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[02/01/21 - 11:21 PM]
Development Update: Monday, February 1
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!
ALEX RIDER (IMDb TV) - The show's second season has cast Toby Stephens as "tech billionaire Damian Cray"; while Rakie Ayola will play "CIA deputy director Jo Byrne"; and newcomer Charithra Chandran steps in as "smart, confident teenager Sabina Pleasance whose journalist father is writing a book on Cray." (Variety.com)
ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING (The CW) - Simone Hicks has closed her deal to star in the proposed backdoor pilot spin-off, which "follows a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills and an elite baseball player from Chicago as they contend with the high stakes of college sports, while also navigating the highs, lows and sexiness of unsupervised early adulthood at a prestigious Historically Black College." Nkechi Okoro Carroll is penning the project and will executive produce alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, David Madden and Robbie Rogers for Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Michael Schultz will direct. (Variety.com)
AMERICAN GODS/CREEPSHOW (Starz/Shudder) - Marilyn Manson has been dropped from his upcoming installments of both series after actress Evan Rachel Wood "publicly accused the long in the tooth shock rocker of "horrifically" abusing and "grooming" her when the Westworld actress was still a teenager." (Deadline.com)
BÄCKSTRÖM (Acorn TV, New!) - The streamer has landed the U.S. rights to the Swedish series, which stars Kjell Berqvist as "the rebellious and divisive detective Evert Bäckström, famous for his crime-solving flair. His talent, however, is put to test when a bullet ridden skull is found in the Swedish archipelago, and DNA-results confirm it belongs to a victim of Thailand's 2004 tsunami." Jonathan Sjöberg is behind the project, due later this spring, which is based on best-selling crime author Leif G.W. Persson's novel "Can You Die Twice." Yellow Bird's Georgie Mathew is the producer. A second season has already been commissioned by Nordic streamer C More and leading Swedish commercial channel TV4. (Variety.com)
CHAIR, THE (Netflix) - The Sandra Oh/Jay Duplass-led comedy series has cast Nana Mensah as Yasmin "Yaz" McKay, "a popular, progressive English professor and close colleague of Ji-Yoon (Oh)"; Bob Balaban as Elliot Rentz, "a distinguished English professor set in his ways"; David Morse as Paul Larson, "the dean of Pembroke University where Ji-Yoon is English Chair"; Everly Carganilla as Ju-Hee "Ju Ju" Kim, "Ji-Yoon's precocious young daughter"; Ji Yong Lee as Habi, "Ji-Yoon's father and sometimes caregiver of her daughter"; Mallory Low as Lilah, "the teaching fellow for Professor Dobson's (Jay Duplass) English course"; Marcia DeBonis as Laurie, "Assistant to the Chair of the English department"; Ron Crawford, as John McHale, "an old-school English professor on the brink of retirement"; Ella Rubin as Dafna, "an undergrad student interested in Professor Dobson's English course"; and Bob Stephenson as Horatio, "a tech repair guy who helps Professor Hambling (Holland Taylor)." Additionally, Daniel Gray Longino will direct and executive produce. (Deadline.com)
CLARICE (CBS) - Jen Richards, a transgender actor, writer, producer and activist who consults on the series, will also guest star as a "character [who] intersects with Clarice's storyline in a way that her transness isn't central to her storyline, but her identity as a trans woman prompts her to discuss with Clarice the complicated legacy of Buffalo Bill." (Variety.com)
FRASIER (Paramount+, New!) - The streamer is reportedly circling the long-proposed revival series. Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin are said to be involved in the CBS Studios-based project, from Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris, which "would find Grammer's Seattle-based shrink decamping to a different city." (TVLine.com)
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO) - Writer Sara Hess has inked a new two-year overall deal at the pay channel, her second to date. (THR.com)
NATIONAL PARKS (A.K.A. NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE) (ABC) - The Kevin Costner-penned drama is heading to pilot at the Alphabet. In the project, "while the national parks are known for their sweeping, beautiful landscapes, there is also a darker, more sinister side to these parks that attract a vast array of criminal activity. "National Parks" will follow the small group of elite NPS agents as they solve these crimes while protecting these national treasures." Anthony Hemingway has also signed on to direct and executive produce via Anthony Hemingway Productions alongside Territory Pictures Entertainment's Costner and his co-writers Aaron Helbing and Jon Baird as well as Rod Lake, Ivan Cohen, Ken Halsband, Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson. 20th Television and A+E Studios are co-producing. (Variety.com)
PEACEMAKER (HBO Max) - Elizabeth Faith Ludlow and Rizwan Manji are both bound for "The Suicide Squad" spin-off series in the yet-to-be-revealed roles of Keeya and Jamil, respectively. (Deadline.com)
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (USA) - Pasha Lychnikoff will recur on the show's fifth season as Kostya: "Military bearing beneath his Saville Row suit, Kostya exudes power and confidence. Vicious, calculating and extremely dangerous, he is a man who watches his surroundings with icy intensity. An underworld oligarch and a war criminal, an enemy of the state, funneling billions into the Cold War Redux, he's wanted by the CIA. However, he's been a ghost - and so far - he's been untouchable. A chess master playing many games at once in his head, he has remained out of reach. Kostya is insidiously ingenious and extremely deadly." (Deadline.com)
SUPERGIRL (The CW) - Azie Tesfai, who plays Kelly Olsen on the series, will co-write the show's 12th episode this season with supervising producer J. Holtham. (Deadline.com)
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[02/20/26 - 12:01 PM]
"Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars" Premieres March 13 on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
All three prior "Celebrity Jeopardy!" champions - Ike Barinholtz, Lisa Ann Walter, and W. Kamau Bell - will attempt to defend their titles against 18 of their most competitive fellow stars.
