or


[12/20/13 - 11:13 PM]
Development Update: Friday, December 20
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!


BY THE HORNS (NBC, New!) - Josh Parkinson ("Eastbound & Down") has sold a potential drama to the Peacock about "a member of a notorious south Texas crime syndicate who decides to attempt a takeover of the whole organization when he learns the 14-year-old son of the newly named boss is actually his." Thunder Road Television's Basil Iwanyk and Kent Kubena also serve as executive producers for Sony Pictures Television. (Deadline.com)


CLAWS (HBO, New!) - Eliot Laurence (Logo's "The Big Gay Sketch Show") is developing a single-camera comedy at the pay channel described as "a midnight-dark workplace dramedy-noir about a nail salon in Florida and the strange, dangerous women who work there." Warner Bros. Television-based Le Train Train is behind the half-hour with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack executive producing and Laurence as a co-executive producer. The company's Jeff Grosvenor will also receive a producing credit. (Deadline.com)


GAFFIGAN (CBS/Sony; W: Jim Gaffigan & Peter Tolan; D: TBA) - Adam Goldberg ("NYC 22") is the latest to board the comedy pilot, about a husband (Jim Gaffigan) and wife (Ashley Williams) trying to raise their five kids in a New York two-bedroom apartment. He'll play Dave Reedy, "his best friend, a die-hard New Yorker and stand-up comic who lives next door and is always at hand to give Jim the benefit of his neurotic counsel." Tongayi Chirisa also stars. (Deadline.com)


GRACEPOINT (FOX; W: Chris Chibnall; D: James Strong) - Josh Hamilton ("American Horror Story: Coven") has been cast in the event series, a gripping crime drama which follows the tragic and mysterious death of a young boy found dead on an idyllic beach surrounded by rocks and a jutting cliff-face, from where he may have fallen. He's set as Joe Miller, Det. Ellie Miller's (Anna Gunn) husband. David Tennant, Jacki Weaver, Kevin Rankin, Kevin Zegers, Michael Peña and Virginia Kull also star. (Deadline.com)


HIEROGLYPH (FOX/20th; W: Travis Beacham; D: Miguel Sapochnik) - British actor Reece Ritchie (Hercules) is the first to be cast in the network's ancient Egypt series, about a notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharoah, navigating palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and even a few divine sorcerers. He'll play Shai, "the young, handsome Pharaoh who rules with an iron fist and fully trusts no one. He is obsessed with maintaining power over his kingdom, which he'll do by any means necessary." Peter Chernin and Katherine Pope also serve as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


LOTERIA (NBC, New!) - Ligiah Villalobos (Under the Same Moon) has set up a potential drama at the Peacock about "a Mexican-American mogul who is killed in a suspicious car crash and has cut his kids out of his will. The question at the center of the potential series is whether the car crash was an accident or a plot by one of them to kill him." The project - alongside Daniel Knauf's "Babylon" and Sri Rao's "The Black Widow" - is one of three in the works at the network from Ben Silverman's Electus banner, one of which likely will be granted a 13-episode order and air multiple times a week. (THR.com)


THE MESSENGERS (The CW, New!) - Eoghan O'Donnell ("Teen Wolf") has set up a new drama at the netlet about "when a mysterious object crashes down to earth, a group of seemingly unconnected strangers die from the energy pulse - but then awaken again as angels of the coming Apocalypse." Ted Humphrey ("The Good Wife") is supervising the hour for CBS Television Studios with Industry Entertainment's Ava Jamshidi as well as Thunder Road Television's Basil Iwanyk and Kent Kubena executive producing. (Deadline.com)


SIX (TNT, New!) - James D. Parriott ("Covert Affairs") has booked a new drama at the cable channel about "the aftermath of a Category 6 tornado that obliterates the majority of a small Kansas town and unearths years of horrific secrets." He'll write and executive produce alongside Thunder Road Television's Basil Iwanyk and Kent Kubena. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Scott Eastwood and Tania Raymonde, co-stars of the "Chicago PD" backdoor pilot last season, won't be making the jump to the "Chicago Fire" spin-off due to "creative reasons" (TVLine.com); Yvette Nicole Brown will visit "Melissa & Joey" as "Mel's (Melissa Joan Hart) stubborn, feisty and super-cool hairdresser" while Mo Gaffney will drop by as "the vice principal at the high school where Mel and Joe (Joey Lawrence) are chaperoning a dance" (THR.com, TVLine.com); Gbenga Akinnagbe and Giles Matthey have both boarded "24: Live Another Day" as Erik Ritter, "a strong, sharp, arrogant and ambitious CIA field operative," and Jordan Reed, "a smart and sophisticated CIA computer tech," respectively (Deadline.com);

Joanna Adler has joined the cast of "Devious Maids" as Opal, "a new maid who is secretive & conniving, reminiscent of Mrs. Danvers from Hitchcock's Rebecca" (Deadline.com); ABC's single-camera comedy pilot "Galavant" will film in the U.K. as the result of a tax credit from the country (Deadline.com); and Jack Coleman will guest on "CSI" as "a kind, empathetic pastor who is devastated by the death of his 16-year-old daughter, whose body was found in the desert" (TVGuide.com).






