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[01/23/26 - 11:32 PM]
Development Update: Week of January 19-23
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!
4 BLOCKS ZERO (HBO Max) - Tariq Al-Saies has been cast as Ibrahim Mansour in the prequel series to the German crime drama "4 Blocks." (Deadline.com, 1/20)
ABANDONS, THE/VINCE STAPLES SHOW, THE (Netflix) - The streaming service has pulled the plug on said series after one and two seasons, respectively. (Deadline.com, 1/21)
AFTER THE MOVE TO NEVADA (Disney+, New!) - Danny Brocklehurst is developing a new U.K. drama at the streamer: "Brocklehurst's script is about a gangster movie fan who goes to a crime convention in Nevada, hence the title. While there, he gets mistaken for a mafia boss, and the story follows from there." Wild Mercury is producing with casting conversations underway. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
ASTROLOGY HOUSE, THE (Peacock, New!) - Christina Ricci is attached to star in a small screen take on Carinn Jade's novel at the streamer: "The story follows the cosmically intertwined lives of Rini and Margot (Ricci). When Rini invites Margot and her family-and-friend group to vacation at her astrology retreat, long-held resentments, secrets and lies boil over, culminating in death." Lindsay Calhoon Bring is behind the adaptation, with Ricci and Michael Peters also executive producing Cat Full of Spiders and Universal Television. Jade is a consulting producer. (Deadline.com, 1/21)
BALLARD (Amazon) - Rosanna Arquette will recur as Jenny Ballard, "Renée Ballard's (Maggie Q) estranged mom," in the upcoming second season. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
BARBERSHOP (Amazon) - The franchise's latest TV adaptation has added the following guest stars: Zack Fox as Alderman Warren; Ego Nwodim as Shelly-Ann; Diallo Riddle as Pastor Devante; Ziwe as Abbi; Tituss Burgess as Juan Grillz; Comedian CP as Marvin; Devon Walker as Southside Swole; and Belmont Cameli as Shep. No other details were given. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
BAYWATCH (FOX) - McG has signed on to direct and executive produce the debut installment of the reboot series via his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner. (Deadline.com, 1/20)
CHICAGO FIRE (NBC) - Rob Morgan will recur on the veteran drama as Battalion Chief Hopkins, "who has a long, haunted past in overseeing several Chicago firehouses and is quick to assert authority over his colleagues." He'll succeed Dermot Mulroney's Battalion Chief Dominick "Dom" Pascal, who is departing after episode 14 for yet-to-be-revealed story reasons but may return next season. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
CHOCOLATE WARS (BritBox, New!) - The streamer is on track to greenlight a long-in-the-works series "chronicling 19th-century confectionery empire-building" based on the book of the same name by Deborah Cadbury, which "tells the story of the invention of the chocolate bar and the battle between three British families (Cadbury, Rowntree, and Fry), American entrepreneur Milton Hershey, and European firms Nestlé and Lindt." Chloë Mi Lin Ewart is spearheading the project with Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Freddie Highmore, and Claire Londy executive producing for Sony Pictures Television, Fable Pictures, and Alfresco Pictures. (Deadline.com, 1/21)
CUPERTINO (CBS) - Ella Stiller has scored a role in the upcoming drama as Christy, "a young assistant at the new start-up law firm in Cupertino that's at the heart of the story." (Deadline.com, 1/21)
GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, THE (Netflix) - Prue Leith is stepping down as a judge on the competition series after nine seasons. (@prueleith, 1/21)
IF I RULED THE WORLD (Hulu, New!) - The streamer is developing Amy DuBois Barnett's debut novel as a drama series, which "centers on Nikki Rose, a young magazine editor - and the only Black editor on staff - as she navigates the volatile intersection of hip-hop, fashion and editorial culture in the Y2K era." Lee Daniels is co-writing the pilot with Barnett and will executive produce alongside Emma Watts for 20th Television. (Variety.com, 1/23)
LORE OLYMPUS (Amazon, New!) - Amazon MGM Studios has commissioned an adult animated series based on Rachel Smythe's webcomic: "In Lore Olympus, witness what the gods do... after dark. The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. Because it turns out, the gods aren't so different from us after all, especially when it comes to their problems. Stylish and immersive, this is one of mythology's greatest stories - The Taking of Persephone - as it has never been told before." Julia Cooperman is behind the project and executive produces alongside David Madden, Sydney Bright, Aron Levitz, Lisa Henson, and Halle Stanford for Webtoon Productions and The Jim Henson Company. (Deadline.com, 1/20)
