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[05/29/26 - 11:52 PM]
Development Update: Week of May 25-29
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!
ANGEL HEART (HBO, New!) - Zac Efron is attached to star in a small screen take on the 80s cult classic at the network: "Based on the William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel Fallen Angel and the sequel thereto Angel's Inferno and the series will follow a down-and-out NYC paparazzi, who makes his living finding and photographing people who don't want to be found, who is hired by a mysterious man to find a missing woman. But the deeper he digs to find her, the more it looks like a group of powerful elites, and maybe something supernatural, are covering up the disappearance." Writer Zach Baylin and director Jonathan van Tulleken are behind the project and will executive produce alongside Efron, Kate Susman, Marc Toberoff, Max Hjortsberg, Lorca Hjortsberg, Alice P. Neuhauser, Joe Hipps, Stuart Manashil, Kevin Turen, and Harrison Kreiss for A24, Youngblood Pictures, and Cut To. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
BAYWATCH (FOX) - Mary McDonnell will recur on the revival series while Michael Bergin and Kelly Packard are set to reprise their roles of Jack "J.D." Darius and April Giminski, respectively. McDonnell will play Gayle, "Hobie's (Stephen Amell) and Charlie's (Jessica Belkin) grandmother, a sophisticated woman with a wryly funny presence. She cares deeply for her family and is there for them even when they're not sure they want her help. Gayle and Hobie have a long, complicated history, but no matter how much time or distance gets between them, family always seems to find its way back together. She's learned a thing or two about second chances over the years, and she shares that wisdom with humor and grace." (Deadline.com, 5/29)
BIRDS, THE (New!) - Sarah Snook is attached to star in a proposed limited series set to make the rounds from Tom Spezialy described as "a visceral, present-day reimagining of Hitchcock's classic set in Spezialy's home state of Alaska with a murder mystery at the center and new characters, led by a new female protagonist, Myra Massey (Snook)." David Heyman and Jennifer Gabler Rawlings will also executive produce for Omni Artists, Universal International Studios, and Heyday Television. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
BISHOP (Amazon) - The Joel Kinnaman-led drama has booked the following recurring roles: Bronson Pinchot as Dougray Dillion; Ron Lea as Lt. Jack Quinn; Kaniehtiio Horn as Tasha Graves; Hunter Dillon as Ren Graves; Dillon Casey as Inspector Banton; Brett Donahue as Lee Donnally; Jorja Cadence as Lara Stone; Ishan Davé as Inspector Ashish Rai; and Adam J. Harrington as Eric Olsen; with Rick Hoffman guest starring as Martin Stone. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
CONVICTION (Hulu) - Sebastian De Souza and Adam Godley have been cast in the Elisabeth Moss-led legal drama in yet-to-be-revealed roles. (Deadline.com, 5/27)
CRY WOLF (FX) - Jon Tenney has been added to the limited series as Ian Farr, "polished, handsome, slick and smart as a whip. He's ruthless and one step ahead of everyone else, able to control an entire courtroom and destroy the opposing council with ease. A former criminal defense attorney, he now sees himself as a champion for fathers after his own bitter divorce, which made him a "found man" with a whole new belief system. He masterfully controls the courtroom in the show's climactic trial." (Deadline.com, 5/29)
DURANGO (Hulu) - Cooper Hoffman has scored a lead role on the drama pilot: "After an injury ruins his Olympic dreams, Mikey, an easy-going and street-savvy local snowboarding legend, pays his rent the old-fashioned way, by agreeing to a green card marriage. Secretly, he yearns for more, and when he falls for newcomer Bunny, he unwittingly gets pulled into something far more dangerous." (Deadline.com, 5/26)
EINSTEIN (CBS) - Tony Shalhoub will recur on the newcomer as Jack Einstein, "Lewis Einstein's (Matthew Gray Gubler) father." (Deadline.com, 5/28)
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (Netflix) - Willa Dunn has been cast in the show's already ordered second season as Nellie Oleson: "On the surface, Nellie (Dunn) is a world-class spoiled princess and a playground bully. Smart and supremely confident, sharp-tongued but easily wounded. Lives and breathes to make Laura Ingalls (Halsey) miserable. But beneath her mean-girl persona is tenderness and a yearning for true friendship - even if she doesn't know exactly how to get it." (Deadline.com, 5/27)
LONG NOW, THE (Netflix, New!) - Semi Chellas has sold a new drama to the streamer: "A man has seven hours to solve his own murder with the reluctant help of his estranged ex. A propulsive thriller that explores the value of time and asks, What would you do if you had one day to live?" Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films are also on board to executive produce. (THR.com, 5/28)
