or


[10/03/19 - 11:42 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, October 3
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!


BLINDSPOTTING (Starz, New!) - Jasmine Cephas Jones is set to star in a small screen take on the 2018 film, which "centers on Ashley, who was nipping at the heels of a middle class life in Oakland until Miles, her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she's forced to move in with Miles' mother and half-sister. Her world is turned upside down while the neighborhood goes inside out, and she must renegotiate her relationship with a town that is caught between two conflicting identities." Rafael Casal, who also starred in the film, and Daveed Diggs are penning the half-hour series with Snoot Entertainment's Jess Wu Calder and Keith Calder and Barnyard Projects' Emily Gerson Saines, Ken Lee and Tim Palen also executive producing. (Variety.com)
CLOSE UP (Freeform) - Millicent Simmonds is set to star in the pilot, a one-hour drama set in Centreville, New Jersey, a suburban town just like any other ... at least on the surface. Centreville high school student Rachel Guyer is on a mission to expose the truth about her seemingly normal hometown and turn her community inside out. Simmonds, who is deaf, will be communicating in American Sign Language. (Deadline.com)
CORTES (Amazon) - Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have both signed onto the long-in-the-works limited series, which stars Javier Bardem as legendary conqueror, Hernan Cortes, who led a rebellious expedition to the heart of King Montezuma II's Aztec empire, connecting two civilizations for the first time and changing the course of history. In addition, Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego will helm the project's four installments from scripts by Steven Zaillian. Bardem, Bernal, Luna and Zaillian will executive produce alongside Kirk Douglas, Grant Hill, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey. (Deadline.com)
CUPCAKE MEN (ABC, New!) - Owen Smith has scored a put pilot commitment from the Alphabet for a new comedy inspired by "the real life story of former Tennessee Titans Brian Orakpo and Michael Griffin who, along with their childhood friend Bryan Hynson, opened a cupcake shop in Austin, Texas." 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios are both behind the half-hour with Lee Daniels and Marc Velez of Lee Daniels Entertainment and Michael Strahan and Constance Schwartz-Morini of SMAC Productions likewise executive producing and Thea Mann as a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)
FOREVER FAMILY (NBC, New!) - Austen Earl and Joel Church-Cooper have sold a potential comedy to the Peacock "which centers on three different families that live miles away but worlds apart and who discover that their adopted children all share the same birth father." 20th Century Fox Television-based Small Dog Picture Company is behind the project with Jason Winer and Jon Radler also executive producing. (Variety.com)
HILL, THE (NBC, New!) - Paul Grellong has booked a potential drama at the Peacock "that lives at the supercharged intersection of media and Capitol Hill where everything is transacted: information, sex, love, fame and power." Sony Pictures Television-based Osprey Productions is behind the project with Josh Berman, Chris King and Wendy Walker also executive producing. In addition, CNN's Dana Bash will serve as a consulting producer. (Deadline.com)
INTERNATIONAL, THE (CBS, New!) - Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are set to re-team for a new drama at the Eye about Anders Soto (Lundgren): "Part negotiator, part international spy, Anders is a one-man covert black-ops team working for the U.N. who is called in to find asymmetrical solutions to the world's most delicate and complex problems." Stallone then is attached to direct the hour from a script by Ken Sanzel with said pair executive producing alongside Flame Ventures' Tony Krantz, Balboa Productions' Braden Aftergood and Zero Gravity's Craig Baumgarten for CBS Television Studios. Lundgren then will receive a producer credit. (Deadline.com)
KATY KEENE (The CW) - Bernadette Peters has been cast as Ms. Freesia in the midseason drama, "Pepper Smith's eccentrically elegant surrogate mother and mentor who taught Pepper in the art of the con." (Deadline.com)
LITTLE FIRE EVERYWHERE (Hulu) - Jesse Williams is the latest slated to recur on the limited series as Joe Ryan, "a wealthy Wall Streeter who for years has struggled to conceive. Joe and his wife, Madeline, turn to an unlikely source to help start their family." (Deadline.com)
MAD ABOUT YOU (Spectrum) - Cynthia Harris and Cloris Leachman are both bound for the revival series. Harris will reprise her role as Paul's mother, Sylvia Buchman; with Leachman guest starring as Mrs. Mandelbaum, "one of Jamie's therapy patients." (Deadline.com)
NEVER HAVE I EVER (Netflix) - Richa Shukla is the latest to be cast in Mindy Kaling's upcoming comedy series as Kamala, "Devi's cousin from India, who's getting her PhD from Caltech." (Deadline.com)
OPUS (FOX, New!) - Nicole Ari Parker is attached to star in a potential drama at the network in which "classical and urban music will clash when Willie Mae Gray (Parker), Europe's most celebrated and only African American conductor, suddenly returns to Baltimore to reinvent her hometown's crumbling symphony orchestra, while attempting to rebuild the relationship with her teenage son, an underground MC on the rise." Felicia D. Henderson is penning the hour, which has a penalty attached, for 20th Century Fox Television and FOX Entertainment. Darryl Taja, Stephen Endelman and Kara Feifer then will executive produce alongside Parker and Henderson. (Deadline.com)
PARTY OF FIVE (Freeform) - Garcia and Sol Rodriguez will both recur on the reboot series: the former as Matthew, "who ran away from a difficult situation at home"; and the latter as Natalia, "the Acostas' new babysitter." (Deadline.com)
SCHITT'S CREEK (Pop) - Debmar-Mercury has cleared repeats of the series on the Fox Television Stations group beginning in September 2020. (Deadline.com)
SWAT (CBS) - Original cast member Stephanie Sigman has confirmed her departure from the series. (@SigmanStephanie)
THEM (Amazon) - Shahadi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill, Ryan Kwanten, Melody Hurd, Javier Botet and Percy Hynes White have all been cast in the horror event series. They join previously announced leads Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas. No details on their characters were given. Additionaly, Derek Phillips will recur on the inaugural season. (Variety.com)
WILL & GRACE (NBC) - Joel McHale will drop by two upcoming episodes of the series' final season as "a potential suitor for none other than Ms. Karen Walker." (TVLine.com)





