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[09/28/15 - 11:24 PM]
Development Update: Monday, September 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!


EAT PRAY THUG (FOX, New!) - Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar (Pitch Perfect) and writer Sanjay Shah ("Fresh Off the Boat") are set to team for a single-camera comedy about "a successful rapper (Ambudkar) who chooses to live with his Indian-American parents in Queens." The 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which has a penalty attached, is "based on the real life of rapper Heems (formerly of hip-hop group Das Racist) and his relationship with his parents who live with him in Queens." Shah is executive producing with Ambudkar as a co-executive producer and Heems (real name Himanshu Suri) as a co-producer. (Deadline.com)


I'M DYING UP HERE (Showtime/Endemol; W: Dave Flebotte; D: Jonathan Levine) - Andrew Santino and Erik Griffin are the latest additions to the Jim Carrey-produced drama pilot, which centers on L.A.'s celebrated and infamous stand-up comedy scene of the 1970s. The former will play Bill, "a comedy club favorite who can be dry, volatile and often jealous of the success of other comedians"; with Griffin as Ralph, "a Vietnam vet and comic who is as brash as he is hilarious." R.J. Cyler also stars. (Deadline.com)


MANHOOD (NBC, New!) - Jay Baxter and Shaun Zaken have landed a potential comedy at the Peacock about "three men who explore different sides of masculinity in a weekly men's group meeting, where they cry, beat drums and fire-walk to find the answer." Rob Long and David Janollari are also on board to executive produce the half-hour for the latter's Universal Television-based David Janollari Entertainment. (Deadline.com)


WHEELER DEALER (ABC, New!) - Damon Jones ("Benched") has sold a new comedy to the Alphabet about "a suburban housewife and mother who inherits her deceased husband's struggling car dealership in rural West Texas - Friday Night Lights country. In an attempt to make a fresh start, she moves her family out of their plush gated community to run the business, something she knows nothing about." Annie Mumolo and Tim Lovestedt as well as Thruline Television's J.B. Roberts and Willie Mercer also serve as executive producers on the project, inspired by the true story of Jones's sister, for ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - NBC has ordered nine additional back-up scripts for its freshman drama "Blindspot" (THR.com); Sharon Lawrence will recur on NBC's "Game of Silence" as "a smart, single, confident and formidable CEO of a huge conglomerate whose personal philosophy is all about empowering women - and distrusting men" (Deadline.com); Steve Harvey's East 112th Street Productions has inked an overall production deal with Endemol Shine North America (Deadline.com); Minka Kelly is bound for Hulu's "The Path" as Miranda Frank, "the beautiful cult member Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) suspects Eddie (Aaron Paul) of having an affair with" (Deadline.com); and Scout Taylor-Compton will recur on "Nashville" as "a 20-something east Nashville hipster sound engineer with a bit of ink and no desire to commit to anything" (TVLine.com).






  [september 2015]  
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· BENCHED (USA)
· BLINDSPOT (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EAT PRAY THUG (FOX)
· FRESH OFF THE BOAT (ABC)
· GAME OF SILENCE (NBC)
· I'M DYING UP HERE (SHOWTIME)
· MANHOOD (NBC)
· NASHVILLE (CMT)
· PATH, THE (HULU)
· WHEELER DEALER (ABC)





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