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[02/25/11 - 10:49 PM]
Development Update: Friday, February 25
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!
ARE YOU THERE VODKA? IT'S ME CHELSEA (NBC) - "Chelsea Lately" staple Jo Koy is the latest addition to the comedy pilot, about Chelsea Hanson (Laura Prepon), "a fresh-faced single cocktail waitress highly opinionated and open about her love to drink and have sex." The comedian, who is in the middle of a talent holding deal with producer Warner Bros. Television, will play Mark ("handsome and very familiar with pot"), a bartender at the sports bar where Chelsea works. Angel Laketa Moore, Lauren Lapkus and Natalie Morales are also featured in the half-hour, as is Chelsea Handler (as her sister Sloane), whose book the project is based upon. Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson
co-wrote the adaptation while Gail Mancuso will direct.
BAD MOM (ABC) - Jennifer Crittenden ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and Gabrielle Allan ("Miss/Guided") have inked a two-year, seven-figure overall deal with ABC Studios. The pact, which starts in June, calls for the newly formed duo to develop new series projects for the studio. They'll already supervising the studio-based pilot "Bad Mom," about Julia, a single mother of two, who's forced to actually raise her kids once her mother, Marian - who had been filling said void, decides she wants her life back. Jenna Elfman is in talks to star. Sharon Horgan penned the half-hour while Chris Koch will direct.
DAMAGE CONTROL (A.K.A. IN CRISIS) (ABC) - Tony Goldwyn has landed a role on the drama pilot, about Olivia Price (Kerry Washington), a professional fixer and her dysfunctional staff. He'll play Fitzgerald Grant ("handsome, charismatic, brilliant and humble; Kennedy-esque"), an old friend of Price's who's now the President of the United States in the ABC Studios-based hour. He reaches out to her after Julia Tannen, a young aide, starts saying she's sleeping with him. Columbus Short, Guillermo Diaz, Henry Ian Cusick and Katie Lowes also star in the project, from writer Shonda Rhimes and director Paul McGuigan.
GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES (ABC) - Jennifer Aspen ("Glee") is the first to board the drama pilot, about Amanda Vaughn, a widowed mother of two who - to get a fresh start - moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew up. Aspen will play Sharon Pevy (who's likened to "Designing Women's" Suzanne Sugarbaker circa season three), a former beauty queen who's now a compulsive eater. Robert Harling penned the ABC Studios-based hour, which is based on Kim Gatlin's book of the same name. Alan Poul is directing.
GRIMM (NBC) - Russell Hornsby ("In Treatment") and Bitsie Tulloch ("quarterlife") are the latest additions to the drama pilot, about Nick Burckhardt (David Giuntoli), a police detective who discovers fairy tale creatures live among us and is tasked with defending humans from these mythical beasts. She'll play Juliette Lambert ("a bundle of beauty and energy" with a red pea coat, a la "Little Red Riding Hood"), Nick's girlfriend who works at a French bakery, with Hornsby as Hank Green, Nick's dutiful partner. Silas Weir Mitchell also stars in the hour, from director Marc Buckland and co-creators David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf. Universal Media Studios is producing.
HALLELUJAH (ABC) - Frances O'Connor ("Cashmere Mafia") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about a tiny town in Tennessee which finds itself being torn apart by the forces of good and evil.
She's set as Ruth Turner, whose family welcomes Jared O'Neal (Jesse L. Martin) - a mysterious stranger who arrives to restore faith to the town's residents - into their home. Michael Apted is directing the ABC Studios-based hour from a script by creator Marc Cherry.
ICELAND (FOX) - Kerry Bishe ("Scrubs") and John Boyd ("24") have both scored roles on the comedy pilot, about a woman whose life is shaken after her fiance passes away. Bishe will play said woman, Mackenzie ("mid-20's, pretty, a young Maura Tierney type"), with Boyd presumably as Todd ("mid-20's, a wiry, geeky guy with poor interpersonal skills"). Andy Bobrow penned the Sony Pictures Television-based half-hour, which Will Gluck is attached to direct.
A MANN'S WORLD (NBC) - Don Johnson ("Just Legal") has been tapped for the title role on the drama pilot, about a straight Beverly Hills hairdresser in his 50s who is struggling to stay young and relevant in a place where looks are everything. He'll play said hairdresser, Allan Mann ("a sexy, knock-out at thirty, now late fifties, but still sexy"), who doubles down on his beauty empire by opening a day spa next door to his salon. Writer/director Michael Patrick King is behind the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which also stars Taylor Kinney.
PARTNERS (ABC) - Frances Fisher ("Eureka") has landed a role on the drama pilot, about half-sisters - Mattie (Scottie Thompson) and Jess (Annie Wersching) - who work together as police detectives. She's on board as their incarcerated mother, Colleen Scott, who confessed to killing Mattie's abusive father 20 years ago. Also cast in the ABC Studios-based hour is Nester Serrano as Captain Ben Wolford ("a man with a gentle soul"), Jess and Mattie's boss. Kenneth Mitchell, Larry Gilliard Jr. and Michael Beach also star in the project, from writer Edward Allen Bernero. Yves Simoneau is directing.
