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[10/18/11 - 11:21 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, October 18
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!


ANTI-MAFIA SQUAD (ABC) - David Hollander ("The Cleaner") has been tapped to pen the Alphabet's import of the Italian drama, "set in today's Palermo, caught in a war between mafia families for the leadership of Cosa Nostra after the arrest of the last godfather." Mediaset, Little Engine's Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo and Fluent Media's Raul Mateu are all behind the ABC Studios-based project, which was originally set up last September. The U.S. incarnation then centers on two women: "deputy chief of police Claudia Mares, who joins a special anti-mafia squad, and young Rosy Abate, a member of one of the oldest criminal clans, who returns to Palermo after a long stay in the U.S." Hollander then will executive produce alongside Matthews, Scharbo and Mateu. (Variety.com)


THE CORRECTIONS (HBO) - Dianne Wiest is set and Chris Cooper is in talks to star in the drama pilot, about "the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple (Cooper, Wiest) and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to one last Christmas together near the turn of the millennium." Noah Baumbach and author Jonathan Franzen co-wrote the project, which Baumbach is also attached to direct. They'll also executive produce alongside Scott Rudin. (Variety.com)


DARE (The CW, New!) - Feature writer Bert Royal ("Easy A") has sold a new drama to the netlet about "six young adults forced to play a deadly game of Truth or Dare." Warner Bros. Television-based Lin Pictures is behind the hour, which Dan Lin and Jennifer Gwartz will executive produce alongside Royal. (Variety.com)


THE EVER AFTER PART (FOX, New!) - John Ross Bowie and Kevin Sussman ("The Big Bang Theory") have booked a multi-camera comedy at the network about "a hip couple who go to extreme lengths to support their eccentric 5-year-old daughter, including moving in with the groom's tyrant mother to take advantage of the great public school in her area." Said half-hour is set up at Sony Pictures Television with Peter Principato, Paul Young and Joel Zadak of Principato-Young executive producing alongside the duo with Sussman's manager Jill McGrath receiving a co-producer credit. (Variety.com)


LIFE AS I BLOW IT (NBC, New!) - "Chelsea Lately" mainstay Sarah Colonna has sold a new comedy to the Peacock based on her upcoming book, which "follows Colonna and her life in the Midwest surrounded by eccentric friends and family whose opinions and actions know no boundaries." Sony Pictures Television-based Happy Madison, New Wave Entertainment, Lunch Big Snail Productions and Universal Television are all behind the single-camera project, which Colonna will write under the supervision of Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. Doug Robinson, Abbey MacDonald, Michael Pelmont and Brian Volk Weiss will also executive produce alongside the pair. (Variety.com)


SATELLITES (NBC, New!) - Stephen Falk ("Weeds") has snagged a script commitment from the Peacock for a new comedy "set in the chaotic world of satellite radio and centers around a former reluctant '90s boy-band member and a female blogger/podcaster who co-host a relationship call-in show." No studio or other auspices were given. (Variety.com)


SPELLBINDER (MTV, New!) - Erik Patterson and Jessica Scott ("Another Cinderella Story") have sold a new drama to the cable channel about a teenage girl who can communicate with ghosts. Said hour is set up at FishBowl Media with the company's Vin Di Bona, Bruce Gersh and Susan Levison executive producing alongside the duo. (Variety.com)


UNTITLED JOE WEISBERG PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Joe Weisberg ("Falling Skies") has sold a new drama to the network "described as a high-stakes character-based drama centering on the young assistants of high-ranking officers in the U.S. Intelligence community." 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television are behind the hour with Weisberg, himself a former CIA officer, writing and executive producing. (Variety.com)


UNTITLED JUDY GREER PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Judy Greer ("Two and a Half Men") is set to star in a potential comedy at the Alphabet "inspired by Greer's life, where she moved from Los Angeles for the man she loves and found herself raising stepchildren and making new friends in a small suburban town." Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan ("Made of Honor") are penning the single-camera project with Principato-Young's Peter Principato, Paul Young and David Gardner also serving as executive producers and Greer serving as a producer. No studio was indicated. (Variety.com)


UNTITLED MANDY MOORE PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Mandy Moore ("Grey's Anatomy") has snagged a put pilot order from the Alphabet for a new comedy which "explores the inherent conflict between the families we grow up in and the families we make" as told through the eyes of a newlywed couple - Annie (played by Mandy Moore) and Ben. Bob Fisher ("Traffic Light") is on board to pen the single-camera project with Shawn Levy attached to direct for 20th Century Fox Television. 21 Laps/Adelstein Productions' Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements will also executive produce alongside Fisher and Levy with Moore's manager Jon Leshay producing. (Variety.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - "Gossip Girl's" Holley Fain will visit "Grey's Anatomy" as a recurring love interest for Eric Dane's Mark Sloane (TVLine.com); Annabeth Gish, Grant Show and Matt Lauria have all landed recurring roles on "CSI" in a storyline related to the exit of Marg Helgenberger's Catherine Willows (TVLine.com); Amy Sedaris will guest on "The Good Wife" as lobbyist who butts heads with Alan Cumming's Eli Gold (TVLine.com); Craig Bierko will drop by "The Mentalist" as "a famous quarterback who's enjoying the excesses of his superstar lifestyle" (TVLine.com); Robert Picardo will reteam with his former "China Beach" co-star Dana Delany on "Body of Proof" (Twitter.com); Bo Derek will play herself in an upcoming episode of "Chuck" (THR.com); Chord Overstreet is in final talks to return to "Glee" later this season (TVLine.com); Carla Gugino will recur on "Justified" as an assistant director of the U.S. Marshals Service who used to work with Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) back in Miami (TVLine.com); plus Sarah Silverman and Jeff Goldblum will turn up on the Thanksgiving episode of "The League" (EW.com).






  [october 2011]  
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· AMERICAN JUDY (ABC)
· ANOTHER CINDERELLA STORY (ABC FAMILY)
· ANTI-MAFIA SQUAD (ABC)
· BIG BANG THEORY, THE (CBS)
· BODY OF PROOF (ABC)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· CLEANER, THE (A AND E)
· CORRECTIONS, THE (HBO)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DARE (CW)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EVER AFTER PART, THE (FOX)
· FALLING SKIES (TNT)
· FAMILY TRAP, THE (ABC)
· GLEE (FOX)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· GOSSIP GIRL (CW)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· JUSTIFIED (FX)
· LEAGUE, THE (FXX)
· LIFE AS I BLOW IT (NBC)
· MENTALIST, THE (CBS)
· NEXT CALLER (NBC)
· SPELLBINDER (MTV)
· TRAFFIC LIGHT (FOX)
· TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)
· UNTITLED JOE WEISBERG PROJECT (FOX)
· WEEDS (SHOWTIME)





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