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)





[01/03/25 - 04:06 PM]
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals Score Strong Viewership Across ESPN Platforms
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential registers 21.1 million viewers, the most-watched non-NFL sporting event since the 2024 CFP National Championship.

[01/03/25 - 12:00 PM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: Memphis Grizzlies Visit San Antonio Spurs on January 17
This matchup replaces the previously scheduled Charlotte Hornets vs. Chicago Bulls game.

[01/03/25 - 11:31 AM]
MGM+ Unveils "Godfather of Harlem" Season Four First Look Images
In Season 4, Bumpy Johnson continues his bloody war for control of Harlem against New York's Mafia families, while contending with the emergence of a potential rival in newly arrived Black gangster Frank Lucas.

[01/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "Grosse Pointe Garden Society" - Official Sneak Peek - NBC
When four members of a suburban garden club get entangled in a scandalous murder, they're forced to bury the body - in their own well-manicured flower beds.

[01/03/25 - 09:09 AM]
Lifetime Unveils Full "Voices of a Lifetime" 2025 Slate with Music Icons Mary J. Blige, Lisa Lisa and Gloria Gaynor
The movie event kicks off on Saturday, January 25 at 8:00/7:00c with an all-new original movie executive produced by Mary J. Blige along with Jordan and John Davis.

[01/03/25 - 08:37 AM]
Date Announcement and First Look: Hulu Original Series "Shoresy"
Created by and starring Jared Keeso, "Shoresy" returns for season four on Wednesday, February 26 with all six new episodes exclusively available in the U.S. on Hulu.

[01/03/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: AMC/AMC+ Release a Gripping New Teaser Trailer for Hit Noir Thriller "Dark Winds" Starring Zahn McClarnon
"Dark Winds" will return with an expanded third season exclusively on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 9 at 9pm ET/PT with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays.

[01/03/25 - 07:00 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams DreamWorks' "The Wild Robot" Beginning January 24
Directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders, the heartwarming critically acclaimed film is voiced by Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill and Catherine O'Hara.

[01/02/25 - 10:31 PM]
Video: "Paatal Lok" Season 2 - Official Teaser - Prime Video
A down and out cop lands the case of a lifetime when four suspects are nabbed in the assassination attempt of a prime time journalist.

[01/02/25 - 09:31 PM]
Video: "Black Warrant" - Official Trailer - Netflix
One jailer, thousands of criminals, and the dark secrets of a prison like never before.

[01/02/25 - 01:03 PM]
Video: All-New Extended Trailer for Survivalist Competition Series "Extracted" Set to Premiere Monday, February 10 on FOX
"Extracted" features 12 untrained competitors attempting to survive extremely grueling conditions, perilous terrain, and the threat of fearsome predators in the unforgiving Canadian wilderness.

[01/02/25 - 01:00 PM]
ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025" Is Top Program of the Night Across Primetime and Late-Night
The festive, star-studded celebration rings in the new year with 18 million total viewers during late-night edition - peaking at 22 million viewers during midnight quarter hour.

[01/02/25 - 12:51 PM]
Prime Video Registers TNF's Most-Watched Season in the 19-Year History of the Package Across Key Demographics
According to Nielsen's Panel Only measurement, TNF on Prime Video posted an +11% average viewership increase among total viewers over the previous season (13.20 million vs. 11.86 million).

[01/02/25 - 12:03 PM]
Video: Official Season 7 Trailer - "The Rookie"
John Nolan, once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, has used his life experience, determination and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20 years his junior.

[01/02/25 - 12:01 PM]
Diddy's Inner Circle Breaks Their Silence in Peacock's All-New Documentary Special "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy"
The 90-minute documentary special tells the story of Sean Combs' early years and his decades-long transformation to Puffy and then to Diddy, with crucial insight into the forces that shaped the man and may have made him a monster.