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[04/17/26 - 11:46 PM]
Development Update: Week of April 13-17
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 HORROR STORY (FX) - Joey Pollari has joined the cast of the new season, which also features Ariana Grande, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Leslie Grossman. (Deadline.com, 4/16)
BAYWATCH (FOX) - Erika Eleniak will reprise her role of Shauni McClain on the revival series. (Deadline.com, 4/15)
BEFORE I LET GO (Peacock) - Author Kennedy Ryan has signed a new first-look deal with Universal Studio Group to develop her novels for television. (Variety.com, 4/15)
BOOK OF TWO WAYS, THE (Netflix, New!) - Matthew B. Roberts is developing the Jodi Picoult novel for TV at the streamer: "The book follows a woman, Dawn Edelstein, who survives a plane crash and begins to see two divergent paths for her future - one in which she returns to Boston with her husband and child, and another in which she returns to a career in Egyptology and a lover she left behind." Sony Pictures Television is producing. (Variety.com, 4/17)
CARS: LIGHTNING RACERS (Disney Junior) - The film-turned-TV series will see Bonnie Hunt as Sally, Jenifer Lewis as Flo, Guido Quaroni as Guido, Lloyd Sherr as Fillmore, Michael Wallis as Sheriff and Paul Dooley as Sarge, reprising their roles for said films. (Variety.com, 4/13)
COPENHAGEN TEST, THE (Peacock) - The streaming service has pulled the plug on the Simu Liu-led dram after one season. (Variety.com, 4/13)
CROSS (Amazon) - Ethan Embry has joined the cast of the show's third season as Frederick, "a charismatic sobriety coach known for leading with tough love. Strong, resilient, and generous with his time, he is widely admired for making others feel seen." (Deadline.com, 4/17)
DOC (FOX) - Charlotte Fountain-Jardim's Katie won't return as a regular for the series' third season. (Deadline.com, 4/14)
EVERFLAME (Hulu, New!) - Heidi Cole McAdams is spearheading a small screen take on Penn Cole's book at the streamer: "Everflame is set in a world where mortals live in poverty, subjugated by an elite race known as the Descended. When her mother goes missing, Diem Bellator suspects that the most powerful and most feared Descended in the kingdom - Prince Luther Corbois - may be responsible. As she embarks on a search for answers, she becomes an unexpected force in the mortal rebellion against the Descended, and the center of an even more unexpected love triangle." 20th Television is behind the hour with Cole receiving a producing credit. (Deadline.com, 4/17)
EVERYONE IS DOING GREAT (Netflix) - The streamer has licensed both seasons of the drama from Sony Pictures Television, due on May 11, including the world premiere of season two. Season one originally bowed on Hulu back in 2020. (Deadline.com, 4/13)
HIGH VALUE TARGET (TNT) - Waleed Zuaiter has been cast as Saddam Hussein in the network's series adaptation of John Nixon's nonfiction book "Debriefing the President." (Deadline.com, 4/15)
HILDA! IN LIGHTS (CBS, New!) - Abbey Caldwell has sold a new comedy to the Eye: "Hilda! In Lights is about one of those classic shows about a spunky, small-town upstart who moves to the big city to make it on her own. There's just one teeny, tiny, totally inconsequential difference... our hero is a 70-year-old woman named Hilda." Caldwell penned the pilot and has received an order for two additional scripts. Will Graham, Max Linsky and Tonia Davis will also executive produce for CBS Studios. (Deadline.com, 4/15)
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE (CBS, New!) - Corinne Kingsbury is developing a new drama at the Eye: "I Know Who You Are centers on a brilliant forensic genealogist who gets pulled back into the police force she walked away from and the partner she left behind. Using DNA technology to follow genetic breadcrumbs, the pair unearth long-buried secrets to crack the most impossible of cases - all while quietly pursuing the one case that broke them apart. Inspired by Barbara Rae-Venter's memoir of the same name." She's penned the pilot and has received an order for two additional scripts. Barbara Rae-Venter, Sharon Levy, Lisa Fahrenholt, and Philly De Lacey will also executive produce for CBS Studios, Endemol Shine North America, and Screentime New Zealand. (Deadline.com, 4/15)
LAST OF US, THE (HBO) - Li Jun Li has been cast in the upcoming season as Miriam, "a Seraphite and the mother of Lev (Kyriana Kratter) and Yara (Michelle Mao)." (Variety.com, 4/17)
LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME (Peacock) - The Christopher Meloni-led spin-off won't return for a sixth season on Peacock or original broadcaster NBC. (Deadline.com, 4/16)
MEET THE FISHERS (Paramount+, New!) - The streamer has commissioned a new reality series starring social media sensation Big John: "Meet the Fishers [working title] will follow Big John, his wife Charlotte and their kids including rising boxing star Johnny "The Romford Bull". With surprise celebrity appearances, the series will offer an unfiltered, laugh‑out‑loud glimpse into the everyday chaos around a viral family." All3Media label Objective Entertainment is behind the project. (Deadline.com, 4/13)
MR. & MRS. SMITH (Amazon) - The long-in-the-works second season has started production with Mark Eydelshteyn and Talia Ryder starring opposite the returning Maya Erskine and Donald Glover. Sophie Thatcher was previously in talks for Ryder's role. Anna Ouyang Moench is the showrunner of the new season, with Erskine, Glover, Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Stephen Glover, Anthony Katagas, and Fam Udeorji also among the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 4/13)
