or


[12/08/14 - 11:29 PM]
Development Update: Monday, December 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!


BILLIONS (Showtime; W: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Brian Koppelman & David Levien; D: Neil Burger) - Maggie Siff ("Sons of Anarchy") has booked the female lead on the drama pilot, which takes a forensic look at the world of high finance by tracking the approaching collision between two titanic figures - the hard charging, whip-smart U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti), and the brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis). She's set as Rhoades' wife, Wendy. "After graduating at the top of her medical school class and training as a psychiatrist, she is now a highly in demand performance coach who works with some of the most powerful and influential figures in the world of high finance." (Deadline.com)


SHANNARA (MTV; W: Al Gough & Miles Millar; D: Jonathan Liebesman) - Austin Butler ("Arrow") has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming drama, based on Terry Brooks's best-selling fantasy novels about the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world. He'll play half human and half elf Wil Ohmsford, who is "self-conscious, he has spent his life trying to hide his pointed ears. Kind, thoughtful, and likable, he has an appealing self-deprecating manner, but his easygoing life is about to be turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of the legendary Shannara family." Aaron Jakubenko and Poppy Drayton also star. (THR.com)


UNTITLED RACHEL FEINSTEIN PROJECT (Comedy Central, New!) - Comedian Rachel Feinstein ("Inside Amy Schumer") is set to star in a new pilot at the cable channel billed as "a field-driven sketch show that focuses on Feinstein out on the street using her social experiments and character-based comedy to explore and skewer gender, class and stereotypical issues in sketch and character-driven pieces." Schumer and Feinstein are executive producing the project with Kim Caramele and Honest Engine's Nick McKinney and Meghan O'Hara. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Carrie Coon and Christopher Eccleston are reportedly among the only regulars slated to return for season two of "The Leftovers" (Deadline.com); Pivot is set to pull its flagship nightly program "TakePart Live" (Deadline.com); Mark Hamill will reprise his role of James Jesse, better known as The Trickster, from the 1990s series on "The Flash" (Hitfix.com); Len Goodman will depart "Dancing with the Stars" as judge following the franchise's spring edition (EOnline.com); and Sharif Atkins will visit "Sleepy Hollow" as a "rugged, award-winning photojournalist, grew up in Sleepy Hollow" (@markgoffman).






  [december 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· ARROW (CW)
· BILLIONS (SHOWTIME)
· DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FLASH, THE (CW)
· INSIDE AMY SCHUMER (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· LEFTOVERS, THE (HBO)
· SHANNARA CHRONICLES, THE (SPIKE TV)
· SLEEPY HOLLOW (FOX)
· SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)
· TAKEPART LIVE (PIVOT)
· UNTITLED RACHEL FEINSTEIN PROJECT (COMEDY CENTRAL)





[12/06/25 - 02:46 PM]
Paramount and UFC Announce New Seasons of "Dana White's Contender Series" and "The Ultimate Fighter"
Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia will become the exclusive home for all episodes of both series.

[12/06/25 - 02:27 PM]
Video: "School Spirits" Returns - Paramount+ Drops First Look at Season Three Premiering January 28
The date was unveiled alongside first look images at today's Paramount+ CCXP panel in São Paolo, Brazil featuring series lead and executive producer Peyton List.

[12/06/25 - 02:12 PM]
Video: Oscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Surprises Fans at CCXP and Reveals Exclusive Scene from "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"
The series will premiere globally with two episodes on Thursday, January 15 on Paramount+, and in Japan on Tuesday, January 23.

[12/06/25 - 10:47 AM]
Hulu Debuts First-Look Images from "The Testaments" Out of Brazil Comic Con
"The Testaments," a new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of "The Handmaid's Tale," is coming in April 2026 to Hulu.

[12/06/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Date Announcement & Teaser Debut - Hulu's "Paradise" Season 2
The second season of the Emmy Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and Disney+ internationally.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 03:30 PM]
In Anticipation of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," ABC News to Premiere Two New Specials This December
First up: "Avatar: A New Era - Special Edition of 20/20" premieres Friday, December 12 on ABC.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 10:05 AM]
"Landman" Booms Into a Third Season Renewal and Breaks Viewing Records on Paramount+
The second season is set to be a top three series among all original content the week of November 17 and a top two series for the week of November 24 according to Nielsen preliminary data.

[12/05/25 - 09:45 AM]
Video: "Taylor" - A CW Documentary Special - Trailer
The special - airing Saturday, December 13 - explores the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift and digs deep across the musician's 20-year career, a period that has seen her transcend the realm of pop star to become a cultural icon like no other.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/05/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Monkeypaw Productions' "Him" Beginning December 19
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and more.

[12/05/25 - 08:01 AM]
BET+ Original Film, "Vera's Holiday Flop," Premieres Thursday, December 18
The film stars Charity Jordan, Terri J. Vaughn, Griff, Chrissy McDaniel, Tyler Chronicles, Algebra Blessett, Jelani Akil, Scotty ATL, and Saycon Sengbloh.