  [october 2019]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BLINDSPOTTING (STARZ)
· CLOSE UP (FREEFORM)
· CORTÉS Y MOCTEZUMA (AMAZON)
· CUPCAKE MEN (ABC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FOREVER FAMILY (NBC)
· HILL, THE (NBC)
· INTERNATIONAL, THE (CBS)
· KATY KEENE (CW)
· LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (HULU)
· MAD ABOUT YOU (SPECTRUM)
· NEVER HAVE I EVER (NETFLIX)
· OPUS (FOX)
· PARTY OF FIVE (FREEFORM)
· SCHITT'S CREEK (POP)
· SWAT (CBS)
· THEM (AMAZON)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)





[07/11/25 - 12:45 PM]
ABC Concludes September to May Season with Top Five Shows Among Adults 18-49 Including "High Potential," "Abbott Elementary," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "9-1-1"
Continuing to lead among broadcast series, ABC's "High Potential" stood as the No. 1 new drama among Total Viewers (16.41 million) and No. 1 new show among Adults 18-49 (3.85 rating).

[07/11/25 - 11:28 AM]
"Big Brother: Summer of Mystery" Premiere Up +10% from Last Summer
Last night, season 27 premiered to nearly 3 million viewers.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
FX's "Alien: Earth" Takes Fandom to New Heights with Premium Exclusive Content Including a Companion Podcast and Innovative Immersive Experiences
"Alien: Earth," a new drama series from Noah Hawley inspired by the acclaimed feature film franchise, will premiere on Tuesday, August 12.

[07/11/25 - 10:01 AM]
CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Premiere Dates for the 2025-2026 Season
Highlights include an early return for "Watson" on Monday, October 13 in place of the previously announced "FBI" spin-off "CIA."

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
The "Outlander" Universe Expands in Hall H, as Starz Returns to San Diego Comic-Con
Look for can't miss panels for "Outlander" and "Outlander: Blood of my Blood" in Hall H on Friday, July 25 and an in-depth preview of the newest saga in the Spartacus franchise, "Spartacus: House of Ashur" on Saturday, July 26 in the Indigo Ballroom.

[07/11/25 - 10:00 AM]
Adult Swim Returns to San Diego Comic-Con with "Pirate Purrrty on the Green," Must-See Panel Events, and Exclusive First Looks and Giveaways
Adult Swim will bring its famed pirate ship outside the San Diego Convention Center (5th Avenue Landing and Convention Way), this time with a feline twist!

[07/11/25 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Max to Host Fan Experiences for Upcoming Seasons of "Peacemaker" and "It: Welcome to Derry" in San Diego
The festivities include a panel in Hall H, where showrunner/writer/director and Co-Head of DC Studios James Gunn and the cast of "Peacemaker" will share new details about the upcoming season and premiere the global trailer for season two.

[07/11/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
There's always a message in the music.

[07/11/25 - 06:00 AM]
"Love Island (UK)" 10th Anniversary Special Date Announcement
The special premieres in the US on Friday, July 11.

[07/11/25 - 02:01 AM]
Netflix Will Release "Death Inc." Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The series is a comedy centered around a family-run funeral home and the relationships between the eccentric characters who inhabit it.

[07/11/25 - 12:01 AM]
"Too Hot to Handle: Italy" Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
A special guest will guide the contestants in the first Italian edition of the reality show.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Winning Try" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After his career fell apart, a disgraced rugby star finds purpose coaching his old school's team - driving them and himself toward growth and redemption.

[07/10/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer #3 - Disney+
He wants out for good. But the past comes with strings.

[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.