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[06/27/25 - 11:48 PM]
Development Update: Week of June 23-27
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!
AMERICAN HOSTAGE (MGM+) - Adam Arkin has signed on to direct and executive produce the first four episodes of the Jon Hamm-led series. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
BABY DOLL (Paramount+, New!) - Paramount+ U.K. & Ireland has commissioned a six-part series from Clapperboard Studios based on Hollie Overton's novel: "Now in production, "Baby Doll" - currently a working title - will follow the story of twin sisters Lily and Abby, whose lives are shattered when Lily is abducted from their quiet rural English town by beloved local teacher Rick Hansen. After years of abuse in captivity, Lily escapes, only to discover that freedom brings its own challenges. The world she longed to return to has moved on without her. As Abby, Lily and their mother Eve struggle to rebuild their family, they must confront the lasting damage and the terrifying reality that Rick is still out there, determined to control the narrative and evade justice." The series will star Alfie Allen as Rick; Jill Halfpenny as Eve; Tallulah Evans as Lily; Delphi Evans as Abby; with Vikash Bhai, Niamh Walsh, Levi Brown, Victoria Ekanoye, Holly Atkins and Kiran Krishnakumar in unspecified roles. Laura Way and Bindu de Stoppani are directing from scripts by David Turpin, Suzanne Cowie and Nessah Muthy. Mike Benson and Suzi McIntosh are the executive producers. (Variety.com, 6/26)
BARIAU (Acorn TV, New!) - The streamer has acquired both six-episode seasons of the half-hour drama series, which is largely Welsh language with some English: "The drama is based on testimonies from real-life prisoners and prison guards. Set within the harsh confines of a fictional prison in Wales, it explores the complex interplay between characters on both sides of the law." Adam Woodward, Annes Elwy, Bill Skinner, Ian Puleston-Davies and Alicia Forde star with Ciron Gruffydd as writer and Griff Rowland as director for Rondo Media and APC. Bedwyr Rees, Emmanuelle Guilbart and Laurent Boissel executive produce. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
BLACK WIDOW (Hulu) - Lola Petticrew and Scoot McNairy will star opposite Emmy Rossum in the upcoming drama. No details about their roles were given. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
BLANKS (CBS, New!) - Aaron Karo has sold a single-camera comedy to the Eye: "Blanks follows a serial dater whose life is turned upside down when he learns his biological clock is running out, just as he meets the woman of his dreams, who isn't ready to settle down yet." Wilmer Valderrama will also executive produce for WV Entertainment and CBS Studios. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
BURBS, THE (Peacock) - Max Carver, Erica Dasher, Georgia Leva and Kathleen Kenny will recur on the film-turned-TV series in yet-to-be-revealed roles. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
CHICAGO FIRE (NBC) - Brandon Larracuente has joined the cast of the series' 14th season in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Variety.com, 6/25)
CHICAGO PD (NBC) - Toya Turner's Kiana Cook is exiting the veteran drama after one season as a regular. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
CRUSH (Peacock, New!) - Addison McQuigg has sold a new drama to the streamer "set within the insane world of tabloid talk shows, weaving together a poignant tale of ambition, heartbreak and murder." Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Patrick Macmanus, Elliot Page, Matt Jordan Smith and Joshua Beirne-Golden will also executive produce for Brownstone Productions, Littleton Road Productions, Pageboy Productions, Universal Television and Universal Content Productions. (Variety.com, 6/26)
DARK WINDS (AMC) - Titus Welliver will recur on the show's fourth season as Dominic McNair, "a ruthless crime boss who imports/exports drugs and stolen luxury goods into and out of Los Angeles." (TVLine.com, 6/23)
DOCTOR ODYSSEY (ABC) - The Alphabet will not pick up the options of the series' cast, set to expire on Monday, effectively canceling the series. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
EMILY IN PARIS (Netflix) - Thalia Besson will reprise her role of "sexy and deceitful antagonist Geneviève" in the show's fifth season. (Variety.com, 6/25)
FARMHOUSE FIXER (HGTV) - Host Jonathan Knight confirmed on Thursday his series has been canceled after three seasons. (@jonathanrknight, 6/26)
FIVE-STAR WEEKEND, THE (Peacock) - The Elin Hilderbrand adaptation has cast Harlow Jane as Caroline Shaw; David Denman as Kyle McKenzie; Josh Hamilton as Matthew; and Rob Huebel as Charlie Kirtley. No other details were given. (Deadline.com, 6/24)
FREE BERT (Netflix) - The Bert Kreischer-led comedy has cast Arden Myrin as "Bert's wife LeeAnn and the mother of their two daughters who grew up in a trailer park"; Ava Ryan as "the couple's older daughter, Georgia, who is the target of cyberbullying"; Lilou Lang; and Mandell Maughan. The six-episode series was created by Kreischer and directors Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel: "In Free Bert, Kreischer - shirtless comedian, party legend, perpetual wildcard - finds himself in uncharted territory when his daughters are accepted to an elite Beverly Hills private school. When his unbridled antics turn his family into outcasts, he decides to "put on a shirt" and stifle his true nature to better fit in." LeeAnn Kreischer, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, Elise Henderson and Judi Marmel also executive produce for Counterpart Studios. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
GROSSE POINTE GARDEN SOCIETY (NBC) - The network has canceled the drama series after one season. Options on the series' cast were set to expire on Monday. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
