or


[04/22/15 - 11:34 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, April 22
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!


COUNTERPART (Starz, New!) - Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) is set to team with writer Justin Marks (The Jungle Book) and director Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) for a new sci-fi thriller at the pay channel about Howard Silk (Simmons), "a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life filled with regret, when he discovers the agency he works for is guarding a secret: a crossing to a parallel dimension. Through Howard and his "Counterpart" on the other side, Prime, the show will navigate themes of identity, idealism, what ifs, and lost love." MRC, Anonymous Content and Gilbert Films are behind the hour, with all three auspices executive producing alongside Keith Redmon, Bard Dorros, Jordan Horowitz and Gary Gilbert. (Deadline.com)


HAP & LEONARD (SundanceTV; W: Jim Mickle & Nick Damici; D: Jim Mickle) - Jimmi Simpson ("House of Cards") has joined the cast of the upcoming drama, based on the rollicking Joe Lansdale Southern noir book series about an unlikely pair of best friends and martial arts experts - Hap Collins and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams) - who struggle through misadventure, to stay on the right side of the law in 1980's East Texas. He'll play Soldier, "a mysterious and most likely psychopathic criminal who along with his Amazonian girlfriend threatens the plans of our heroes." Bill Sage also stars. (Deadline.com)


HIGHSTON (Amazon, New!) - Oscar-nominated writer Bob Nelson (Nebraska) and directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) have booked a pilot order from Amazon Studios for a half-hour coming-of-age comedy about Highston Liggetts, "a kind 19-year-old and perched on the edge of adulthood. When he encounters a world he doesn't understand, like Elwood P. Dowd, he retreats into his vast imagination, where famous 'friends' are his companions and mentors." Four by Two Films' Sacha Baron Cohen and Todd Schulman and Bungalow Media + Entertainment's Todd Hoffman and Bob Friedman will also serve as executive producers alongside said trio. (Deadline.com)


UNDERGROUND (WGN America/Sony; W: Joe Pokaski & Misha Green; D: Anthony Hemingway) - Marc Blucas ("Killer Women") has been tapped for a role on the period drama, set in the pre-Civil War South and following the slaves who set foot on the fabled Underground Railroad, the secret network of men and women who risked their lives aiding them, and the mercenaries tasked with hunting them down at any cost. He'll play John Hawkes, "an abolitionist lawyer who will break the laws he's sworn to uphold in order to serve a greater good," succeeding the previously cast Devon Gummersall. Alano Miller, Amirah Vann, Christopher Meloni, Adina Porter, Johnny Ray Gill, Mykelti Williamson, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Reed Diamond, Aldis Hodge and Jessica De Gouw also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - "The Leftovers" co-creator Damon Lindelof has inked new three-year overall deal with producer Warner Bros. Television, where he'll develop new projects for broadcast and cable (THR.com); Griffin Dunne will recur on "Manhattan" as "a tenacious and self-destructive newspaper reporter who finds his way inside the gates at Los Alamos, discovering not only the scoop of a lifetime, but a chance to turn his life around" (Deadline.com); Maggie Grace is bound for "Masters of Sex" as "a well-respected and confident gynecologist who helps out at the clinic on a case with international implications" (THR.com); Amelia Rose Blaire will visit "Scream" as Piper Shay, "the smart, quirky host of a wildly popular podcast who comes to town to investigate the recent deaths" (TVLine.com); and Haley Lu Richardson has booked an arc on ABC Family's "Recovery Road" as a smart, ambitious "friend" of Maddie (Jessica Sula) (TVLine.com).






  [april 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· COUNTERPART (STARZ)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· HAP & LEONARD (SUNDANCE)
· HIGHSTON (AMAZON)
· HOUSE OF CARDS (NETFLIX)
· KILLER WOMEN (ABC)
· LEFTOVERS, THE (HBO)
· MANHATTAN (WGN)
· MASTERS OF SEX (SHOWTIME)
· RECOVERY ROAD (FREEFORM)
· SCREAM (VH1)
· UNDERGROUND (WGN)





[03/13/26 - 02:41 PM]
HBO Original Series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" Debuts June 26
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[03/13/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" saw week-to-week gains in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[03/13/26 - 11:00 AM]
Production Begins on the Final Season of "Mayor of Kingstown" for Paramount+
David Morse will join season five as a series regular playing Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.

[03/13/26 - 10:37 AM]
Bravo's "Married to Medicine" Two-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, March 22 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Dr. Contessa Metcalfe, Toya Bush Harris, Quad Webb, Dr. Mimi Sanders as well as friends Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Angel Love Davis and Brandi Milton to unpack the season's biggest moments filled with emotional revelations and shocking confrontations.

[03/13/26 - 09:36 AM]
Peacock Renews "Love Island USA" for Season Eight and Announces Premiere Dates for Upcoming Slate
"Love Island USA" returns Tuesday, June 2; while "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" is back Wednesday, April 15.

[03/13/26 - 09:02 AM]
Video: Key Art & Trailer Debut - Hulu's "Love Overboard"
The series premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[03/13/26 - 09:01 AM]
History's "The Food That Built America" Returns for Season 7 on April 19
The series explores the origin stories of America's most inspiring - and sometimes ruthless - food pioneers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the culinary landscape, and created groundbreaking products that became the biggest household names in history.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A bride has a feeling that something horrifying will happen at her wedding - and the closer to the altar she gets, the worse it becomes.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Hot Out the Oven - Hulu's "Pizza Movie" Trailer & Key Art
A shy college student and his reckless roommate set out on a simple mission to grab pizza, but after a strange dose of a mind-bending experimental drug, they're thrust into a chaotic night of absurd encounters, wild hallucinations, and unexpected revelations that could change their lives forever.

[03/13/26 - 07:13 AM]
FOX Sports, Imagine Documentaries & Delirio Films Announce "Summer of '94" Premiering May 23 on FOX
The film highlights the wild journey of the 1994 USMNT, a unique group of players led by an unlikely coach who endured a grueling two-year training camp, with no professional league and no roadmap, hoping simply not to embarrass their nation at the first-ever modern World Cup hosted on American soil.

[03/13/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Temptation Island" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Four couples at a crossroads test their bond by splitting up and sharing a villa with alluring singles looking for love in this steamy reality series.

[03/12/26 - 09:01 PM]
"The Vampire Lestat" Set to Debut Sunday, June 7 on AMC and AMC+
Plus: Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) is back pleasing fledglings and fans worldwide with the debut of "All Fall Down," the second official rock single from the series.

[03/12/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports Scores All-Time High Team USA World Baseball Classic Viewership
3,171,000 viewers on average watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic Pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes.

[03/12/26 - 03:01 PM]
CBS Midseason Premiere Week Tops Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 7-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The network scored three of the top four and 12 of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition.

[03/12/26 - 01:02 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for Season Eight of "FBI True"
All 10 episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch on on Tuesday, March 31.