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[04/23/20 - 11:24 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, April 23
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!


DR. HAVOC'S DIARY (Syfy, New!) - The cable channel has ordered six half-hour episodes of a new animated series from New Form. The project, which debuts this Saturday, is detailed as follows: "A mid-level supervillain having a mid-life crisis battles secret agents, superheroes and his wife." (Deadline.com)
HELL DEN (Syfy) - The network has commissioned a second season of six 15-minute episodes for the animated series from Shout! Studios and Rafael Raffaele Entertainment. The project is detailed as follows: "After an Uber-Apocalypse wipes out civilization, only one person miraculously survives: 12 year-old Andrew. With the last working TV and VCR in existence, he invites a motley group of apocalyptic creatures into his house to watch weird cartoons and old movies. Hell Den combines original animation of our characters with old live-action and animated clips re-dubbed by the Dr. God troupe in this new, unique, and very warped twist on sketch comedy." Among the principal voice cast: Sean Cowhig, Neil Garguilo, Brian James O'Connell, David Park and Justin Ware. (Deadline.com)
HELLFIRE CLUB, THE (HBO Max, New!) - Mark L. Smith is looking to bring Jake Tapper's debut novel to the small screen, which "tells the story of Charlie Marder, a young Freshman Congressman who arrives in 1950s Washington D.C. after the mysterious death of his predecessor. Finding himself thrust into the dangerous waters of politics at the height of Joe McCarthy's "Red Scare", he and his zoologist wife Margaret must quickly learn who is friend and who is foe. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career, but for his life." Tapper and Syndicate Entertainment's Cliff Roberts will also executive produce alongside Smith. (Deadline.com)
HELLO AMERICA (Quibi, New!) - Nish Kumar will host a new comedy news show for the streaming service in which he "dissects US current affairs and politics from a global perspective, grounded in the format of a typical morning news show." Kumar, Tony Hernandez and Seamus Murphy-Mitchell will executive produce for Jax Media. (Variety.com)
LITTLE DEMON (FX, New!) - The cable channel has ordered a pilot to a potential animated comedy from Darcy Fowler, Seth Kirschner and Kieran Valla. In the project, "13 years after being impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito), a reluctant mother (Aubrey Plaza) and her Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter's soul." Jersey Films 2nd Avenue, ShadowMachine and FX Productions are behind the half-hour with Dan Harmon, Monica Mitchell, Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley executive producing alongside the DeVitos (Jake, Lucy, and Danny), Fowler, Kirschner, Valla and Plaza. Steve Levy serves as a producer. (Deadline.com)
PLUTONIANS (Syfy, New!) - The cable channel has commissioned a 15-minute pilot for an animated entry from Brave Media and Yeti Farm. Its logline is as follows: "The Interplanetary Federation has conferred and it's official: Pluto is no longer a planet. The Plutonians are now determined to rebrand their image and prove themselves to the other planetary beings of the solar system - with the exception of Earth, who are notorious bullies and can't find out about alien life." (Deadline.com)
PSYCHO PSALMS (Syfy, New!) - The network has likewise ordered a 15-minute pilot for an animated series from Open the Portal and Jacob Robinson, head of Tractor Pants, an animation-centric production company with an overall deal at Legendary Television Studios. Its logline is as follows: "Psycho Psalms is a stop motion dark comedy following 1940s D-List cartoon character Timecrow and his misfit costars, as they attempt to navigate our postmodern internet hellscape after being yanked through a portal to our present day. These offbeat characters will take you to a dark place, but they won't leave you there." (Deadline.com)
TEXANIST, THE (FOX) - Rob Long has been tapped to spearhead the network's multi-camera comedy inspired by David Courtney's Texas Monthly column. The project follows "Dave, host of a popular Austin-area radio show that dispenses advice to Texas natives and newcomers alike on what, exactly, is the true Texas way. But the "Texas way" is changing - in good ways and not-so-good ways - and it's Dave's job, with the help of his wife and family and co-workers, to figure out which changes to embrace and which to reject." Courtney, Megan Creydt, Scott Brown and Gail Berman will also executive produce for SideCar and FOX Entertainment. (Deadline.com)
WILD LIFE (Syfy) - The animated pilot has been ordered to series by the cable channel. Adam Davies, Alex Plapinger, Dylan Dawson, Valparaiso Pictures and Octopie are behind the project, which will produce six 15-minute episodes and voice ensemble includes Natalie Palamides, Baron Vaughn, Reggie Watts, John Paul Reynolds, Claudia O'Doherty and SkittLeZ Ortiz. Its logline is: "A show about animal friends just trying to stay alive after the apocalypse. Together, they come up with elaborate schemes to entertain themselves and pretty much just keep from going insane." (Deadline.com)





  [april 2020]  
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· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DR. HAVOC'S DIARY (SYFY)
· HELL DEN (SYFY)
· HELLFIRE CLUB, THE (HBO MAX)
· HELLO AMERICA (QUIBI)
· LITTLE DEMON (FXX)
· PLUTONIANS (SYFY)
· PSYCHO PSALMS (SYFY)
· TEXANIST, THE (FOX)
· WILD LIFE (SYFY)





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