HACKS (Max) - Co-creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs have signed a new multiyear overall deal with the show's producer Warner Bros. Television. They'll continue at the helm of the series as well as develop new projects via their Paulilu Productions banner. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
HIGH POTENTIAL (ABC) - Steve Howey has joined the cast of the series as "the precinct's new captain Jesse Wagner, a savvy political animal who knows how to wear an expensive suit and oozes effortless charm. Besides a guy who can launch a million fundraisers with his smile, he has disruptor tenacity and likes thinking outside the box just like their all-star consultant Morgan (Kaitlin Olson). He has a way of putting himself right in the middle of the action... whether he's wanted there or not." Additionally, star Kaitlin Olson has been upped from producer to executive producer. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
LANDMAN (Paramount+) - Stefania Spampinato will recur on the show's sophomore run as the wife of Andy Garcia's character. No other details were given. (Deadline.com, 6/26)
MARRIED TO REAL ESTATE (HGTV) - Mike Jackson and Egypt Sherrod have announced that the cable channel has canceled their series after four seasons. (@egyptsherrod & @djfadelf, 6/24)
PITCH PERFECT: K-POP IDOLS (Peacock, New!) - Joel Kim Booster is spearheading a new small screen take on the franchise which "follows a struggling singer-songwriter whose life completely turns upside down when she finds herself auditioning to be a part of the first all-American K-pop group." The comedy will also be executive produced by Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Paul Brooks, Scott Niemeyer and director Jason Moore for Brownstone Productions, Gold Circle Films and Universal Television. (Variety.com, 6/26)
PITT, THE (Max) - Sepideh Moafi has joined the cast of the show's second season as "an attending physician in emergency medicine." (Deadline.com, 6/24)
REACHER (Amazon) - Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette is bound for the new season as Jacob Merrick, "a small-town policeman." He replaces Jay Baruchel, "who was forced to exit the series to attend to a personal matter." (Deadline.com, 6/26)
RJ DECKER (ABC) - Scott Speedman has scored the title role on the drama pilot: "RJ Decker centers on the eponymous RJ Decker (Speedman), a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in the colorful-if-crime-filled world of Carl Hiaasen's South Florida. He tackles cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his journalist ex, her police detective wife and a shadowy new benefactor - a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally ... or his one-way ticket back to prison." Writer Rob Doherty and director Paul McGuigan are behind the project, which is based on based on the 1987 novel "Double Whammy" by Carl Hiaasen. All three executive produce alongside Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman for Timberman-Beverly Productions and 20th Television. (Deadline.com, 6/25)
SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE, THE (Netflix, New!) - Ron Currie's novel is being developed for TV by the streamer: "The crime-thriller centers on Babs Dionne, a proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, who rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. When a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs's youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs's wrath." Currie and Joshua Mohr will pen the pilot and executive produce alongside Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer and Hilary Leavitt for Upside Down Pictures. (Deadline.com, 6/27)
SPOT, THE (Hulu) - Kate Winslet has bowed out of the series as star and executive producer. Producers are currently attempting to recast the role. According to said report, "the reasons behind her exit from The Spot are creative and related, at least in part, to how the project's evolution has impacted the required approach to the role." (Deadline.com, 6/27)
TINY CHEF SHOW, THE (Nickelodeon) - The show's YouTube page posted on Monday that Nickelodeon has canceled the series after two seasons. (@TheTinyChefShow, 6/24)
UNTITLED LARS KEPLER SERIES (Apple TV+) - Bill Camp has boarded the crime series as Chief Ellison, "the police chief." (Deadline.com, 6/26)
VERY YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (FX, New!) - Writer Stefani Robinson and director Taika Waititi are spearheading a potential comedy series at the cable channel based on Mel Brooks's classic 1974 film "Young Frankenstein": "Inspired by Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Previously, on What We Do in the Shadows, Colin Robinson, a main character in the series, was turned into a baby who had to grow up all over again. Whether or not the show creatives have something similar in mind for Very Young Frankenstein is unknown." Robinson, Waititi and Brooks will also executive produce alongside Garrett Basch, Kevin Salter and Michael Gruskoff for 20th Television. (Deadline.com, 6/25)
WESTIES, THE (MGM+) - Tom Brittney has been added to the period drama as "James "Jimmy" Roarke, the fiercely loyal, streetwise leader of the younger generation of Westies, a rising Irish gangster mentored by Eamon Sweeney (J.K. Simmons), whose allegiances will be challenged as the Westies forge a partnership with the Gambino Crime Family." (Deadline.com, 6/24)
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[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Josh Johnson: Symphony" Debuts May 22
In his debut HBO stand-up special, Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, and actor Josh Johnson performs all new material about our shared experiences as humans.
