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[03/08/19 - 11:47 PM]
Development Update: Friday, March 8
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!


BLUFF CITY LAW (NBC) - Stony Blyden has been cast in the legal drama pilot as Emerson, "a tech-savvy assistant and paralegal at the law firm." (Deadline.com)
CAROL'S SECOND ACT (CBS) - Jean Luc Bilodeau has been tapped for a role on the Patricia Heaton-led comedy pilot as Daniel, "the second member of Carol's quartet of interns. He graduated from Harvard in 2014 and from Harvard Medical School in 2018 and already is published in The New England Journal of Medicine - twice." (Deadline.com)
COURTHOUSE (CBS) - Wilson Bethel has been cast in the legal drama pilot as Mark, "a roguish, highly successful Deputy District Attorney whose best friend and colleague Lola (TBD) has been just been appointed a judge. Never great with boundaries, Mark struggles with the personal and professional changes in their relationship." (Deadline.com)
CRASHING (HBO) - Star Pete Holmes took to social media to confirm the series will not be returning for a fourth season. Its de facto finale airs this Sunday. To date this year, "Crashing" has averaged 512,000 viewers in Live+3 (246,000 in adults 18-49). (@peteholmes)
FRAT BOY GENIUS, THE (Quibi, New!) - A reality series which will follow the story of Snapchat creator Evan Spiegel is among the latest offerings on the short-form video platform. No auspices were given. (Deadline.com)
HOMELAND (Showtime) - Sam Trammell is set to recur on the show's final season as Vice President Benjamin Hayes, "a political survivor with an aptitude for optics who crosses the aisle to serve alongside the series' new president, played by Beau Bridges. Bridges' character believes tapping Hayes is an innocuous choice, one that could help heal the partisan divide, but the politico proves to be more dangerous than anticipated." (THR.com)
HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY, THE (ABC) - Juliet Rylance has scored the title role on the drama pilot, about Ellen (Rylance), "who after a string of failed romances is optimistic about her current boyfriend, Patrick (Adan Canto), until he reveals a disturbing truth: a stalker ex-girlfriend Sasha (Heather Graham) has been following him for years. Ellen finds herself intrigued and oddly thrilled by the stalker, entirely unaware that they've already met." (Deadline.com)
INTO THE DARK (Hulu) - Richard Cabral is set to star in an upcoming installment of the monthly horror series as Santo, "a scary, cartel killer since he was just a boy," due in July. (Deadline.com)
MEDICAL POLICE (Netflix) - Sarayu Blue will recur on the upcoming comedy series as Sloane McIntyre, "a CIA agent who is determined to discover the origins of the virus and embarks on a risky mission to Berlin." (Deadline.com)
PRODIGAL SON (FOX) - Finn Jones and Keiko Agena have both been cast in the drama pilot. Jones will play the title role, Malcolm Bright, who has a gift. He knows how killers think, how their minds work. Why? His father was one of the worst -- a notorious serial killer called "The Surgeon." That's why Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business. He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses. Agena will play Edrisa, "the slightly off-center coroner working with the NYPD detective team. She is thrilled by her work, and she is both smitten and fascinated with Bright." (Deadline.com)
REPUBLIC OF SARAH, THE (CBS) - Kimberly Guerrero has scored a role on the Sarah Drew-led drama pilot as Mary, "a self-reliant badass whose steady support has made her the strong maternal figure in Sarah's life that Sarah always wished her own mother would be. When Morrisville declares its independence, Mary becomes part of the group that governs the new nation, which forces her to "play with others" in a way that's both unfamiliar and uncomfortable for a lone wolf like her." (Deadline.com)
SMILF (Showtime) - The pay channel has pulled the plug on the Frankie Shaw-led comedy after two seasons. "After weighing a variety of factors, Showtime has decided that 'SMILF' will not move forward for a third season," the network said in a statement. "The remainder of the second season will continue to air as scheduled on Showtime through its series finale on March 31. We remain extremely proud of the two seasons of SMILF, and thank Frankie Shaw for her singular voice and unique creation, as well as the dozens of writers, producers, actors, directors and crew members both in Los Angeles and on location in Boston, who contributed to this exceptional series." Additionally, producer ABC Studios has suspended Shaw's overall deal following an investigation into allegations of misconduct. The series is averaging 366,000 viewers in Live+3 (148,000 in adults 18-49). (Deadline.com)
THAI CAVE RESCUE PROJECT (Netflix, New!) - SK Global Entertainment and 13 Tham Luang Company Limited are developing a limited series at the streaming service which will "tell the story of the 12 young Thai soccer players and their 25-year-old coach, who were stuck in a cave complex near the Myanmar border. It will explore how the group ended up in the cave and the subsequent mobilization of rescue workers around the globe." No auspices were given. (Deadline.com)
THANKS A MILLION (Quibi, New!) - Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions and Industrial Media's B-17 Entertainment are set to team for a new series on the short-form video platform. The project "will feature people literally paying it forward to people who have changed their life." (Deadline.com)
UNDER THE BRIDGE (CBS) - "I Feel Bad" star Sarayu Blue has signed onto the Jennifer Morrison-led drama pilot as Ameni, "an OB with a sub-specialty in high-risk pregnancies who is opinionated, relentlessly passionate and enjoys a good fight. A wind-up toy who never slows down, you can get Ameni going on any subject in about three seconds flat, but her positions are wildly inconsistent which is what makes her so much fun. When the hospital places an ultimatum on the private practice she shares with her best friends, Ameni decides to vote Michael out which causes a rift between her and Caitlin." Her role is in second position to the NBC comedy. (Deadline.com)
UNRELATED (Freeform) - Kris D. Lofton has been cast in the upcoming comedy, which follows Becca (Jordin Sparks) and her newly discovered half-sister Jesi (Gigi Zumbado), as they're thrown into each other's lives by an online genetics test and have to figure out how to go from strangers to sisters. He's set as Todd, "Becca's brother, a mama's boy who still lives in their parents' basement." He replaces Brooks Brantley, who was initially cast as the character. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED EL SEÑOR DE LOS CIELOS PROJECT (Quibi, New!) - The short-form video platform is developing a origin series based on the wildly popular telenovela. No other specifics were given. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED SCOOTER BRAUN PROJECT (Quibi, New!) - Scooter Braun is set to host a music competition show on the short-form video platform. No other details were given. (Deadline.com)





  [march 2019]  
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M
T
W
T
F
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· ALL RISE (OWN)
· BLUFF CITY LAW (NBC)
· CAROL'S SECOND ACT (CBS)
· CRASHING (HBO)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FRAT BOY GENIUS, THE (QUIBI)
· HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
· HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY, THE (ABC)
· I FEEL BAD (NBC)
· INTO THE DARK (HULU)
· MEDICAL POLICE (NETFLIX)
· NATURAL BORN NARCO (ROKU)
· PRODIGAL SON (FOX)
· REPUBLIC OF SARAH, THE - 2019 VERSION (CBS)
· SCOOTER BRAUN QUIBI PROJECT (QUIBI)
· SMILF (SHOWTIME)
· THAI CAVE RESCUE (NETFLIX)
· THANKS A MILLION (ROKU)
· UNDER THE BRIDGE (CBS)
· UNRELATED (FREEFORM)





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