or


[03/23/15 - 11:29 PM]
Development Update: Monday, March 23
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!


2015-16 BROADCAST PILOTS (Various) - Directors have been confirmed for "The Adversaries" (Stephen Cragg), "All Stars" (Alex Hardcastle), "Delores & Jermaine" (Beth McCarthy-Miller), "Family Fortune" (Mark Cendrowski), "Kingmakers" (James Strong), "Uncle Buck" (Phil Traill) and "Warriors" (John Fortenberry) at ABC; "Super Clyde" (Rebecca Asher), "Taxi 22" (Rob Greenberg) and "Tommy Johnagin Project" (Scott Ellis) at CBS; "Dead People" (Marc Buckland) and "Tales from the Darkside" (Bradley Buecker) at The CW; "48 Hours 'til Monday" (Michael Patrick Jann), "Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life" (James Griffiths), "Fantasy Life" (Pamela Fryman) and "Grandpa" (Chris Koch) at FOX; and "Cuckoo" (Peter Farrelly), "How We Live" (Gail Mancuso), "Problem Child" (Andy Fleming), "Take It from Us" (Gail Mancuso) and "Unveiled" (Yves Simoneau) at NBC.


ANGEL FROM HELL (CBS/CBSP; W: Tad Quill; D: Don Scardino) - Maggie Lawson ("Back in the Game") has been tapped for a lead role on the comedy pilot, about the unlikely friendship formed between two women, one of whom, Amy (Jane Lynch), claims to be the guardian angel of the other, Allison. She'll play the latter, "a multi-tasker and perfectionist, is inclined to believe that Amy (Lynch) is just another wingnut, except that every last one of Amy's pronouncements comes true." Kevin Pollak and Kyle Bornheimer also star. (Deadline.com, March 21)


CASUAL (Hulu/Lionsgate; W: Zander Lehmann; D: Jason Reitman) - Frances Conroy, Julie Berman and Nyasha Hatendi are the latest additions to the upcoming original, which follows the story of a dysfunctional family with a bachelor brother Alex (Tommy Dewey) and his newly divorced sister Valerie (Michaela Watkins). Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating (on-line and off), while living under one roof again and raising a teenager Laura (Tara Lynne Barr). Conroy will play Dawn, Alex and Valerie's mother, "an austere and emotionally calculating woman who can manipulate her children into feeling any way she wants"; with Hatendi as Leon, "a newly single man looking for true love who is Valerie's first one-night stand and subsequently becomes close friends with Alex" and Berman as Leia. (Deadline.com)


COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX/20th; W: Jay Lacopo; D: James Griffiths) - Maureen Sebastian ("Revolution") has scored a role on the pilot, a single camera comedy that celebrates the mistakes and misadventures we all make during the years after college, before settling down. She'll play "Cooper's (Jack Cutmore-Scott) over-achieving, loving and very self-sufficient sister-in-law Leslie Barrett." Charlie Saxton, James Earl and Meaghan Rath also star. (Deadline.com)


CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC/WBT; W: Silvio Horta; D: Jason Ensler) - Trace Lysette ("Transparent") is the latest addition to the drama pilot, which revolves around a magical and mysterious young man (Adan Canto) who inexplicably emerges from the ocean, breathing new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women - the beautiful but lonely Lola (Christina Vidal), her ailing mother Esperanza (Rachel Ticotin) and her troubled daughter Soledad (Katie Sarife). She'll play Gloria, "the brash transgender hostess at Café Fuentes, Gloria is never shy about voicing her opinions, often to her own detriment." Daphne Rubin-Vega, Robbie Jones and Sonia Braga also star. (Deadline.com)


DEAD PEOPLE (The CW/WBT; W: Tom Kapinos; D: Marc Buckland) - Jaime Lee Kirchner ("Mercy") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about Floyd Hale (Andrew J. West), a down-on-his-luck, semi-alcoholic but roguishly charming cab driver who after a near-death experience, he suddenly has the ability to interact with ghosts, including his late ex-wife (Alexandra Chando) who he has never gotten over. She'll play Charly Caine, "a tough, talented, no-nonsense cop who's seen it all - but is unprepared for Floyd, who talks to the dead. Though she thinks he's a nut case at first, she soon realizes he's telling the truth and decides that he could prove to be very helpful with her police work." Echo Kellum also stars. (Deadline.com, March 21)


