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[10/08/13 - 11:07 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, October 8
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!


ALLEGIANCE (ABC, New!) - Newcomer Sue Chung has received a put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new drama about "a young female FBI agent who, after a series of devastating, high-tech attacks on the government, pursues the smartest and deadliest domestic terrorist in American history: her own mother." Len Wiseman ("Sleepy Hollow") is on board to direct and executive produce the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour via his Sketch Films banner - which recently inked a two-year overall deal with the studio - alongside Chris Morgan and Emile Gladstone of Chris Morgan Productions and Jennifer Johnson for 20th Century Fox Television. Chung then will serve as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)


CUCKOO (NBC, New!) - The Peacock is looking to import the Andy Samberg-led U.K. comedy about "a middle-class family whose daughter comes back from a summer abroad married to a charming but infuriating hippie moron - a guy called Cuckoo." Original creators Robin French and Kieron Quirke are on board to pen the U.S. incarnation with Tim Long on board as showrunner. Lionsgate Television and Roughcut Television are co-producing the project, which has a put pilot commitment, with Ash Atalla and Dan Hine likewise serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


MAGIC MALABI EXPRESS (FOX, New!) - Feature writer Jeremy Garelick (The Break-Up) has sold a new comedy to the network "that takes place in Brazil and tells the story of three Israeli friends who, in order to make a living, open a stall and sell Malabi (an Israeli dessert). When preparing it, they accidentally use an ingredient that gets all the locals high and brings customers from many countries." The 20th Century Fox Television-based project is based on Miki Geva's successful book-turned-Israeli TV series of the same name. Shawn Levy and Marty Adelstein of 21 Laps/Adelstein Productions also serve as executive producers. (THR.com)


MY EX LIFE (FOX, New!) - Time mainstay Joel Stein is developing a multi-camera comedy at the network about "an extremely successful, type-A tech entrepreneur who thought he had a pain-free divorce until he is introduced to his ex's new boyfriend. He's a younger, more handsome, laid back, jock type who everyone in his family (especially his kids) absolutely idolizes." Said effort is set up at 20th Century Fox Television with Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo executive producing alongside showrunner Gregg Mettler ("Cougar Town"). (Deadline.com)


SCHOOL OF FISH (FOX, New!) - Kevin Biggins and Travis Bowe ("Family Guy") have set up a potential multi-camera comedy at the network about "the life and times of crazy fishmongers who are the rock stars of the Pike Place Market in Seattle." Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope also serve as executive producers via their 20th Century Fox Television-based Chernin Entertainment banner. (Deadline.com)


SELFIE (ABC, New!) - Emily Kapnek ("Suburgatory") has scored a put pilot commitment for a potential comedy inspired by the classic musical "My Fair Lady" about "a self-obsessed 20-something woman who is more concerned with 'likes' than being liked who enlists the help of a marketing expert at her company to help repair her tarnished image after she becomes the subject of a viral video." She'll write and executive produce via her Warner Bros. Television-based Piece of Pie Productions banner. (THR.com)


STATE OF PLAY (HBO, New!) - Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey's Film 44 and Herzog & Company ("On Freddie Roach") are back in business with the pay channel for another documentary series that "will spotlight a topic or person that has had a great impact on the sports world, opening with a brief overview followed by a 40-minute cinéma vérité documentary and concluding with an in-depth, 20-minute roundtable discussion of the issue with the filmmakers, subjects and guest experts to be moderated by Berg." The opening installment, "State of Play: Trophy Kids," is slated for Wednesday, December 4 and features "an examination of the obsession a growing number of parents have in the scholastic athletic competition of their children." (Deadline.com)


STRANGE CALLS (ABC/20th; W: Donick Cary; D: Ruben Fleischer) - Donick Cary's import of the Australian comedy - about "good-hearted, bumbling Boston cop Toby Banks, who is exiled to night duty on Nantucket island, where strange, unexplainable occurrences become the norm nine months out of the year" - has received a cast-contingent pilot order from the Alphabet. Aaron Kaplan, Tracey Robertson, Nathan Mayfield and Ruben Fleischer also serve as executive producers on the single-camera project, the latter of which is on board to direct. (Deadline.com)