LORD OF THE RINGS, THE: THE RINGS OF POWER (Amazon) - Preproduction on a fourth season of the series is eyed for this fall, with shooting to begin in early 2027. A fourth season however has yet to be officially greenlit. Season three bows on November 11. (Variety.com, 5/27)
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE (MGM+) - Joanne Froggatt is in final talks to play "the leader of the Quaker group under siege" on the series. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
MOBLAND (Paramount+) - Tom Hardy has not been fired from the series despite last week's reporting. The latest report indicates "discussions are underway to find a way for Hardy (who plays gangster Harry Da Souza in the Paramount+ show) to come back." (Variety.com, 5/28)
NEAGLEY/REACHER (Amazon) - Star/executive producer Alan Ritchson and his Dancing Skeleton banner have signed a three-year first-look television deal with Amazon MGM Studios. (Deadline.com, 5/27)
OFF WEEKS, THE (Apple TV) - Tom Francis will recur on the Richard Gere-led limited series as "Jonathan's (Gere) son." (Deadline.com, 5/26)
PUNKY DUCK (Amazon) - Jorge R. Gutierrez has bowed out of the AI-driven animated series after backlash from creative peers and fans. (@mexopolis, 5/29)
ROMAN, THE (Netflix) - The Oscar Isaac-led drama series has cast Shalom Brune-Franklin and Jimmy O. Yang. Brune-Franklin will play Jessica Christine "JC" Griffin: "An alert and ambitious rising star at the casino, JC serves as a vital host and fixer, managing the whims of high rollers while harboring her own big plans for the future." And Yang is Rich Tzu, "a sophisticated, Eton-educated executive who serves as a rival to Isaac's protagonist, Bobby." (Deadline.com, 5/29)
SIDEMEN PRESENTS: SIDEMENU (Amazon/YouTube, New!) - Sidemen Productions has booked a four-part culinary competition series on the streamers: "SideMenu will see the Sidemen joined by a guest contestant as they take on a series of culinary challenges - a starter, main and dessert - with teams rotating every episode and individual points on the line." Episode one will premiere on the MoreSidemen YouTube channel on Thursday, June 18, with Prime Video exclusively premiering episode two on Friday, June 19 (with episode one made available at the same time). Episode three (June 26) and four (July 3) will follow on Prime Video with MoreSidemen landing episodes two, three and four two weeks later. Victor Bengtsson is presumably among the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
THAT TEXAS BLOOD (FX, New!) - Jim Mickle and E.L. Katz are set to team for a small screen take on the Image Comics series from Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips at the network: "That Texas Blood is a neo-noir Western following Sheriff Joe Bob Coates of Ambrose County, Texas, who questions his place in an increasingly violent world when a man returns home following the sudden disappearance of his brother, causing a spiral down into a past filled with treachery and blood." The pair are penning the script with Mickle also directing. Condon, Michael Waldron, Adam Fasullo, Adam Fishbach, Jeremy Platt, and Linda Moran will also executive produce for 20th Television and Anomaly Pictures. Phillips is a co-executive producer. (Deadline.com, 5/29)
VIRGIN RIVER (Netflix) - Natasha Calis will recur on the show's eighth season as Dr. Astrid, "a brashly confident surgical resident who finds herself assigned to a rotation in Doc's (Tim Matheson) clinic after mysteriously being placed on probation. Her bedside manner may be lacking, but she's willing to do almost anything to get out of Virgin River and back in the surgical wing." Said role has the option to become a regular. (Deadline.com, 5/28)
WELCOME TO CATALINA (HBO Max, New!) - David E. Kelley and Michael Connelly are set to team for another adaptation at the streamer, this time based on the latter's 2024 crime novel "Nightshade": "Welcome To Catalina centers on Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell who has been "exiled" to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor." Kelley will write and executive produce alongside Connelly, Matt Tinker, Barry Jossen, Tana Jamieson, and Ross Fineman for David E. Kelley Productions, Ross Fineman Entertainment, and A+E Studios. (Deadline.com, 5/27)
X-MEN '97 (Disney+) - Executive producer Larry Houston has indicated seasons three and four of the animated series are deep into development. (EW.com, 5/27)
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[07/22/26 - 10:01 AM]
What's New on HBO Max This August
Highlights include the premiere of "Lanterns"; the return of "Conan O'Brien Must Go"; and the streaming debuts of "The Strangers: Chapter 2," "Normal," and "Mother Mary."