PLAYBOY (NBC) - David Krumholtz ("NUMB3RS") has reportedly joined the cast of the pilot, a period drama set at the Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963. He'll play Billy Morton ("all business, ZBT president, young Albert Brooks"), said club's General Manager in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project. Alan Taylor is directing from a script by Chad Hodge while Amber Heard, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Laura Benanti, Leah Cudmore and Naturi Naughton also star. Separately, Krumholtz is developing "Igotchaback," about "an up-and-coming music industry manager tasked with representing an aging rap star mired knee-deep in existential crisis," at FX. Said half-hour is loosely based on the life of Wu Tang Clan founding member GZA and his publicist Heathcliff Berru. No other auspices were given.
SMASH (NBC) - Raza Jaffrey ("MI-5") has scored a role on the drama pilot, a show-within-a-show vehicle about a group of people who come together to put on a Marilyn Monroe-themed Broadway musical. He's on board as Dev ("a handsome, contemporary Indian"), "the live-in boyfriend of the musical's star, Karen (Katharine McPhee), who works in the mayor's office." Christian Borle, Debra Messing, Jack Davenport and Megan Hilty co-star in the project, from creator Theresa Rebeck. Michael Mayer is directing for Universal Media Studios.
TILDA (NBC) - The pay channel has reportedly passed on the Diane Keaton-led comedy pilot, about a powerful and reclusive Hollywood blogger likened to Deadline.com's Nikki Finke. David Harbour, Ellen Page, Jason Patric, Leland Orser, Sanaa Lathan and Wes Bentley also starred in the project, from co-creators Bill Condon and Cynthia Mort. The latter departed the project back in August over creative differences while Alan Poul, Alexa Junge and John Hoffman were subsequently brought in to spearhead the potential series. Ultimately with actors' options set to expire in mid-March, the network passed. Said report adds that HBO is still interested in a show about Finke, "this time with her on board from the beginning."
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[01/30/25 - 08:07 AM]
TLC to Premiere 1-Hour Special "Big Family, Big City" on Tuesday, February 25 at 10/9c
Get ready for an unforgettable ride with the de la Mottes, a conservative family of 13 who are about to experience the ultimate culture shock!
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[01/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
HGTV Stars Ben and Erin Napier Renovate the Whole Town of Sebring, Florida, in a New Season of Hit Series "Home Town Takeover" Premiering Sunday, March 9, at 8 PM ET/PT
The pair - who attracted more than 14 million viewers to the series' last season - will now take on over a dozen renovation projects across homes, local businesses and public spaces, bolstered by 13 all-star HGTV and Food Network talent, to reinvigorate the struggling lakeside community.
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[01/30/25 - 06:07 AM]
The First Season of "The Eternaut" Will Release Globally on Netflix on April 30th
One summer's night in Buenos Aires, a mysterious deadly snowfall wipes out most of the population and leaves thousands stranded.
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[01/30/25 - 06:03 AM]
Are You in for the Final Game?: "Squid Game" Season 3 to Premiere on June 27
Picking up where the second season left off, Season 3 explores the choices Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) will make amidst overwhelming despair.
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[01/30/25 - 06:02 AM]
Netflix Announces Two New Projects from Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry's 2025 slate includes Part 2 of the hit drama series "Beauty in Black," set to return on March 6.
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[01/30/25 - 06:01 AM]
You're Not Ready for What's Next: Netflix Reveals Upcoming Series, Films and Games for 2025
"No matter what you're looking forward to this year, there's no way to be completely ready for what's next on Netflix," said Bela Bajaria, Netflix Chief Content Officer, at the company's annual showcase of films, series and games coming in 2025.
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[01/29/25 - 09:01 PM]
Video: Trailer for "Dalah: Death and the Flowers" Reveals More Clues - Uncover the Mystery on February 27
Netflix has unveiled the main trailer for the murder mystery series "Dalah: Death and the Flowers," offering a deeper look into the shocking death of a promising prime ministerial candidate.
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[01/29/25 - 08:01 PM]
Video: "Sosyal Climbers" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Stuck with a massive debt after falling for a scam, two wannabe socialites create elaborate fake identities to swindle the rich out of their money.
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[01/29/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A playboy stages a dating show to earn his inheritance by granting his father's last wish: for his son to marry the most beautiful girl in the world.
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[01/29/25 - 11:44 AM]
"Little House on the Prairie," A Reimagining of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Book Series, Is Coming to Netflix
Part family drama, part survival tale, and part origin story, the series will offer a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the American West.
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[01/29/25 - 11:08 AM]
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" Returns February 16
The weekly series has received 30 Emmys since its premiere in 2014.
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[01/29/25 - 11:02 AM]
Discovery Channel February Programming Highlights
Highlights include new installments of "Contraband: Seized at the Border" and "Destinations of the Damned with Zak Bagans" plus "Puppy Bowl XXI."
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[01/29/25 - 10:41 AM]
Awesomeness TV Lands the Rights to "That Friend," from Comedian and Digital Star Sabrina Brier
Set against the vibrant, Gen Z-driven energy of New York City, the upcoming series will follow a 20-something aspiring influencer as she navigates the chaos of building her podcast while balancing life with her three best friends, coping with a dwindling bank account, and chasing her dreams of making it big.
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[01/29/25 - 10:30 AM]
Video: "Deli Boys" - Official Teaser - Hulu
Things are about to get messy. Stream "Deli Boys" on March 6, only on Hulu.
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[01/29/25 - 10:19 AM]
CBS' "FBI" Tuesday Up from Its Season Average
The flagship "FBI" averaged 8.36 million Live+SD viewers, up +1% from its STD average (8.31 million viewers).
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