrigal then will guest as fellow executive Gregg ("40, with the soft, exhausted look of a married man with kids") with Lo Truglio as Walter, the company's oddball security guard. Mo Mandel and Natasha Leggero also star in the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, from director Todd Holland and writer John Enbom.
GAME CHANGE (HBO) - Four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris has been cast as John McCain in the upcoming original movie, about the Arizona senator's failed 2008 presidential campaign. Julianne Moore also stars as Sarah Palin in the project, which is based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's book of the same name. Jay Roach is directing from a script by Danny Strong.
HERD MENTALITY (CBS) - Eliza Dushku has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about Nick Herd (Damon Wayans), a sports radio host whose acerbic ways get him in trouble at home and at work. She'll play his co-host Casey ("thirtyish, tall, and sexy") in the CBS Television Studios-based project, which Andy Cadiff is directing from a script by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff. Danny Comden also stars.
HOMEGROWN (CBS) - Tricia O'Kelley ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") has booked a role on the comedy pilot, about Joe Reilly (yet to be cast), a blue collar man who wrestles with how to parent his unmarried grown daughter, Eileen (Becki Newton), and her 12-year-old son while sharing a house with them, his wife and his recently widowed mother. She'll play Eileen's older sister, "a put together hot mom." Jackie and Jeff Filgo are behind the Warner Bros. Television-based half-hour, to be directed by Andy Ackerman. Shane McRae also stars.
HUNG (HBO) - Kaitlin Doubleday ("Cavemen") is set to recur on the show's upcoming third season. She'll play Logan, a former student of Ray's (Thomas Jane) who once again crosses his path. Leven Rambin was previously tapped for said role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
IT'S BRODY STEVENS (HBO, New!) - Brody Stevens is set to topline a potential half-hour at the pay channel, a mocumentary starring the actor/comedian as himself. Zach Galifianakis ("Bored to Death") and Mike Gibbons ("Tosh.0") co-created the project, which recently completed a low-budget presentation directed by Jonathan Krisel ("Saturday Night Live"). Said effort is the result of a first-look deal Galifianakis recently signed with HBO. Galifianakis, who guest starred in the pilot and may recur on the series, will then executive produce alongside Gibbons.
LOVELIVES (NBC) - Smith Cho ("100 Questions") has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a couple - Tim (Ryan Hansen) and Holly (Amanda Loncar) - and their challenges of love and fidelity. She'll play Kate, the sarcastic ex-wife of Tim's brother Blake (Sean Maguire) who's still friends with Holly. Chris Sheridan is behind the half-hour, which is set up at 20th Century Fox Television.
RIZZOLI & ISLES (TNT) - Chris Vance ("Dexter") has booked a multi-episode arc on the drama's upcoming second season. He'll play Sgt. Major Charles "Casey" Jones, "an old flame of Rizzoli's (Angie Harmon) who comes back into her life just as she's struggling to recover from being shot and nearly killed in the line of duty." The series returns Monday, July 11 at 10:00/9:00c on the cable channel.
SECRET CIRCLE (The CW) - Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain have stepped down as executive producers 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. Said decision is billed as an amicable departure, as Kevin Williamson was brought on to oversee the hour back in January. Craft and Fain, who serve as consulting producers on Williamson's "The Vampire Diaries," then will focus on development as part of their overall deal with Warner Bros. Television.
SPRING/FALL (HBO) - The Tea Leoni-led comedy, about the dysfunctional partnership between two women with different approaches to career, family, and friendship set against the backdrop of New York's fashion world, has been ordered to pilot. Kate Robin penned the half-hour and is executive producing alongside Leoni, her manager Jimmy Miller and R.J. Cutler ("The September Issue"). Production is set to begin in June.
UNTITLED DAN GOOR PROJECT (NBC) - Audrey Esparza has boarded the comedy pilot, about Adam Foote (Andrew J. West), a young doctor who spends as much time taking care of his parents as he does his patients. She'll play Liz Stratton, a "cute, quirky" registered nurse whom Adam develops an attraction. Brad Morris and Jean Smart co-star in the Universal Media Studios-based half-hour, from writer Dan Goor.
UNTITLED PETER KNIGHT PROJECT (CBS) - Ben Rappaport ("Outsourced") has been tapped for the male lead on the comedy pilot, about a group of assistants and junior executives as they juggle love, friendship and the corporate ladder. He's set as one of them, Danny (billed as "a young John Cusack"), the casting of which is in second position to the NBC comedy. Michelle Trachtenberg also stars as Ben's crush Gracie, who gets promoted out of the mail room, further complicating their relationship. Neil Patrick Harris is directing the half-hour, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios.