STRANGE FICTION (NBC, New!) - Andrew Cosby ("Eureka") is developing a new drama at the Peacock about "a young book editor drawn into the world of the supernatural by a reclusive and quite possibly insane paranormal investigator." Universal Television is behind the hour with Little Engine Productions' Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo and Anonymous Content's Jeff Okin likewise serving as executive producers. (THR.com)


UNTITLED ANDY MOGEL/JARRAD PAUL PROJECT (FOX, New!) - Andy Mogel and Jarrad Paul ("Allen Gregory") have sold a comedy to the network about "an over-confident optimist who, after being rejected by the girl of his dreams, buys her struggling company in an absurd attempt to get close to her." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the half-hour with Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope of the studio-based Chernin Entertainment executive producing alongside said duo. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED SRI RAO PROJET (ABC, New!) - Sri Rao ("General Hospital: Night Shift") has booked a multi-camera comedy at the Alphabet about "a free-spirited single mom who's raising two kids in Brooklyn and running a small design company with three of her best friends. Things take a turn when her conservative 16-year-old son starts interning at her company, intent on transforming the family business into a global empire." ABC Studios is behind the half-hour with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos of Milojo Productions executive producing alongside Rao. (Deadline.com)


WELCOME TO SWEDEN (NBC, New!) - The Peacock has acquired the broadcast rights to Greg Poehler's Swedish comedy series, about a New York accountant, Bruce (Poehler) who falls in love with a Swedish girl, Emma (Josephine Bornebusch) and follows his heart to Sweden. Lena Olin also stars as Emma's mother Viveka with Illeana Douglas and Patrick Duffy as Bruce's parents. Executive producers include Amy Poehler and Greg Poehler; Fredrik Arefalk for TV4; Carrie Stein for Entertainment One; and veteran Swedish TV helmer/creator Felix Herngren (Solsidan) for FLX. The show's freshman run also features cameos by Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Aubrey Plaza and Gene Simmons. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - "NCIS" showrunner Gary Glasberg has inked a new two-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios that will keep him at the helm of the series and its proposed New Orleans-based spin-off through May 2016 (Deadline.com); Amir Arison will recur on "The Blacklist" as "an enthusiastic, hardworking agent desperate to assimilate" (Deadline.com); Bess Armstrong has been cast as Roy Rayder's (Cam Gigandet) mother on CBS's midseason drama "Reckless" (Deadline.com); Ryan Kelley is bound for "Teen Wolf" as "the newest member of Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department" (Deadline.com); Annie Wersching will guest on "Castle" as "an elite cosmetic surgeon who draws the interest of the NYPD detectives because of her connection to a murder victim" (TVLine.com); June Squibb has been tapped to portray Hannah's grandmother on the upcoming season of "Girls" (Showbiz411.com); and Tom Cavanagh and Jennifer Irwin will both guest on "The Goldbergs" as the family's prim and proper neighbors who are polar opposites from Beverly and Murray (TVGuide.com).






  [october 2013]  
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· ALLEGIANCE (ABC)
· ALLEN GREGORY (FOX)
· BLACKLIST, THE (NBC)
· CASTLE (ABC)
· COUGAR TOWN (TBS)
· CUCKOO (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EUREKA (SYFY)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT (SOAPNET)
· GIRLS (HBO)
· GOLDBERGS, THE (ABC)
· MAGIC MALABI EXPRESS (FOX)
· MY EX LIFE (FOX)
· NCIS (CBS)
· NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (CBS)
· ON FREDDIE ROACH (HBO)
· RECKLESS (CBS)
· SCHOOL OF FISH (FOX)
· SELFIE (ABC)
· SLEEPY HOLLOW (FOX)
· STATE OF PLAY (HBO)
· STRANGE CALLS (NBC)
· STRANGE FICTION (NBC)
· SUBURGATORY (ABC)
· TEEN WOLF (MTV)
· UNTITLED MOGEL & PAUL PROJECT (FOX)
· UNTITLED SRI RAO PROJET (ABC)
· WELCOME TO SWEDEN (NBC)





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