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[10/08/15 - 11:22 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 8
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC) |
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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!
BELLES & WHISTLES (FOX, New!) - Alex McAulay ("Eastbound & Down") has set up a new single-camera comedy at the network about "an unfulfilled father who, when fired from his comfortable tech job in Silicon Valley, decides to move his dysfunctional family to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his lifelong dream of music stardom." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the project with Dwight Yoakam and Electric Dynamite's Jack Black and Spencer Berman also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)
GRAVES (Epix/Lionsgate; W/D: Joshua Michael Stern) - Ernie Hudson has been tapped for a role on the upcoming comedy, about a former President of the United States. Twenty years after his presidency, former President Richard Graves (Nick Nolte) has the epiphany that his policies have damaged the country for decades and so, with his young assistant (Skylar Astin), he goes on a Don Quixote-like journey to right his administration's wrongs just as his wife, the former First Lady, decides to follow her own political ambitions. He'll play Jacob Mann, "a staple in the Graves Family for decades, who acts as the Family Fixer." (Deadline.com)
I'M DYING UP HERE (Showtime/Endemol; W: Dave Flebotte; D: Jonathan Levine) - Ari Graynor is the latest addition to the Jim Carrey-produced drama pilot, which centers on L.A.'s celebrated and infamous stand-up comedy scene of the 1970s. She'll play Cassie, "an ambitious comedian from Texas who wants to be taken as seriously as her male comic contemporaries." R.J. Cyler, Erik Griffin, Andrew Santino and Stephen Guarino also star. (Deadline.com)
NEGOTIATIONS (ABC, New!) - Paul Lieberstein ("The Newsroom") has set up a potential hour at the Alphabet about "life, politics and romance in one of the world's largest law firms." ABC Studios is behind the project with 3 Arts Entertainment's Howard Klein also executive producing. (Deadline.com)
POOR RICHARD'S ALMANACK (USA/Legendary/UCP; W: Jim Danger Gray & Miguel Sapochnik; D: Neil Marshall) - Lynn Collins, Athena Karkanis, Carly Pope and Barbara Eve Harris have all been cast in the drama pilot, which revolves around a cadre of heroes who emerge as the new "Founding Fathers," after America is pushed to the brink of collapse. Collins will play Julia Winslow, "a postal worker inadvertently dragged into a radical conspiracy on account of her fiancé's former links to the CIA"; with Karkanis as Penny Richards, "an already seen-it-all surgeon who finds herself in the ethical dilemma of having to keep a wounded bomber alive so the FBI can interrogate him, rather than tend to his victims"; Pope as Brooke Beaudine, "an ambitious local network journalist whose reporting on a deadly attack in Philadelphia puts her on the trail of a group of extremists who may be responsible"; and Harris as Elizabeth Walker, "Director of National Intelligence during an attack on Philadelphia." (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED PRENTICE PENNY PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Prentice Penny ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine") has snagged a put pilot commitment from the Peacock for a single-camera comedy about "a loud, boisterous, and quarrelsome family from the Bronx and what happens when they take in their wide-eyed, hopelessly optimistic 10-year-old nephew." Bruno Mars, his manager Brandon Creed and Imagine Television's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are also on board to executive produce the half-hour, which is presumably set up at 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED WENDY DAVIS PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Jennifer Cecil ("Heartbreaker") is developing a new drama at the Peacock inspired by the life of former Texas state senator Wendy Davis. The Universal Television-based project will revolve around "a female Democratic senator who, after losing the Texas governor's race, gets her world turned upside down. In the vein of 'The Good Wife,' while she pieces her pride back together, she goes to work in the law firm of her best friend - a black male Republican - and discovers that with no political future to protect, she can unshackle her inner badass." Naegle Ink's Sue Naegle and Karen Sherwood are likewise on board to executive produce alongside Cecil and Davis. (Deadline.com)
AND IN OTHER NEWS... - FOX has three backup scripts for its freshman drama "Rosewood" (Deadline.com); Peter Mensah will recur on "Sleepy Hollow" as "an ancient, desiccated god who returns to the mortal world revived as a handsome, powerful menace with eyes that entrance and torment" (Deadline.com); Elle McLemore has been cast as Patty Simcox in FOX's "Grease: Live" (Deadline.com); Melanie Liburd is bound for "Game of Thrones" as a Red Priestess (Deadline.com); and Robert Forster has signed onto Showtime's "Twin Peaks" revival in a role speculated to be taking over for Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman (TVLine.com).
