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[09/11/26 - 11:44 PM]
Development Update: Week of September 7-11
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!
CHALLENGER, THE (Amazon) - The streamer's Kristen Stewart-led Sally Ride docudrama has cast Danny Huston as William Rogers, "who led the investigation into the Challenger explosion"; Sofia D'Elia as Judy Resnik, "the fourth woman to fly in space, who died aboard the Challenger"; Paul Sparks as Larry Mulloy, "NASA SRB project manager"; Boris McGiver as William 'Bill' Lucas, "NASA official blamed for the Challenger disaster"; and Shea Whigham as Roger Boisjoly, "a mechanical engineer who strongly opposed the launch of the Challenger." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
CHICKS (Hulu) - The Ellen Pompeo/Jodie Whittaker-led drama pilot has added Jack Huston as The Clooney, "a devilishly handsome businessman who's charmed by Chickie's store and maybe her too"; Chazz Palminteri as Salvatore Mastrangelo, Sr., Chickie and Doreen's dad, "a neighborhood institution and fixer, a ladies' man with four ex-wives (not that anyone's counting), and an even bigger portfolio of small-time cons"; and Kathleen Chalfant as Aunt Sister Donna of Compassionate Trinity, "Chickie and Doreen's paternal aunt, who is mean as spit and tougher than any wise guy on the block." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
DIRTY (Amazon) - Toby Kebbell has been cast in the U.K. crime thriller as Ashley Rutherford, "a property magnate with a portfolio worth millions who stands by Mercer's side as her partner in life and crimes. But Rutherford has set his sights even higher and wants to use his money and influence to seize control of the city's corridors of power; the police, the government and beyond." (Variety.com, 9/9)
DISAVOWED (Apple TV) - Sylvia Hoeks has joined the James Marsden-led series in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 9/8)
FERAL (Netflix, New!) - Jessica Gunning will star in a darkly comedic thriller series at the streamer based on the 1987 novel by Shirley Conra: "In the series, four very different women learn to survive on a lethal tropical island after their mining exec husbands are kidnapped. The question is, can they put aside their differences, their self-doubts and their vanities to stay alive?" She'll play Annie, "a quietly dutiful wife who has sacrificed her ambitions to raise four sons under her domineering husband, Duncan." Writer Jude Mack and director Emma Freeman are behind the project with Liza Marshall and Laurie Borg also executive producing. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
FIGHT ISLAND (ESPN/Hulu, New!) - Jake and Logan Paul have landed a fight competition series at Hulu and ESPN: "Split into rival teams, coached by two rival brothers, the fighters live and train together in the wild. But the battle really begins before the fight, because fighters choose the matchups, turning every alliance, every rivalry into a strategic weapon. Jake and Logan will send the losers of each fight home until just one man and one woman are left standing to claim victory." Brent Montgomery will also executive produce for Wheelhouse Entertainment and Most Valuable Promotions. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
FIVE STAR WEEKEND, THE (Peacock) - Executive producers Sue Naegle and Ali Krug have signed an overall deal with 20th Television. Their banner Dinner Party Productions was previously set up at Universal Global Television. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
FOOD SAMURAI (Disney+, New!) - Michelin-starred chef Mory Sacko is set to be the focus of a documentary series at the streamer: "The six-episode show sees Mory, accompanied by pastry chef and friend Theó Segretin and guests such as Omar Sy, immerse himself in Japanese culture and gastronomy to unlock how to prepare the perfect bento. Alongside Lupin star Sy are other guests including multi-Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, writer Chihiro Masui." Eric Nebot's Eagles Team Entertainment is behind the project, due on September 30. (Deadline.com, 9/7)
LEX (Hulu) - Jenny Slate will star opposite Dylan O'Brien in the comedy pilot as Holly, "the recently fired personal assistant of a murdered tech CEO, who gets sucked into a global conspiracy along with former reality star Lex (O'Brien). Using her organizational skills - and a knowledge of firearms she picked up somewhere along the way - she'll help Lex try to clear his name. If it eliminates her as a suspect, too, great!" (Deadline.com, 9/9)
MY FATHER'S SON (Netflix, New!) - Mike Epps will star in a potential live-action comedy at the streamer from Maurice Williams "inspired by the life of Chris "Comedian CP" Powell, the rising stand-up from Detroit." No other plot details were given about the project, which originated at HBO Max before being redeveloped as an animated series at Netflix. The trio will also executive produce alongside Niles Kirchner, Bob Teitel, Doug Banker, and Trevor Engelson for State Street, Five All in the Fifth, and Underground. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
POWER: ORIGINS (Starz) - Aaron Dominguez is bound for the prequel series in a yet-to-be-revealed role. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