PLAYING THE FIELD (Amazon, New!) - Sarah Tapscott has sold a TV take on the Meryl Wilsner's novel "Cleat Cute" to Amazon MGM Studios: "Playing the Field is an ensemble comedy following the sexy, messy, and exciting lives of four female players on Crescent City, a professional New Orleans women's soccer team, anchored by the will-they-won't-they romance of newly drafted phenom Phoebe Matthews and team captain Grace Henderson." Wilsner, Jeff Wachtel, Jared Berenholz, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Camille Bernier-Green, and Emily Rasenick will also executive produce for Future Shack Entertainment and A Touch More. (Deadline.com, 4/13)
SOUTHERN BASTARDS (Hulu) - Erin Kellyman and Tim McGraw are set to star alongside Kevin Bacon in the drama pilot. Kellyman will Roberta, "a former marine who is facing charges by the military after an incident in Afghanistan"; with McGraw as Coach Boss, "the legendary head football coach of Craw County High School - the leader of his community and a complex figure who embodies the dark side of Southern football culture." (Deadline.com, 4/13)
TWENTY TWENTY SIX (BritBox/Tubi, New!) - The Hugh Bonneville-led sequel to the BBC's soccer tournament satire "Twenty Twelve" has been licensed to both BritBox and Tubi in the U.S. for a May 1 launch. Chelsey Crisp, Stephen Kunken, and Paulo Costanzo also star in the six-episode season from writer/director John Morton: "In Twenty Twenty Six, former BBC Head of Values Fletcher heads to the U.S., Canada and Mexico to help with a highly anticipated soccer tournament. He takes on a new role as Head of Integrity for the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight team, made up of a set of new and colorful characters played by the fresh cast." Paul Schlesinger and Nerys Evans also executive produce with Catherine Gosling Fuller producing for Expectation. (Deadline.com, 4/13)
UNTITLED EDGEWATER MEDICAL DRAMA (CBS, New!) - The Eye is "in very early stages of development" of a series set in the "Fire Country" and "Sheriff Country" universe "following a medical team in the town of Edgewater, California." Said report indicates "a character from it to be potentially planted on the upcoming second season of Sheriff Country." Matt Lopez, Max Thieriot, Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, Jerry Bruckheimer, and KristieAnne Reed are expected to executive produce for CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television. (Deadline.com, 4/14)
YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS (Apple TV) - Michelle Monaghan has signed onto the show's third season as "a potential new love interest for [Jon] Hamm's Andrew Cooper." (Deadline.com, 4/14)
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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 - 02:24 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 - 02:01 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 - 12:01 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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[05/05/26 - 11:46 AM]
The Rolling Stones Bring Three Nights of Satisfaction to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" This Month
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are each set to appear across three separate episodes.
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[05/05/26 - 11:31 AM]
OWN's "Heart & Hustle: Houston" Returns May 30 for a High-Stakes Second Season Filled with Fractured Friendships, Bold New Beginnings and Unstoppable Ambition
This season, the bonds that once united the group are tested like never before.
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[05/05/26 - 11:00 AM]
Video: Sofia Receives a Visit From Rapunzel in Official Trailer for New Series "Sofia the First: Royal Magic," Debuting May 25 on Disney Jr. and Next Day on Disney+
Additionally, a new short-form series, "Sofia the First: Magical Friends," is also available now on the Disney Jr. channel, Disney+, and Disney Jr. YouTube.
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[05/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
Starz's Adrenaline-Fueled New Drama "Fightland" Set to Premiere July 31
The network also released first-look images introducing viewers to the gritty world and the dangerous characters at the heart of the newest family crime drama.
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[05/05/26 - 09:55 AM]
Comedian Larry the Cable Guy to Host New Series "American Mayhem"
The high-energy clip show celebrates the wildest, funniest, and most outrageous moments caught on camera across the U.S., all brought to life by the beloved funnyman whose unmistakable voice and humor have made him a household name.
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[05/05/26 - 09:31 AM]
New Doc "The American Experiment" Marks The Nation's 250th Anniversary
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[05/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Yep! Hulu's "King of the Hill" Season 15 Premieres July 20
Hank and Peggy settle into retirement life on Rainey Street while attempting to keep their neighbors from going off the rails.
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[05/05/26 - 09:00 AM]
The History Channel to Premiere New Documentary "The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling" on June 19
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[05/05/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Peace Will Have to Wait... "Dutton Ranch" Official Trailer Is Out Now
Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly are joined in the new series by Academy Award nominees Ed Harris and Annette Bening.
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