MINDF*CK (Amazon) - Sylvester Stallone's Balboa Productions has signed a multi-year first-look film and television deal with Amazon MGM Studios, home to said project. (Deadline.com, 1/21)
POP CULTURE JEOPARDY! (Netflix) - Colin Jost will return as host for the Prime Video-turned-Netflix series' second season. (@popculturejeopardy, 1/23)
POSER (Netflix) - Sadie Stanley has joined the cast of the upcoming drama as Emmy, "a deeply empathetic, unassuming beauty who lives under the radar, but yearns for more and covets her long lost best friend who lives down the street." (Deadline.com, 1/22)
POWER: ORIGINS (Starz) - The prequel series has added Kelly McCreary as Melanie Rivers, "a strategic and take-charge kind of woman who can be quite secretive and isn't who she seems to be"; Hill Harper as Burns, "a speculative, curious, and relentlessly persistent cop who has a need to dig and insert himself in investigations that aren't his own"; Tonya Pinkins as Grandma Charlayne, "Ghost's loving grandmother, and a warm but unsteady presence whose neurological issues leave her slipping in and out of focus"; Damon Gupton as Glover Archibald, "who has seen and heard it all, a man who doesn't like to be challenged and believes in solving cases the old-fashioned way"; and Nadia Dajani, reprising her "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" role of Teresa Boselli, "the widow of Sal Boselli (Michael Rispoli), who is known to be tough and unsentimental." (Deadline.com, 1/21)
PRESUMED INNOCENT (Apple TV) - Ji-young Yoo will recur on the show's sophomore run in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 1/23)
TRACKER (CBS) - Erica Durance will guest on the March 22 episode as Laura, "a stuntwoman who brings in [Justin] Hartley's expert tracker Colton Shaw when her boyfriend disappears from a film set." (@mattmitovich, 1/23)
UNDER PRESSURE (ABC, New!) - Jessica Grasl and Garrett Lerner are set to team for a domestic take on the Brazilian medical drama at the Alphabet: "Under Pressure is a medical drama set at All Saints Hospital, an under-staffed and under-resourced hospital in Savannah, Georgia. At the heart of the hospital is CAM, a surgeon and man of faith who cares deeply for his patients and community. But beyond just the medical cases, the show will focus on a complicated love triangle. It will have all the "will they-won't they" tension and push and pull of a "traditional" soapy, love story, but with a twist that will leave the audience redefining their ideas of love, loss, and faith." David Shore, Erin Gunn, Alon Aranya, Renata Brandão, and Tereza Gonzalez will also executive produce for Shore Z Productions, Paper Plane Productions, Conspiração, and 20th Television. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
UNTITLED SUNDANCE INSTITUTE PROJECT (Hulu, New!) - The streamer has ordered a three-part series from Searchlight Television "telling the story of the Sundance Institute, which has seen attendances from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao, Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ava DuVernay, Alfonso Cuarón and Darren Aronofsky." Braden King will direct and executive produce alongside Ryan Coogler, Lynette Howell Taylor, writer Mark Monroe, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Kelli Buchanan, Carly Hugo, and Matthew Parker for 51 Entertainment, Truckstop Media, Proximity Media, and Loveless. Sundance's Michelle Satter, Amy Redford and John Cooper also serve as consulting producers. (Deadline.com, 1/21)
UNTITLED TONY PARSONS PROJECT (Netflix, New!) - The streamer has commissioned an U.K. documentary series about Tony Parsons: "Parsons, a former Royal Navy Officer who had survived cancer, was killed after being hit on the road by a drunk driver in 2017 during a solo charity bike ride in Scotland. Alexander McKellar, the man who killed Parsons, hid his body in a remote peat bog and left the scene with his twin brother Robert." No auspices however were given. (Deadline.com, 1/22)
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[03/12/26 - 01:01 PM]
Paramount+ and CBS Partner to Air UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg Live on Paramount+ and CBS Television Network
CBS will simulcast select fights from both the prelims and the main card in primetime from 8:00-10:00 PM ET.