RANSOM CANYON (Netflix) - The streamer has pulled the plug on the Texas romantic drama after two seasons. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
RETRIEVALS, THE (Netflix) - Amy Ryan will star opposite Emilia Jones in the upcoming drama as Carla Russo, "a veteran nurse at Yale Fertility Center who pleads guilty to diverting vast amounts of fentanyl and diluting it with saline, forcing many patients to endure egg retrieval surgery without anesthesia." (Deadline.com, 9/11)
RJ DECKER (ABC) - Beau Bridges has been tapped to recur on the series as "the titular P.I.'s estranged father Reggie Decker." (TVLine.com, 9/9)
RUSH WHISPERER, THE (HBO, New!) - Emmy nominee Leslie Bibb is attached to star in a proposed series at the network described as "a dark comedy set in the cutthroat world of sorority recruitment." Kelly Hutchinson and Grace Parra Janney are behind the project, which has a penalty attached and is based on the article "How Much Would You Pay for Friendship? Private Rush Coaches are Selling Teens the Sorority Dream" by Grey Battle. Bibb, Hutchinson, and Janney will executive produce alongside Kristen Campo and Daniel Simon for Campout Productions and Scoop Wasserstein for New York Magazine/Vox Media Studios. Battle will serve as consulting producer. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC) - Martin Herlihy is departing the series after five seasons as a writer and performer. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
TASK (HBO) - Rose Rollins and Carol Santiago have both scored roles on the new season. Rollins will play Evie Barners, "the deeply devoted wife to Eddie Barnes (Mahershala Ali)"; with Santiago as Ana Salazar, "an expectant mother and a friend to Maria (Alaide)." (Deadline.com, 9/10)
TRACKER (CBS) - Cassady McClincy Zhang's Mel will return as a regular for the series' fourth season. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
UNDERSTUDY (Netflix, New!) - Nicholas Binge's short story has been optioned for series development at the streamer with Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Steven Yeun executive producing. No details about the project were given, which is set up at their respective banners Lord Miller and Celadon Pictures, both of which have first-look deals with Netflix. Binge, Lord, Miller, Yeun, Aditya Sood, Dan Shear, and Christina Oh are the executive producers. (Deadline.com, 9/9)
UNTITLED EDGEWATER MEDICAL DRAMA (CBS) - Noah Reid will topline the proposed "Fire/Sheriff Country" universe series as Hudson "Hud" Henshaw, "the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Edgewater Memorial Hospital a/k/a "Edge Med." Charming and quick-witted, but rough-around-the-edges, Hud was born and raised in the outlaw hinterland known as Deadwater. He is the proud son of convicted felons, yet refused to take the family's drug money to pay for medical school. He is a passionate doctor who embodies his oath to "first do no harm," yet is not one to shy away from a good bar fight. A man deeply committed to the community he grew up in, he is a restless soul all the same." He'll appear in an upcoming episode of "Sheriff Country" which will serve as a soft backdoor pilot. (Deadline.com, 9/11)
VICTORIA (Hulu, New!) - Li Jun Li will star in a new erotic thriller at the streamer: "Set in the cutthroat world of San Francisco's elite, limited series Victoria follows a brilliant con artist who finds herself in a dark web of power, luxury and the crosshairs of a seductive killer who knows her secrets. Li plays Maxine Tao, a sophisticated and cunning con woman who is thrust into the seductive, high-stakes world of venture capital after a chance encounter grants her the grift of a lifetime." Writer Christy Hall and director Geeta Vasant Patel are behind the project with Lilly Burns, Elise Henderson, and Tony Hernandez also executive producing for Counterpart Studios and Onyx Collective. Li is a co-producer. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC) - AMC Global Media has "entered a settlement agreement worth $120 million with 'The Walking Dead' creator Robert Kirkman and franchise producers for a breach of contract lawsuit dating from 2022." Plaintiffs also include Glen Mazzara, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, and Charles Eglee. (Deadline.com, 9/8)
WARRIOR NUN (Netflix) - Simon Barry and his Reality Distortion Field banner are in final negotiations with Perfect Circle Productions "to license some of the underlying rights to the original comic book series and related IP," which could pave the way towards the franchise returning to TV. (Deadline.com, 9/10)
WILL TRENT (ABC) - Alexandra Metz has joined the cast of the show's fifth season as Birdie Palmer, "the newly appointed Deputy Director of the GBI - confident, ambitious, and razor-sharp, but deeply guarded by a life-altering event from her past. Birdie is taking over the role following the death of Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) in Season 4." (Deadline.com, 9/8)
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[09/22/26 - 12:16 PM]
Netflix's "Crew Girl" Renewed for Season 2
Season 1 of the coming-of-age teen drama series launched on September 10 and debuted in the Netflix English TV Top 10, where it has remained since its release, climbing up to #2 this week.