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[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Final Season of FX's "The Bear" Premieres June 25 on FX and Hulu
All eight episodes will be available to stream at debut.
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[05/06/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Legally Blonde" Prequel "Elle" Drops Exclusive Images and Official Teaser Trailer
The series, produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with Hello Sunshine, premieres on July 1, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
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[05/06/26 - 08:01 AM]
HGTV Reboots Popular 72-Hour Renovation Series with "Crashers" Starring NKOTB Bandmate and Home Reno Expert Jonathan Knight
The 13-episode season will follow Jonathan Knight as he ambushes folks anywhere from furniture boutiques to the hardware store or even the local paint shop to offer them a fast-paced reno with a catch.
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[05/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Hungry for a new heist, Berlin summons the gang to Seville and turns an ambitious duke into the victim of his own plan: to steal a Da Vinci masterpiece.
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[05/06/26 - 06:31 AM]
Video: Apple Original Films Debuts Trailer for John Travolta's "Propeller One-Way Night Coach"
Set in the golden age of aviation, a young airplane enthusiast, Jeff (Clark Shotwell), and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) set off on a one-way cross-country odyssey to Hollywood, which transforms a simple flight into the trip of a lifetime.
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[05/05/26 - 04:00 PM]
"The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" Renewed for Season Two
The series is the #1 new comedy of the 2025-26 season in the 18-49 demo.
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[05/05/26 - 03:52 PM]
ESPN Networks Aired Its Most Viewed First Round of the Current Rights Deal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
ESPN also delivered three of the top five matchups in the First Round including the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 (2.1 million viewers).
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[05/05/26 - 03:36 PM]
NBC and Peacock Deliver the Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History for Saturday Night's 76ers-Celtics
Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.
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[05/05/26 - 02:33 PM]
TNT Sports Delivers Its Most Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Ever
Game 7 of the Montreal/Tampa Bay series on Sunday, May 3 averaged 2.3 million viewers, the most-watched First Round game on cable ever featuring a Canadian team.
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[05/05/26 - 02:24 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Flexes Double-Digit Season-to-Date Viewership Increase
2,130,000 viewers tuned-in to FOX on Saturday, May 2, for a two-game slate highlighted by the Cardinals' 3-2 Victory over the Dodgers in most of the country.
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[05/05/26 - 02:20 PM]
Video: "County Rescue" - Season 3 Trailer - Premieres Sun May 17 at 8/7c
Julia Reilly and Brett Varvel star in the series.
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[05/05/26 - 02:01 PM]
MGM+ Releases First Look at "American Hostage" Starring Emmy Award Winner Jon Hamm
The psychological thriller tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman, a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.
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[05/05/26 - 12:03 PM]
Abdullah Mason Returns Home for Lightweight World Title Defense against Joe Cordina July 4 at Cleveland's Wolstein Center
Boxing's youngest world champion is set to make his first defense in front of a hometown crowd on the 250th anniversary of American independence as part of TNT Sports and DAZN's inaugural "The Fight" event, a new monthly live boxing series.
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[05/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of April 27 - The Hunt Continues as "Apex" Takes No. 1 for a Second Week
Plus: Revenge might be a dish best served cold, but "Man on Fire" served it up hot, reaching No. 1 on the English TV list with 11 million views.
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