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[03/12/26 - 12:31 PM]
BET Expands Daytime Lineup with AFRO TV's "The Sisaundra Show" and "Point of View," Celebrating Community, Culture and Connection on BET Her
The agreement brings the AFRO TV-produced live shows to BET Her's weekday lineup, premiering March 16.
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[03/12/26 - 12:01 PM]
NBC's Unscripted Summer Celebration Arrives and Delivers the Hits
Following up on last year's phenomenal docuseries "The Americas," NBC will present "Surviving Earth," a landmark series showcasing how life not only survived but thrived through Earth's most catastrophic environmental crises.
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[03/12/26 - 11:30 AM]
CBS Renews "Marshals" for Second Season
Its premiere episode (March 1 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) was watched by 20.6 million multiplatform viewers within seven days, marking the most-watched network original series premiere without a football lead in since 2017.
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[03/12/26 - 10:31 AM]
Vox Creative, Verizon, and Roku to Premiere "Soccer Meets America" Ahead of World Cup
The three-part documentary series will premiere on The Roku Channel in May.
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[03/12/26 - 10:02 AM]
Awards Season on Hulu: Oscar-Nominated Films Now Streaming
Also joining the lineup is the heartfelt family drama "Sentimental Value," coming to Hulu on March 23.
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[03/12/26 - 09:46 AM]
Roku Launches NCAA March Madness Zone for 2026 Tournament
Available throughout the four weeks of March Madness, the zone also allows fans to set game reminders for their must-see match-ups and check final scores with the new score-strip row.
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[03/12/26 - 09:31 AM]
NFL Films' "Super Bowl Champions: The 2025 Seattle Seahawks" Premieres Wednesday, March 18 on The Roku Channel
Narrated by actor and Seahawks fan Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the 75-minute documentary looks back at the Seahawks' 2025 season through game broadcast footage, including extended highlights of Seattle's victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
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[03/12/26 - 09:01 AM]
Multiple Academy Award and Grammy Award Winning Artist Finneas O'Connell to Score Netflix's Next Installment of "Beef"
Said Finneas O'Connell: "Spent the last 12 months in 'Beef' land. All eight episodes out April 16, All original music by me."
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[03/12/26 - 09:01 AM]
CNN Original Series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever" Premieres Saturday, April 11 at 9pm ET/PT
Produced by EverWonder Studio, the six-episode series follows legendary journalist Kara Swisher as she embarks on a deeply personal and sharply reported journey into the rapidly expanding world of longevity science and humanity's enduring quest to cheat death.
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[03/12/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair" Trailer Revealed
After shielding himself and his daughter from his family for over a decade, Malcolm is dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.
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[03/12/26 - 09:00 AM]
"Mystery Road: Origin" Season 2 Premieres Monday, March 23 on Acorn TV
This six-episode Acorn TV original series will drop additional episodes weekly on Mondays.
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[03/12/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Big Mistakes" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Blackmailed into working for gangsters, two deeply incapable siblings become the most disorganized duo in organized crime.
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[03/12/26 - 08:01 AM]
More "Bluey" Is Coming to Disney+
Announced today, "Bluey's Big Play - The Stage Show," a special televised version of the popular touring theatrical production, premieres March 16.
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[03/12/26 - 07:41 AM]
Netflix Develops an Unprecedented Series About the Passionate and Turbulent Lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
The series is the story of a bomb wrapped in silk; a bomb that is the two of them, that is Mexico, and that is, inevitably, the entire world.
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