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[09/22/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of September 14 - "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Again?" Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
"Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story" debuted at the top of the English TV list with 12.1 million views.
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[09/22/26 - 12:00 PM]
"Dateline" Is the #1 Friday Newsmagazine in Both Key Demos for Second Consecutive Broadcast Season
The broadcast remains the #1 most-watched news magazine franchise and #1 most-watched true-crime franchise in total linear minutes watched for the season, with 151.2 million total viewers, up +4% vs. last season.
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[09/22/26 - 11:01 AM]
"Darkwing Duck" Is Back with an All-New Animated Series Greenlit for Disney+
Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan and Lilimar lead the show's voice cast.
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[09/22/26 - 10:31 AM]
Video: Trailer Available - Hulu Original "Reasonable Doubt" Season 4
Season 4 will debut with a three-episode premiere on October 6, with a new episode premiering each Tuesday through November 24 exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu.
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[09/22/26 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Vampirina: Teenage Vampire" Season 2 Lets It All Fang Out with New Trailer
The series returns October 6 on Disney Channel, and the full season will stream the next day on Disney+.
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[09/22/26 - 09:33 AM]
Great American Media Unveils the Greatest Slate of Christmas Movies Ever Assembled for a Single Season
Leading the extraordinary lineup is the beloved "Queen of Christmas," Candace Cameron Bure, who stars in two films and serves as executive producer of a third movie.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Go down a wormhole in this documentary on master of deadpan humor Norm Macdonald, whose life and career were uncompromising yet full of contradictions.
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[09/22/26 - 09:01 AM]
"Soulm8te" Kicks Off Huluween Thursday, October 1
Unnerving, sexy, suspenseful, and darkly compelling, the film follows a grieving engineer tasked with testing a ruthless tech giant's new artificially intelligent android.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
ESPN and Omaha Productions Announce ESPN Original Series "The Breakdown" Hosted by Peyton Manning and Luke Kuechly
New episodes will debut Fridays on the ESPN App, with select episodes also airing on ESPN.
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[09/22/26 - 09:00 AM]
George Michael Tribute Set for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will come together for a tribute performance to honor musical genius and icon.
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[09/22/26 - 08:11 AM]
BET Launches aTwist Microseries Partnership with Psychological Thriller "Her Baby," Premiering Wednesday, October 7 at 10 P.M. ET/CT on BET
The reformatted microseries will be presented in half-hour installments and aired in a horizontal format.
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[09/22/26 - 08:10 AM]
MGM+ Greenlights Crime Thriller "Rules of Prey" Starring Jensen Ackles
The project is an adaptation of Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist John Sandford's acclaimed book series.
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[09/22/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Watch the Gripping Trailer for "Clown Panic," The Chilling New Documentary Coming Exclusively to Hulu on October 12, 2026
Featuring chilling archive footage, viral internet videos and revealing interviews with witnesses, law enforcement, clowns and cultural commentators, "Clown Panic" examines the collision of fear, social media and modern America at a moment of deep national anxiety.
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[09/22/26 - 07:46 AM]
AMC Global Media to Debut Crime Drama "Smilla's Sense of Snow," from ITV Studios and Constantin Film, in U.S and Canada on AMC+
The modern adaptation of Peter Høeg's worldwide bestseller stars Filippa Coster-Waldau, Elyas M'Barek and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and is directed by BAFTA Winner Amma Asante.
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