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[10/15/26 - 01:00 PM]
Fandango Expands Into Original Programming with "Bad Girls Club: Unfinished Business"
The special event reunites six unforgettable personalities from Season 7 of the iconic "Bad Girls Club" franchise, Fandango's most-watched season: Angie Castillo, Judi Jackson, Priscilla Mennella, Shelly Hickman, Stasi Townsend, and Tiara Hodge.
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[10/15/26 - 12:01 PM]
National Geographic's "Wolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory" Premieres Nov. 6
Reconnecting with a pack of wolves he has followed for seven years, Bertie sets out to capture one of the Arctic's most dangerous and rarely filmed hunts: wolves taking on a bull moose, prey roughly ten times their size.
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[10/15/26 - 12:00 PM]
Peacock's "Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together" Season Two Premieres on Thursday, Nov. 19
In the eight new episodes, the couple navigates love, family, and demanding careers while taking control of their legacy.
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[10/15/26 - 11:01 AM]
Comedy Central Announces "The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Red Flags"
The special premieres immediately following "The Daily Show" on Monday, October 26 at 11:30pm ET/PT and will be available on Paramount+, "The Daily Show's" YouTube Channel, and VOD on Tuesday, October 27.
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[10/15/26 - 11:00 AM]
The CW Network Sets Broadcast Schedule for 2026-27 Men's and Women's College Basketball
The network will also introduce "CW Courtside Wednesday" this winter, highlighting midweek marquee games across all three conferences in primetime.
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[10/15/26 - 10:29 AM]
ESPN Delivered Its Most-Watched WNBA Playoffs Ever!
Across eight games, ESPN networks averaged 1.4 million viewers, up 23% compared to coverage through the semifinals last year.
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[10/15/26 - 10:00 AM]
Skydance TV Networks to Re-Air "The Concert for New York City," Marking Its 25th Anniversary
Staged in the aftermath of 9/11, the landmark concert brought together the music community, first responders, dignitaries and New Yorkers in an extraordinary demonstration of unity, generosity and resolve.
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[10/15/26 - 09:12 AM]
Paramount+ Scottish Highland Drama "Laird" Announces Additional Casting
Jennifer Ehle,Peter Mullan, Phia Saban, Ruaridh Mollica, Holliday Grainger, Douglas Hodge, and Corey Mylchreest are the latest additions.
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[10/15/26 - 09:08 AM]
"Pardon the Interruption" Marks 25 Years of Must-See Sports Debate with Special Anniversary Celebration on ESPN
On Thursday, October 22, ESPN celebrates the silver anniversary of "PTI" with a special double-episode event.
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[10/15/26 - 08:02 AM]
Al Pacino to Be Honored with the 2026 SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award
Pacino will be presented with the union's top tribute at The 33rd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA, which will stream live on Netflix Sunday, February 28, 2027, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.
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[10/15/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Reveals December 18 Premiere Date & Teaser for "Frisco King," Starring Samuel L. Jackson
Written by Taylor Sheridan, "Frisco King" follows seasoned New Orleans gangster Lee Washington as he lands in Frisco, Texas, and discovers a hustler's playground hidden beneath the polished surface of American suburbia.
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[10/15/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Fall of El Mayo" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, longtime partner of "El Chapo", and a ghost to authorities for over three decades. The documentary that tells the story of his downfall.
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[10/15/26 - 08:00 AM]
CBS Wins Its Premiere Week with Eight of the Top 10 Broadcast Shows and Delivers +9% Year-Over-Year Growth
Weekly viewership averaged 4.43 million viewers, growing +9% from its 2025 premiere week (4.08m viewers).
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[10/15/26 - 07:01 AM]
TNT Sports & DAZN Present World Championship Boxing Doubleheader on "The Fight", Saturday, Oct. 17
Headlining the evening, WBC Super Welterweight Champion Sebastián "The Towering Inferno" Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs) will put his title on the line against unbeaten challenger Ermal Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round showdown.
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[10/15/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "In a Holidaze" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Maddie Ziegler stars in this festive romantic comedy about second chances, tangled feelings, and a chosen family you'll want to spend the holidays with.
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