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[05/31/24 - 11:41 PM]
Development Update: Week of May 27-31
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!
300 (New!) - Warner Bros. Television is in early development on a prequel TV series based on Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's comic-book-turned-film-franchise in which "Leonidas, the king of Sparta, leads a small force of elite soldiers against the much larger army of Xerxes I of Persia." No plot details or a writer were given. Zack Snyder is in talks to direct and executive produce alongside Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller, Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton and Bernie Goldmann for his Stone Quarry banner. (Variety.com, 5/31)
BAND (Amazon, New!) - Writer/director Daniel Barnz has scored a pilot order for a new drama at Amazon MGM Studios with John Benjamin Hickey, Miguel Angel Garcia, Lynley Eilers, Alex Fitzalan, Henry Hunter Hall and Chanté Adams already cast: "Band is a diverse ensemble of passionate teens who navigate the chaos of adolescence while finding unity and belonging in their school's marching band. Star player Axel (Garcia), his fiercely loyal best friend Sasha (Eilers), sexy newcomer Simon (Fitzalan), heartthrob drummer Evan (Hall), friends, and lovers march under the watchful eye of their fearless leader Cole (Hickey) and his right-hand Zadie (Adams). As the adults navigate their personal lives and school politics while hiding secrets of their own, they will, alongside their students, ultimately confront their individual struggles and shared dreams. Amidst the highs and lows of coming of age in the 21st century, our teens will learn that their greatest strength lies in embracing differences, forging an unbreakable bond of chosen family and finding a hopeful tune of unity in a world of contrasts." Ben Barnz of We're Not Brothers and David Stone of TFC Productions also executive produce. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
CHELSEA DETECTIVE, THE (Acorn TV) - Filming has begun in and around London on a four feature-length episodes for the series' third season. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
CITADEL (Amazon) - Jack Reynor has joined the cast of the show's second season in a yet-to-be-revealed capacity. (Variety.com, 5/29)
CRIMINAL (Amazon) - Charlie Hunnam and Adria Arjona are set to topline the comic-book-turned-TV-series. He's set as Leo, "a brilliant master thief who sees all the angles, and specializes in plans with no guns and no violence. Like a chess player, Leo thinks three moves ahead. Other crooks think he's a coward, especially compared to his father Tommy, who went to jail for murdering the most feared man in the city, Teeg Lawless." And she'll play Greta, "a sharp-tongued top-level car thief and driver and the widowed mother of Angie. Ever since her husband died in a bank job gone bad, Greta has been battling with herself about how to escape the only life she's ever known - and the only place she's ever thrived. The problem is, she's good at this. She's looking for a big score, a lump of money she can use like a gun to shoot her and Angie out of this life and into another one." (Deadline.com, 5/31)
DEAD DROP (Max, New!) - Dan Goor is developing a new comedy series for the streamer and Universal Television: "A typical American family goes on vacation to Europe and accidentally gets sucked into the high-stakes world of international espionage." Goor will write and executive produce via his Dr. Goor Productions banner with Matt Milkovich as a producer. (Variety.com, 5/30)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (Paramount+) - The streamer has "opted not to proceed with its live-action series based on Hasbro's wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game franchise." The project received an eight-episode, straight-to-series order in January 2023. Said report adds, "the project will undergo a creative update before being taken out to other potential buyers, both production partners and platforms" with a new creative team. Rawson Marshall Thurber and Drew Crevello shepherded the original take. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
GREY'S ANATOMY/STATION 19 (ABC) - Jason George is reportedly on track to return to the parent series following the end of the spin-off project. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
HAVEN (Amazon) - Andrew Koji will recur on the upcoming drama as Daniel Yoshida, "a financial investigator who was brought on to help Rhys and Ellie with their investigation. The son of chip shop-owning immigrant parents, Daniel rose to riches when he became a high-flying investment banker at JP Morgan. But after becoming disillusioned with the unchecked privilege and dirty money that surrounded him, he gave it all up to work with the police on financial crimes." (Deadline.com, 5/30)
LANTERNS (Max) - James Gunn took to social media with the news that Chris Mundy, Tom King and Damon Lindelof are spearheading the DC Comics series adaptation. (@jamesgunn, 5/25)
LORD OF THE RINGS, THE: THE RINGS OF POWER (Amazon) - Nazanin Boniadi's Bronwyn won't return as a regular to the series' second season. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
MASCHI VERI (Netflix, New!) - Maurizio Lastrico, Matteo Martari, Francesco Montanari and Pietro Sermonti are set to star in an eight-part comedy series from Italy at the streamer "in which four alpha male friends in their forties find themselves facing their own prejudices and the paradigms of toxic masculinity in a world that is moving towards social and gender equality. Without losing themselves, they are forced to rediscover their place in society and their relationships." Thony, Sarah Felberbaum, Laura Adriani, Alice Lupparelli, Corrado Fortuna and Nicole Grimaudo also star while Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda and Ugo Ripamonti are the writers with Groenlandia's Matteo Rovere producing and Matteo Oleotto and Letizia Lamartire directing. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
MIRACLE DEPARTMENT, THE (FOX, New!) - Brendan McCarthy and Alex Kavallierou have sold a new drama to the network: "Based on a real Catholic organization, 'The Miracle Department' is a heartfelt, comedic, hour-long series about a brilliant, but disgraced, former FBI agent who joins forces with a quirky task force to hunt for genuine miracles." Marta Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin and Hannah K.S. Canter will also executive produce for Okay Goodnight and FOX Entertainment Studios. (Variety.com, 5/31)
SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS, THE (Max) - Michael Hsu Rosen is the latest to recur on the new season as Brian, "a student at Essex College." (Deadline.com, 5/31)