ROSEWOOD (FOX/20th; W: Todd Harthan; D: Richard Shepard) - Gabrielle Dennis ("The Game") is the latest to be cast in the drama pilot, about Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, Jr. (Morris Chestnut), the top private pathologist in all of Miami. She'll play Pippy Rosewood, "Beaumont's younger sister who is also a vital member of his pathology team." Anna Konkle, Jaina Lee Ortiz and Maggie Elizabeth Jones also star. (Deadline.com)


SMOKE & MIRRORS (ABC/ABCS; W: Helen Gregory, Jennifer Schuur & Kate Atkinson; D: Julie Anne Robinson) - Bethany Joy Lenz ("One Tree Hill") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Alice Martin (Mireille Enos), a gutsy female forensic accountant who exposes fraud for a living and has finally found fulfillment both at work and in love until a case comes along that threatens to turn her world upside down. She's set as Zoe Taylor, Kieran's (Damon Dayoub) wife, "a girl-next-door-type who is able to pass as Kieran's sister in their cons. She loves her husband and loves their life - amoral though it may be - and she's going to hang on tight as she senses him slipping away from her." Alimi Ballard, Elvy Yost, Jacky Ido, Jay Hayden and Rose Rollins also star. (TVLine.com, March 21)


TAKE IT FROM US (NBC/Sony; W: Barry Schwartz & Greg Malins; D: Gail Mancuso) - Newcomer Chris Douglass (Hollidaysburg) has joined the cast of the comedy pilot, about a couple that tells their son the lessons they learned growing up in the '90s in hopes he and his fiancée can avoid making the same mistakes. He'll play Luke, "who is not a rule follower but a risk taker. It's that quality that led him to move from Seattle to New York without a college degree to try to be a journalist. So far, it's working. Kind of. He's a lowly headline writer but is hoping to get promoted soon." Andy Ridings and Stacey Farber also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - TBS has passed on its comedy pilot "Quality Time," from the Broken Lizard quartet of Paul Soter, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme and Erik Stolhanske (Deadline.com); Connie Britton has been cast as Faye Resnick in FX's "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" (@MrRPMurphy); Cameron Gharaee's Ahmed Al-Fayeed has been upped to series regular on "Tyrant" (Deadline.com); Allison Mack has booked an arc on NBC's "American Odyssey" as "an intelligent and empathetic stranger who befriends Odelle's (Anna Friel) daughter Suzanne in a bookstore - though all is perhaps not as it seems" (TVLine.com); and Krysta Rodriguez will recur on "Chasing Life" next season as "a fellow cancer patient whom April (Italia Ricci) meets in the hospital" (Variety.com).






  [march 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 48 HOURS 'TIL MONDAY (FOX)
· ADVERSARIES, THE (ABC)
· AMERICAN CRIME STORY (FX)
· AMERICAN ODYSSEY (NBC)
· ANGEL FROM HELL (CBS)
· BACK IN THE GAME (ABC)
· CASUAL (HULU)
· CATCH, THE (ABC)
· CHASING LIFE (ABC FAMILY)
· COOPER BARRETT'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (FOX)
· CUCKOO (NBC)
· CURSE OF THE FUENTES WOMEN, THE (NBC)
· DEAD PEOPLE (CW)
· DELORES & JERMAINE (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DIVA THE DOC AND THE JOC, THE (ABC)
· FAMILY FORTUNE (ABC)
· FANTASY LIFE (FOX)
· GAME, THE (BET)
· GOLDEN STATE (ABC)
· GRANDFATHERED (FOX)
· HOW WE LIVE (NBC)
· KINGMAKERS (ABC)
· MERCY (NBC)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)
· PROBLEM CHILD (NBC)
· QUALITY TIME (TBS)
· REVOLUTION (NBC)
· ROSEWOOD (FOX)
· SUPER CLYDE - 2015 VERSION (CBS)
· TAKE IT FROM US (NBC)
· TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE (CW)
· TAXI 22 (CBS)
· TRANSPARENT (AMAZON)
· TYRANT (FX)
· UNCLE BUCK (ABC)
· UNTITLED TOMMY JOHNAGIN PROJECT (CBS)
· UNVEILED (NBC)





