or


[01/30/20 - 11:49 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, January 30
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!


AFRO.PUNKS (HBO Max, New!) - Writer Jenina Kibuka and director Anton Cropper have sold a new drama to the streaming service about "three teenage misfits on the brink of rebellion as they navigate life, love and Afro-Punk." Sony Pictures Television is behind the hour with I'll Have Another Productions' Gabrielle Union and Holly Shakoor Fleischer also executive producing. Shakoor Fleischer is a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)
BAD IDEAS WITH ADAM DEVINE (Quibi, New!) - Adam Devine is set to topline "a wacky celebrity reality series" on the streaming service in which "he and a famous actor or comedian will travel to a new location in search of adventures that are already inherently dangerous - only they'll add their own extra special sauce to ensure they are truly terrible choices." Devine also executive produces with Scotty Landes, Isaac Horne, Mark Kadin, Will Ehbrecht and Jeff Sells for Mak Pictures. (Deadline.com)
BIG SKY, THE (ABC, New!) - David E. Kelley has landed a straight-to-series order from the Alphabet for a TV series based on C.J. Box's Cassie Dewell series of novels. In the project, "private detective Cassie Dewell partners with ex-cop Jenny Hoyt on a search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. When they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken." A+E Studios and 20th Century Fox Television are behind the project, which was originally set up at Epix two years ago. (Deadline.com)
BOB (HEARTS) ABISHOLA (CBS) - Anthony Okungbowa's Kofu and Bayo Akinfemi's Goodwin are the latest to be named regulars on the freshman comedy. (Deadline.com)
CREW, THE (Netflix) - Mather Zickel will recur on the Kevin James-led comedy as "Beth's (Sarah Stiles) boyfriend Frank." (Deadline.com)
EVEL (USA) - David Krumholtz has been cast in the Milo Ventimiglia-led limited series as Bob Arum, "a Brooklyn-born boxing promoter and businessman who becomes both Evel Knievel's (Ventimiglia) adversary and best friend after Evel hires him to promote his infamous Snake River Canyon jump." (Deadline.com)
FOR LIFE (ABC) - Chance Kelly has booked a recurring role on the midseason drama as Cyrus Hunt, "an imposing and powerful figure, an old-school, no-nonsense prison warden." (Deadline.com)
GAME, THE (The CW) - The netlet's drama revival of the former comedy staple from Mara Brock Akil and Devon Greggory will not be moving forward to pilot. (Deadline.com)
GILDED AGE, THE (HBO) - Julian Fellowes's 1880s drama has cast Harry Richardson as Larry Russell, "a recent Harvard university graduate eager to make his way in the world"; Thomas Cocquerel as Tom Raikes, "a sensible young lawyer from Doylestown, PA"; and Jack Gilpin as Church, "the Russell family's butler." (Deadline.com)
KUNG FU (The CW) - The network has given a pilot order to the long-in-the-works reboot series, which was last set up at FOX. Christina M. Kim is behind the project, in which "a quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice... all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her." Quinn's House's Martin Gero and Berlanti Productions' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter will also executive produce for Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline.com)
LEGACIES (The CW) - Julie Plec has signed a four-year, eight-figure overall deal with Universal Television, ending her 11-year run at Warner Bros. Television. There she'll develop new series projects on an exclusive basis via her My So-Called Company banner. (Deadline.com)
ON THE VERGE (Netflix, New!) - Julie Delpy is set to write, executive produce and star in a new drama at the streaming service about "four L.A. moms, one of them played by Delpy, facing challenges with their marriages, careers, family, who are all fighting to be authentic to themselves, to take risks, and to leave whatever it is that is no longer working for them." The 12-episode series is a co-production between Netflix and Canal Plus with Nick Hall also executive producing. Filming is slated to begin in May in Los Angeles. (Deadline.com)
PERPETUAL GRACE, LTD (Epix) - The pay channel reportedly plans to wrap up the Ben Kingsley/Jimmi Simpson-led series with a short limited run of episodes. The exact number is to be determined as talks are still in the early stages. (Deadline.com)
REPUBLIC OF SARAH, THE (The CW) - The netlet has ordered a pilot for a revised take on the defunct CBS drama, in which "faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch." Jeffrey Paul King penned the script and executive produces alongside director Marc Webb, Mark Martin, Jeff Grosvenor and Leo Pearlman for the CBS Television Studios-based Fulwell 73. Sarah Drew played the title role in the 2019 pilot from the same auspices. (Deadline.com)
SEX/LIFE (Netflix) - Sarah Shahi has signed on to star in the eight-episode dramedy series, about "a love triangle between a woman, Billie Connelly (Shahi), her husband, and her past which takes a deliciously steamy new look at female identity and desire." Shahi's Billie Connelly is "a woman with everything to lose, a suburban mother of two who goes in search of that sexy, single girl in the city she used to be ten years ago. She takes a fantasy-charged trip down memory lane that sets her very married present on a collision course with her wild-child past." Stacy Rukeyser is behind the project, which is inspired by BB Easton's self-published memoir "44 Chapters About 4 Men." (Deadline.com)
THIS COUNTRY (FOX) - Writer Jenny Bicks and director Paul Feig have landed a pilot order for the single-camera project, a co-production between Lionsgate Television, BBC Studios, FOX Entertainment, Feigco Entertainment. Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper, creators of the original BBC series, will also executive produce alongside Angie Stephenson with Dan Magnante as a co-executive producer and Cathy Mason and Rachel Mason as producers. Its logline is as follows: "In this half-hour mockumentary inspired by the BBC format, a documentary crew goes to a small town to study young adults and their current concerns. Their focus is the daily lives of cousins Kelly and Shrub Mallet and their idiosyncratic surroundings. We follow the cousins as they pursue their dreams, confront challenges, and fight each other for frozen pizza. These two don't have much, but they do have each other."
UNTITLED CECILY STRONG PROJECT (Apple TV+, New!) - Cecily Strong is attached to star in a musical comedy series at the company which "follows a couple on a backpacking trip designed to reinvigorate their relationship when they discover the magical town of Schmigadoon, in which everyone acts as if they're in a studio musical from the 1940s. They then discover that they can't leave until they find 'true love.'" Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio are behind the Universal Television-based project, which is in final negotiations on a series order. Paul and Broadway Video Television's Lorne Michaels are the executive producers with Strong as a producer and Daurio as a consulting producer. (Deadline.com)
WRECKAGE (ABC, New!) - Writer Jacquie Walters and director Marc Webb have scored a pilot order for a small screen take on Emily Bleeker's novel in which "on the surface, Lillian Linden looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she's been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost four years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can't tell the real story - so they lie." Webb and Mark Martin of Black Lamb Productions will executive produce alongside Keith Samples and Timberman-Beverly Productions' Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly for ABC Studios. Walters is a co-executive producer while Bleeker serves as consultant. (Deadline.com)