SHARDS, THE (HBO) - Kristoffer Borgli is attached to direct and executive produce the proposed drama based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same name. Ellis, Nick Hall, Brian Young and Kathleen McCaffrey are also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
SUMMER HOUSE: MARTHA'S VINEYARD (Bravo) - The cable channel has "paused" the reality series after two seasons. The report notes: "The reality series has not been canceled, but a third season has not been greenlit for this year after two consecutive years." (Deadline.com, 5/28)
TALL PINES (Netflix) - Brandon Jay McLaren has been cast in the limited series in an unspecified role. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
TEMPEST (Hulu, New!) - The streamer will be the U.S. home to a new Korean spy thriller: "Set in modern-day Korea, it follows Munju, a high-flying diplomat and former ambassador to the U.S., as well as Sanho, an international special agent. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula." Gianna Jun (also known as Jun Ji-hyun) stars as Seo Munju with Gang Dongwon as Sanho. Gang will also receive an executive producer credit. Kim Heewon is directing with Heo Myunghaeng co-directing and Chung Seokyung will co-write. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
THEY'LL NEVER CATCH US (Netflix, New!) - Jessica Goodman's novel - which "revolves around a small town's high school women's cross-country team and the secrets unleashed when its star runner is murdered" - is being developed for TV by the streamer. Goodman and Juliet Lashinsky-Revene are co-writing the adaptation and will executive produce for Blumhouse Television. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
UNDERVALE, THE (Netflix, New!) - Matt Roller has landed an adult animated comedy series at the streamer which "follows a single mother of two, who struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas." Dan Harmon, Chris McKenna and Steve Levy will also executive produce with Erica Hayes as supervising director. (Deadline.com, 5/30)
UNPRISONED (Hulu) - John Stamos will recur on the upcoming season as Murphy, "a best-selling author and self-proclaimed 'family radical healing coach.' Murphy is a half-guru/half-reality star, cut to the chase type therapist who believes in telling people straight up what's wrong with them." (TVLine.com, 5/30)
UNTITLED OWEN WILSON PROJECT (Apple TV+) - Jamie Neumann and Mariana Treviño have both signed onto the Owen Wilson-led comedy series as Amber-Linn, "Pryce's ex-wife"; and Elena, "mother of the 17-year-old golf phenom," respectively. (Deadline.com, 5/31)
WE WERE LIARS (Amazon) - Wendy Crewson will recur on the E. Lockhart adaptation as matriarch Tipper Sinclair, "a study in contradiction - she's just as likely to be found perfecting a pie recipe as she is heading up a philanthropic board meeting. She was born into a life of extraordinary privilege and married accordingly, so her polish and poise is innate, but time and Pinot Grigio have softened her into the loving (but firm) matriarch she is today." (Deadline.com, 5/29)
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[12/06/25 - 02:46 PM]
Paramount and UFC Announce New Seasons of "Dana White's Contender Series" and "The Ultimate Fighter"
Beginning in 2026, Paramount+ in the U.S., Latin America, and Australia will become the exclusive home for all episodes of both series.
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[12/06/25 - 02:27 PM]
Video: "School Spirits" Returns - Paramount+ Drops First Look at Season Three Premiering January 28
The date was unveiled alongside first look images at today's Paramount+ CCXP panel in São Paolo, Brazil featuring series lead and executive producer Peyton List.
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[12/06/25 - 02:12 PM]
Video: Oscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Surprises Fans at CCXP and Reveals Exclusive Scene from "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"
The series will premiere globally with two episodes on Thursday, January 15 on Paramount+, and in Japan on Tuesday, January 23.
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[12/06/25 - 10:47 AM]
Hulu Debuts First-Look Images from "The Testaments" Out of Brazil Comic Con
"The Testaments," a new chapter from the showrunner and executive producers of "The Handmaid's Tale," is coming in April 2026 to Hulu.
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[12/06/25 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Date Announcement & Teaser Debut - Hulu's "Paradise" Season 2
The second season of the Emmy Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and Disney+ internationally.
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[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.
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[12/05/25 - 03:30 PM]
In Anticipation of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," ABC News to Premiere Two New Specials This December
First up: "Avatar: A New Era - Special Edition of 20/20" premieres Friday, December 12 on ABC.
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[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.
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[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.
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[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.
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[12/05/25 - 10:05 AM]
"Landman" Booms Into a Third Season Renewal and Breaks Viewing Records on Paramount+
The second season is set to be a top three series among all original content the week of November 17 and a top two series for the week of November 24 according to Nielsen preliminary data.
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[12/05/25 - 09:45 AM]
Video: "Taylor" - A CW Documentary Special - Trailer
The special - airing Saturday, December 13 - explores the global phenomenon of Taylor Swift and digs deep across the musician's 20-year career, a period that has seen her transcend the realm of pop star to become a cultural icon like no other.
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[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.
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[12/05/25 - 08:31 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams Monkeypaw Productions' "Him" Beginning December 19
The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies and more.
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[12/05/25 - 08:01 AM]
BET+ Original Film, "Vera's Holiday Flop," Premieres Thursday, December 18
The film stars Charity Jordan, Terri J. Vaughn, Griff, Chrissy McDaniel, Tyler Chronicles, Algebra Blessett, Jelani Akil, Scotty ATL, and Saycon Sengbloh.
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