or


[02/28/14 - 11:41 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 28
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!


BATTLE CREEK (CBS/Sony; W: David Shore & Vince Gilligan; D: TBA) - Dean Winters, Aubrey Dollar and Edward Fordham, Jr. have all been cast in the drama pilot, about a detective and an FBI agent with very different world views who are teamed up to clean up the semi-mean streets of Battle Creek, Michigan. Winters will play the aforementioned detective, Russ Agnew, "a smart, tough, impatient, and pragmatic guy who gets results but whom no one wants to partner with because he prefers to cut through any nonsense, and this has earned him a reputation for being mean and gruff." Dollar then is set as Holly, "the office manager who shares mutual attraction with Russ"; with Fordham as Aaron Funkhauser, a "chubby detective." Janet McTeer and Kal Penn also star. (Deadline.com)


BLACK BOX (TNT, New!) - Feature writer Jason Fuchs (Ice Age: Continental Drift) has sold a potential drama to the cable channel which "centers on three strangers whose lives are forever changed after the accidental crash of a civilian airliner over the Long Island Sound when clues begin to emerge that the crash may not have been accidental." Said effort is set up at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television with the company's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


COERCION (NBC/Universal; W/D: George Nolfi) - Alexandra Peters (Sage Paints The Sky) is the latest addition to the drama pilot, about the O'Connor family and their son, Alex (Gavin Stenhouse), a decorated American war hero and CIA analyst who is a true patriot and loves his country and family. Unbeknownst to him, both of his parents (Hope Davis, TBA) and his sister (Margarita Levieva) are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated. She's set as Sarah, "Alex's younger teenage sister who idolizes her older brother." Kenneth Choi also stars. (Deadline.com)


EXPOSED (ABC/Universal; W: Charles Randolph; D: TBA) - Brian F. O'Byrne ("Prime Suspect") has snagged a role on the drama pilot, about Anna Loach (yet to be cast), an investigative journalist who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth including making questionable alliances. He's on board as Quigg, "a very powerful, mysterious man who works for the Pentagon." Sandrine Holt, Pedro Pascal and Peter De Jersey also star. (Deadline.com)


HIEROGLYPH (FOX/20th; W: Travis Beacham; D: Miguel Sapochnik) - Max Brown ("Beauty and the Beast") has scored the lead role on the upcoming drama, about a notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharoah (Reece Ritchie), navigating palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and even a few divine sorcerers. He'll play said thief, Ambrose, in the project, which also stars Antony Bunsee, Caroline Ford, Condola Rashad, Kelsey Chow and John Rhys-Davies. (Deadline.com)


IRREVERSIBLE (ABC/Sony; W/D: Segahl Avin) - Jessica Knappett and Iris Bahr have both been cast in the David Schwimmer-led comedy pilot, about Andy (Schwimmer) and Sarah, "a somewhat eccentric, self-absorbed couple, and their trials and tribulations - most of which they bring upon themselves." The former will play the aforementioned Sarah, "a neurotic and feisty morning show host on a second-rate channel who dreams of becoming an important newswoman someday"; with the latter as Stacey, "Sarah's older, yet less mature sister." (Deadline.com)


MESSENGERS, THE (The CW/CTS; W: Eoghan O'Donnell; D: Stephen Williams) - British actor Jon Fletcher has joined the cast while Stephen Williams ("Zero Hour") is set to direct the drama pilot, about a group of unconnected strangers who seemingly die from an energy pulse, only to awaken to learn that they have been deemed responsible for preventing the impending Apocalypse. Fletcher will play Joshua Simmons Jr., "a charismatic and compelling pastor at a Texas mega-church." Black-D'Elia and Joel Courtney also star. (Deadline.com)


ODD COUPLE, THE (CBS/CTS; W: Joe Keenan & Matthew Perry; D: TBA) - Sarah Baker ("Go On") has scored a role on Matthew Perry's updated take on Neil Simon's classic play, about two mismatched roommates, the messy Oscar Madison (Perry) and the neat freak Felix Unger. She'll play Oscar's assistant Sam, "who spends most of her work day on the phone apologizing to assorted high-and-mighty people who have been offended by Oscar's latest rant." (Deadline.com)


SAINT FRANCIS (ABC/ABC Studios; W: Christopher Moynihan; D: TBA) - Henry Simmons ("Ravenswood") has joined the cast of the multi-camera comedy pilot, about Francis Quinlan (Michael Imperioli), a blue-collar, no-nonsense Long Island cop and family man who butts heads with the modern, liberal world when his 29-year-old sister gets pregnant out of wedlock. He'll play Peter, "Francis's business partner at the bar they own." Paget Brewster also stars. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED KEVIN WILLIAMSON PROJECT (CBS/Warner Bros.; W: Kevin Williamson; D: Liz Friedlander) - Dylan McDermott ("Hostages") has been tapped for a lead role on the drama pilot, a psychological thriller centering around a pair of detectives who handle stalking incidents for the Threat Management Unit of the LAPD. He'll play one of them, Jack Larsen, "a recent transfer from the Threat Assessment Unit from New York; his healthy confidence and quick thinking has gotten him into trouble in the past - a past he hopes to leave behind." (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Mason Cook has joined the cast of TNT's "Legends" where he'll succeed Lux Haney Jardine as Martin's (Sean Bean) son (Deadline.com); Ethan Suplee likewise has been added to TV Land's "Jennifer Falls" where he'll replace Joel David Moore as Jennifer's (Jaime Pressly) brother (Deadline.com); "Kirstie" creator Marco Pennette will bow out of the Kirstie Alley-led comedy should it return for a second season (Deadline.com); "Cougar Town" co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein have inked a two-year overall deal with Universal Television (Deadline.com); Riley Smith will recur on "True Blood" as "a sexy, rock 'n' roll vampire with a romantic side" (Deadline.com); Soleil Moon Frye is bound for "Mistresses" as "a potential celebrity client for Joss's (Jes Macallan) new party planning business" (EW.com); and Shohreh Aghdashloo will visit "Bones" as Arastoo's (Pej Vahdat) mother (THR.com).