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[07/22/26 - 09:46 AM]
Paramount+ Greenlights New Series "Laird" with Kenneth Branagh Set to Star and Executive Produce
Set in the modern Scottish Highlands, "Laird" is an epic family saga in which a proud Scot defies a shadowy American billionaire hellbent on buying up the glens.
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[07/22/26 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Let's Marry Harry" - Official Trailer - Netflix
With help from Alex Cooper ("Call Her Daddy") and his best friends, can Harry Jowsey ("Perfect Match") find true love and settle down in marriage?
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[07/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Whitmer Thomas: Terminal Crew of Dudes" Debuts August 14
In his second HBO stand-up special, comedian, musician, and actor Whitmer Thomas digs into his small-town Alabama upbringing... and his ongoing quest to be cool.
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[07/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
The new series, hosted by Bear Grylls, premieres August 9, 2026, on Prime Video with all six episodes available at launch.
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[07/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
The Definitive Documentary on Global Icon Julie Andrews Is Coming to Disney+ in 2027
This definitive portrait offers an intimate and revealing look at Andrews' extraordinary journey, from her early days in British vaudeville to her meteoric rise as a global superstar.
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[07/22/26 - 07:04 AM]
Investigation Discovery to Re-Examine Aileen Wuornos in New Docuseries "Unmasking a Monster: Aileen Wuornos"
The three-part docuseries will premiere on Wednesday, September 30 from 8-11PM ET/PT on ID and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
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[07/22/26 - 06:01 AM]
Prime Video Announces Exclusive Access Documentary Film Following Lily Allen
The retrospective documentary will chart Lily's extraordinary journey, from the "Queen of MySpace" who changed the rules of the music industry, to the cultural force she is today.
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[07/22/26 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a bold 28-day experiment, comedian Mo Gilligan tours the UK and US on a fried chicken diet to uncover the impact of the craving - and industry behind it.
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[07/21/26 - 04:03 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers 2.639 Million for Seattle's Extra-Inning Win Over San Francisco
Viewership peaked with 3,383,000 viewers from 8:00-8:15 PM ET.
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[07/21/26 - 03:22 PM]
FOX Sports' Presentation of FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Etches Place in Record Books as Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in U.S. History With 38,937,000 Viewers
The record-breaking Final reached its dramatic peak with 51,685,000 viewers watching from 5:45 to 6:00 PM ET as Spain secured a 1-0 victory in extra time over Argentina.
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[07/21/26 - 02:22 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most Watched Final Round of the Open Championship Since 2022
Sunday's audience peaked at 6.1 million viewers on NBC and Peacock from 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET.
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[07/21/26 - 02:03 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" Series Debut Tops 5 Million Total Viewers
On linear, "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" was the No. 1 program of the night in both Total Viewers (4.42 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.47 rating).
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[07/21/26 - 02:01 PM]
Netflix's "Untold" Returns with Three New Films
Vince Young, Rachael Gunn, and Mr. T are the latest subjects.
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[07/21/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 13 - "Little House on the Prairie" Journeys to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Hawk" - the sports comedy starring Will Ferrell as an infamous golf legend chasing a late-career comeback on the green - debuted in the No. 3 spot on the list, swinging to 4.8 million views.
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