WEEKENDS AT BELLEVUE (FOX) - David Alpay ("The Tudors") and actor/rapper Xzibit are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Ellie Harlow (Lauren Ambrose), the weekend physician in charge of Bellevue's psychiatric emergency room, a one-woman front line charged with assessing and treating some of the city's most vulnerable and troubled citizens. Alpay is set as fellow doctor Ben Jacobs ("mid 30s, Ivy-League"), who Ellie trained with while at Columbia; while Xzibit will play Chuck Franklin ("tall and hulking"), an ER nurse who's been at Bellevue for 18 years and nothing
phases him. Amber Stevens, Eric Winter and Janet McTeer also star. Jack Bender is helming the Universal Media Studios-based hour from a script by Lisa Zwerling.
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[03/31/26 - 08:31 AM]
Netflix to Stream "The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy" on May 31
The award will be presented to Murphy at a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18, 2026.
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[03/31/26 - 08:02 AM]
Video: Miss Mary Bennet Takes the Floor - BritBox Debuts Official Trailer and Key Art for "The Other Bennet Sister," Premiering May 6
The 10-episode series will debut with three episodes, followed by a weekly episodic rollout.
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[03/31/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Son-In-Law" - Official Trailer - Netflix
José Sánchez becomes a feared political operator after a rough patch, but this time neither his memorable mustache nor his sharp tongue will be enough.
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[03/31/26 - 08:00 AM]
First Look: Hulu Original Series "Alice and Steve," Starring Jemaine Clement & Nicola Walker
Alice is devastated when her best friend Steve starts dating her 26-year-old daughter Izzy.
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[03/31/26 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops Official Trailer for the Iconic Competition Series "American Gladiators" Featuring Original Music from Jelly Roll
The first three episodes of the series will premiere on Friday, April 17, 2026, on Prime Video, followed by three new episodes releasing Friday April 24, and the final four episodes releasing on Friday May 1.
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[03/31/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Noah Kahan: Out of Body" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After rocketing to global fame, singer-songwriter Noah Kahan faces the pressure of what comes next.
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[03/31/26 - 07:00 AM]
Beyond the Headlines: Award-Winning Documentary "One Golden Summer" - The Story of Brotherhood, Resilience, and the Jackie Robinson West Champions Premieres on TBS and OWN
In the summer of 2014, a group of boys from the South Side of Chicago did the impossible: they captured the hearts of a nation, becoming the first all-Black team to win the U.S. Little League Championship.
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[03/31/26 - 07:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Debuts Official Trailer for "Jerry West: The Logo"
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Kenya Barris in his documentary debut, "Jerry West: The Logo" will premiere April 16, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[03/31/26 - 06:01 AM]
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" Season Two Returns June 25 on Netflix
After a bittersweet victory saving the Northern Water Tribe from the invading Fire Nation, Avatar Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley) regroup and set off on a mission to convince the elusive Earth King to aid in their battle against fearsome Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim).
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[03/31/26 - 06:01 AM]
HBO, NFL Films, and the Reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks Announce "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks," Debuting August 11
Looking ahead, the New England Patriots, Super Bowl LX runner-up and six-time champions, will be the show's featured training camp team in August 2027.
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[03/31/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV's "Cape Fear" Unveils Teaser for New Psychological Horror Thriller
The 10-episode limited series will make its global debut on Friday, June 5, 2026 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 31, 2026 on Apple TV.
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[03/30/26 - 02:22 PM]
Stellan Skarsgard Joins Dakota Fanning in Alex Cary's Upcoming International Thriller
Hailing from Apple TV, the untitled thriller is executive produced by Cary, who also serves as creator and showrunner under his overall deal with Sony Pictures Television and his FLW Productions banner.
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[03/30/26 - 01:00 PM]
CBS Announces Season Finale Airdates for 2025-2026
The network today announced season finale dates for its original primetime comedies, dramas and unscripted series for the 2025-2026 broadcast season.
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[03/30/26 - 12:42 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Largest MLB Opening Day Audience on Record for Multi-Game Presentation
The two-game presentation averaged 2.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
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[03/30/26 - 12:10 PM]
"Greys Anatomy" Returns for Season 23 on ABC
The network confirmed the news on social media today.
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