  [february 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· ALLEGIANCE (NBC)
· BATTLE CREEK (CBS)
· BEAUTY & THE BEAST (CW)
· BLACK BOX (TNT)
· BONES (FOX)
· COUGAR TOWN (TBS)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EXPOSED (ABC)
· GO ON (NBC)
· HIEROGLYPH (FOX)
· HOSTAGES (CBS)
· JENNIFER FALLS (TV LAND)
· KIRSTIE (TV LAND)
· LEGENDS (TNT)
· MESSENGERS, THE (CW)
· MISTRESSES (ABC)
· ODD COUPLE, THE (CBS)
· PRIME SUSPECT (NBC)
· RAVENSWOOD (ABC FAMILY)
· SAINT FRANCIS (ABC)
· STALKER (CBS)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· ZERO HOUR (ABC)





[09/25/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Family Guy" Hulu Exclusive Halloween Special Premieres October 5 on Hulu
Brian and Stewie find themselves in Hell - not an annoying day, the actual underworld - paying for 24 seasons' worth of bad behavior.

[09/25/26 - 10:35 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever!
Across 29 games, the WNBA on ESPN networks averaged 1.37M viewers, up 17% year-over-year and ranking as ESPN networks' most-viewed WNBA regular season on record.

[09/25/26 - 10:02 AM]
Season Two of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Hit Microdrama Series "Who Billionaire? Me Billionaire." Premieres This Sunday, Sept. 27
The vertical comedy series is the first microdrama produced by a late-night television franchise, with its first season generating 27 million digital views.

[09/25/26 - 09:19 AM]
Volpi Cup Winner and Emmy & Golden Globe Nominee Peter Sarsgaard Joins Scottish Highland Drama "Laird" for Paramount+
Sarsgaard will star as Peter Bergstrom, a ruthless, self-made tech titan and land magnate whose influence spans continents.

[09/25/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Evil Dead Burn" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max October 2
The film unleashes the franchise's most savage and terrifying ride to date with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem.

[09/25/26 - 07:04 AM]
Video: AMC+ Unveils Bewitching Trailer for the Highly Anticipated Contemporary Mystery Thriller, "Yaga"
The contemporary mystery thriller which reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, is set for a two-episode premiere on Friday, October 23, exclusively in the U.S. on AMC+.

[09/25/26 - 07:00 AM]
Paramount and Spotify Partner for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" on CBS
The collaboration will extend the "VMAs" experience through a dedicated on-platform destination on Spotify, launching today.

[09/25/26 - 05:17 AM]
Video: "#Love" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A practical dating app founder and her adventurous competitor test their opposing theories about love through a 60-day challenge to find the right match.

[09/24/26 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Once Japan's most renowned actor, Gen is suddenly forgotten. Fueled by a need for recognition, he claws his way back from zero in this comedy.

[09/24/26 - 02:02 PM]
Tubi Announces New Original Docuseries "Just One Before I Die" Offering an Inside Look at the Buffalo Bills Fanbase
All episodes premiere for free exclusively on Tubi on Wednesday, October 21.

[09/24/26 - 02:01 PM]
Prime Video Announces Worldwide Exclusive Streaming of "Quiz from God," a Reboot of the Phenomenal Korean Mystery Drama, Starring Shotaro Mamiya - Premiering Friday, Dec 4, 2026
The series follows Haruto Hatsushima, a genius forensic pathologist and former neurosurgeon hailed by those around him as "a genius chosen by God" - yet dismissed as being eccentric by his colleagues.

[09/24/26 - 12:25 PM]
ABC News Wins Across the Board in Late Night and Friday Night
"20/20" ranks as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest audience in two months and growing year to year in all key measures.

[09/24/26 - 12:01 PM]
"The Graham Norton Show" Returns with All-New Episodes Thursday, October 1 on BBC America
Episodes will also be available to stream on AMC+, Acorn TV, and All Reality.

[09/24/26 - 12:00 PM]
Presenters Announced for the "2026 Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Airing Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Alex Warren, Belmont Cameli, Brandon Sklenar, Charli xcx, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Ella Bright, Isabel May, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Teyana Taylor, Troye Sivan, and Tyla are among the featured talent.

[09/24/26 - 11:29 AM]
Marquee Championship Doubleheader Leads UFC Return to Madison Square Garden Streaming on Paramount+ Saturday, November 14
In the main event, newly crowned undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane looks to make his first title defense against No. 4 ranked contender Josh Hokit.