  [december 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
· BABYLON (NBC)
· BLACK WIDOW (NBC)
· BY THE HORNS (NBC)
· CHICAGO FIRE (NBC)
· CHICAGO PD (NBC)
· CLAWS (TNT)
· COVERT AFFAIRS (USA)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DEVIOUS MAIDS (LIFETIME)
· EASTBOUND & DOWN (HBO)
· GAFFIGAN - 2013 VERSION (CBS)
· GALAVANT (ABC)
· GOOD WIFE, THE (CBS)
· GRACEPOINT (FOX)
· HIEROGLYPH (FOX)
· JIM GAFFIGAN SHOW, THE (TV LAND)
· LOTERIA (NBC)
· MELISSA & JOEY (ABC FAMILY)
· MESSENGERS, THE (CW)
· NYC 22 (CBS)
· SIX (TNT)
· TEEN WOLF (MTV)





[02/27/26 - 01:28 PM]
Paramount to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery to Form Next-Generation Global Media and Entertainment Company
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is expected to close in Q3 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances and approval by WBD shareholders, with a vote expected in the early spring of 2026.

[02/27/26 - 12:30 PM]
The Jaw-Dropping Fifth and Final Season of Starz's Hit Drama Series, "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" Set to Premiere June 12
To date, the series has accumulated over 21 billion minutes viewed across all episodes and remains one of Starz's top-performing series.

[02/27/26 - 09:12 AM]
Team USA Hockey Olympic Gold Medalists Hilary Knight, Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes to Appear Together on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday, March 2
The episode will also feature guests Nicole Kidman, Luke Thompson and a cooking demo by Chef Mario Carbone.

[02/27/26 - 08:12 AM]
Paul Wesley Joins Season Three of Hit Apple TV Series "The Buccaneers"
Wesley will play the role as Frank, a mysterious but charming stranger who arrives into Nan and Mrs. St. George's world, turning it upside down.

[02/27/26 - 07:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Focus Features' "Hamnet" Beginning March 6
Directed by two-time Academy Award-winning director ChloƩ Zhao, the film tells the untold story behind one of Shakespeare's most memorable works and celebrates the power of imagination and the creative spirit.

[02/27/26 - 07:01 AM]
Prime Video Debuts First-Look Image of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus On Set of New Series "God of War"
The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions, and has received a two-season order.

[02/27/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Netflix and Apple TV Join Forces to Stream Formula 1 Thrills
The entire new season of "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" is now on Netflix globally and Apple TV in the U.S.

[02/26/26 - 08:46 PM]
"Dandelion": Netflix Adapts "Gintama" Creator Hideaki Sorachi's Debut Work into New Anime Series
Set within the Send-Off Department of the Japanese Angel Federation, Dandelion follows "Angels" Tetsuo Tanba and Misaki Kurogane as they scramble to track down Earthbound spirits - souls unable to move on and find peace - and gently guide them to pass on.

[02/26/26 - 06:01 PM]
Video: "Still Shining" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After falling in love as teens, two young adults drift apart - only to reunite 10 years later and confront their heartbreak, growth and new challenges.

[02/26/26 - 02:46 PM]
Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros.
"The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," said co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters.

[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[02/26/26 - 02:08 PM]
Britbox Unveils Spring Slate with "The Lady" Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce; Premieres March 18
Other highlights include the return of "Hope Street" and the debut of "Mudtown."

[02/26/26 - 01:36 PM]
Paramount Comments on Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Determination of Paramount's Proposal as Superior
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: "We are pleased WBD's Board has unanimously affirmed the superior value of our offer, which delivers to WBD shareholders superior value, certainty and speed to closing."

[02/26/26 - 01:16 PM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors Determines Revised Proposal from Paramount Skydance Constitutes a "Company Superior Proposal"
Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a "Company Superior Proposal."

[02/26/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Television Network Renews Hit Joel McHale Series "Animal Control" for Season Five
In addition, the first three seasons of the series are currently streaming on Netflix, and the show has been sold in territories around the world.