  [january 2020]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· AFRO.PUNKS (HBO MAX)
· BAD IDEAS WITH ADAM DEVINE (QUIBI)
· BIG SKY (ABC)
· BOB (HEARTS) ABISHOLA (CBS)
· CREW, THE (NETFLIX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· EVEL (USA)
· FOR LIFE (ABC)
· GAME, THE (BET)
· GAME, THE (REBOOT SERIES) (PARAMOUNT PLUS)
· GILDED AGE, THE (HBO)
· KUNG FU (CW)
· LEGACIES (CW)
· ON THE VERGE (NETFLIX)
· PERPETUAL GRACE, LTD (EPIX)
· REPUBLIC OF SARAH, THE (CW)
· REPUBLIC OF SARAH, THE - 2019 VERSION (CBS)
· SCHMIGADOON! (APPLE TV PLUS)
· SEX/LIFE (NETFLIX)
· WELCOME TO FLATCH (FOX)
· WRECKAGE (ABC)





[02/09/26 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock to Exclusively Stream Focus Features' "Song Sung Blue" Beginning February 13
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, in her Academy Award, Golden Globe and Actor Award-nominated role, star in Focus Features' unforgettable romance alongside Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir and more.

[02/09/26 - 08:00 AM]
Callum Vinson Signs on to Play Atreus in Prime Video's "God of War" from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios
Atreus, the ten-year old son of Kratos, grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother Faye.

[02/09/26 - 07:31 AM]
Video: "Virgin River" Season 7 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Newly married, Mel and Jack pursue their dream of adopting a baby, while old loves smolder and new threats challenge Virgin River.

[02/09/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: More "Sesame Street" Coming to Netflix - Vol. 2 Official Trailer - Netflix Jr
Miley Cyrus brings us a new song and EVEN MORE fun with Sesame Street, dropping on Netflix, March 9.

[02/09/26 - 04:00 AM]
HBO Max to Launch in the UK & Ireland on Thursday, March 26
Already available in over 110 territories worldwide, HBO Max offers the ultimate mix of best-in-class series, movies, extraordinary real-life stories and, via TNT Sports in the UK, live sport.

[02/08/26 - 11:23 PM]
A Home for World-Class Filipino Entertainment: The Journey and What's Next on Netflix Philippines in 2026
After 10 years of being part of Filipino entertainment culture, Netflix Philippines enters 2026 with a slate that marks a striking new chapter - bigger in ambition, deeper in creative partnerships, and unmistakably Filipino at its core.

[02/06/26 - 11:39 PM]
Development Update: Week of February 2-6
Updates include: Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano to lead HBO Max's "How to Survive Without Me"; FOX extends "The Floor" through season seven; and Craig Mazin to bring "Baldur's Gate" to HBO.

[02/06/26 - 12:49 PM]
TBS Unveils First Superstar Guests for "Foul Play with Anthony Davis" with More A List Names to Come
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Jordan Chiles, and Rickea Jackson will kick off series premiere on Monday, April 6.

[02/06/26 - 09:16 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Heads to Hawaii for Season 2
Season two of the hit mystery thriller series will take place in Hawaii, as a new case brings Eric Bana's Kyle Turner to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

[02/06/26 - 08:00 AM]
All Six Seasons of "Schitt's Creek" Arrive on HBO Max Tomorrow in the U.S.
The beloved comedy follows rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap-star wife Moira, and their two kids, son David and socialite daughter Alexis.

[02/06/26 - 07:36 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams "Wicked: For Good" Beginning March 20
The feature's Peacock debut will be accompanied by a sing-along version of the film and a full collection of bonus content.

[02/06/26 - 07:12 AM]
"Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown" Coming Soon from CNN Original Series, National Geographic International and Windfall Films
Co-produced by CNN Original Series, National Geographic EMEA and Windfall Films, the series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, March 1 at 9:00/8:00c.

[02/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
NHL on ESPN Networks: Viewership Up Nearly 40% Year-Over-Year Through First Four Months
Through 22 games, the NHL on ESPN networks is averaging 795K viewers, +39% YoY.

[02/06/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Strangers in the Park" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A former communist militant and a "live and let live" man form an unlikely friendship on a park bench, sharing their life stories with humor and heart.

[02/06/26 - 12:31 AM]
Next on Netflix Thailand 2026: The Widest Variety of Thai Stories, All in One Place
Netflix is deepening its commitment to Thai storytelling with its most ambitious slate to date: three new series, four films, and Netflix's first local documentary feature.