[09/03/26 - 10:10 AM]
"Gold Rush" - New Season Premieres Friday, October 2 on Discovery Channel
As soaring gold prices attract a new wave of fortune seekers to the Yukon, mining veterans and ambitious newcomers alike risk everything in pursuit of life-changing riches.

[09/03/26 - 10:08 AM]
Deliciously Deceptive Desserts Hide in Plain Sight in New Food Network Series "Sweet Deceit" Hosted by Josh Peck
The series is hosted by actor Josh Peck, who hilariously commands the on-screen hijinks as he leads contestants through four rounds as they try to identify masterfully disguised sweets created by world-class cake artists.

[09/03/26 - 10:07 AM]
HBO Max Commemorates 25th Anniversary of HBO Original "Band of Brothers" with Debut of New Documentary "Band of Brothers: Legacy" and In-App Extra Content
Coinciding with the series' quarter-century milestone, the commemoration will feature the premiere of the new documentary, offering fans an intimate look at the series' production and enduring impact.

[09/03/26 - 10:00 AM]
"Soul Train Awards" Returns to BET and Makes Debut on CBS
BET Her, VH1, MTV2 and Logo will also simulcast this year's event, airing Friday, November 27.

[09/03/26 - 09:05 AM]
Video: "Death and Mystery in the Amazon" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
Tatunca promised to take several people to the "Lost City." They never returned.

[09/03/26 - 09:02 AM]
Hit Series "The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd" Returns with a New Season Friday, October 2 at 9/8c on The History Channel
Each hour-long episode brings these stranger-than-fiction stories to life through vivid recreations, bold graphics, remarkable archival footage, and a cast of expert storytellers.

[09/03/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Supergirl" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max September 10
The film stars Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, with David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa.

[09/03/26 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Announces "Best of VMAs" Primetime Specials
Donnie Wahlberg hosts "Best of VMAs: Iconic Vanguard Performances" on September 13 and Vanessa Lachey hosts "Best of VMAs: Unforgettable Moments" on September 20.

[09/03/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: Prime Video Drops the Teaser for Season Three of "Maxton Hall - The World Between Us"
The original series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[09/03/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Official Trailer - "The Terrors of Jordan Mendoza" - September 13 - Adult Swim
Get a good night's terror.

[09/03/26 - 06:31 AM]
ESPN Films' Award-Winning Documentary "Give Me The Ball!" to Premiere November 22 on ESPN
The film a critically acclaimed, intimate portrait of sports icon and trailblazer Billie Jean King.

[09/03/26 - 06:07 AM]
CNN to Deliver Comprehensive, Multiplatform Coverage Marking 25 Years Since the September 11th Terrorist Attacks
Coverage will begin on Sunday, September 6 at 8pm ET with a special broadcast of CNN film "9/11," followed by an exclusive new "Inside the Film" interview with the filmmaker brothers Gédéon and Jules Naudet.

[09/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
The Harrigans Aren't Going Anywhere: "MobLand" Renewed For Season Three on Paramount+
The third season will see the return of Tom Hardy as loyal fixer Harry da Souza, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren as crime family patriarch and matriarch Conrad and Maeve Harrigan.

[09/03/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "The Final Problem" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Based on the successful novel of the same name by acclaimed author Arturo Pérez-Reverte, the series premieres on Netflix on September 25.

[09/03/26 - 03:01 AM]
Jeff Goldblum Announced as Host of "Saturday Night Live UK" Series 2 Premiere, Joined by Musical Guest CMAT
The series returns September 12 with the first six episodes, with the additional shows planned in early 2027.