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[02/20/26 - 11:08 AM]
"The 'Burbs" Continues Hot Start on Peacock
The series has generated nearly 1 billion viewing minutes on platform since its February 8 launch.
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[02/20/26 - 10:37 AM]
Hallmark Renews "Mistletoe Murders" for Season 3
Sarah Drew, who also serves as executive producer, stars as Emily Lane, a small-town shop owner with a secret past.
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[02/20/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Strip Law" - Official Trailer - Netflix
An uptight lawyer and a Vegas magician take on the city's most outrageous cases in this new adult animated comedy now streaming on Netflix.
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[02/20/26 - 07:31 AM]
"Famous Last Words" Captures Interviews with Icons, Including the Late Eric Dane
Conducted by Emmy Award winner Brad Falchuk, the series presents an interview with the beloved "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria" star Eric Dane, which was filmed last November.
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[02/20/26 - 07:03 AM]
Video: A First Look at "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" Revealed Ahead of Disney+ Debut This Summer
The teaser debuted ahead of the all-new "Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special," available today on Disney+.
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[02/20/26 - 06:46 AM]
Paige Desorbo and Scott Evans to Host The Actor's Red Carpet: The 32nd Annual Actor Awards Official Pre-Show Live on Netflix
During the pre-show, winners for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture and Television Series will also be announced.
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[02/20/26 - 06:02 AM]
TV One Presents A Definitive Tribute to an Icon with "Luther Vandross: Never Too Much" Premiering This Sunday, February 22 at 6PM/5C
Hailed by critics and audiences as a moving and definitive tribute, the film honors the life, artistry, and enduring cultural impact of music legend Luther Vandross.
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[02/20/26 - 12:01 AM]
"A Friend, A Murderer" Launches on Netflix on March 5, 2026
This is the story of how a series of horrific crimes affected a rural community in Denmark and how a Danish town's close-knit community was transformed into distrust and fear.
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[02/19/26 - 11:50 AM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Deliver Audience Milestones as Romance Blooms With Valentine's Day Episodes
"Shifting Gears" earned 6.90 million Total Viewers and 0.99 rating among Adults 18-49, after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
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[02/19/26 - 11:01 AM]
Oscar Winners Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldana Return to the Oscars Stage
All return to the Oscars stage after winning last year in their respective acting categories.
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[02/19/26 - 10:32 AM]
Baseball Returns! ESPN to Stream More MLB Spring Training Games Than Ever
The offerings include four national games on ESPN, six games on ESPN Unlimited, and more than 250 out-of-market games via MLB.TV on ESPN platforms.
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[02/19/26 - 10:00 AM]
Daring Dark Polish Comedy "The Stroke" Exclusive U.S. Debut Thursday, March 12, 2026 Only on European Streamer Viaplay U.S.
In a fearless performance, Jacek Poniedzialek plays a celebrated culinary critic and TV personality, brilliant and caustic, who built a career skewering bourgeois taste while privately unraveling.
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[02/19/26 - 09:36 AM]
Nickelodeon to Air "Bedtime Stories with Ryan," Starring Ryan Reynolds, Beginning Monday, March 2, on Nick Jr. Channel
In the series, Ryan Reynolds reads new and classic bedtime stories as the tales magically come to life around him - creating a warm, playful and imaginative wind-down experience for kids and parents to enjoy together.
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[02/19/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The series premieres on Thursday, March 19, 2026, only on Netflix.
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