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[12/17/19 - 11:47 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, December 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!
AMERICANAH (HBO Max) - Uzo Aduba and Zackary Momoh are the latest additions to the Lupita Nyong'o-led adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel. Aduba will play Aunty Uju, "Ifemelu's young aunt and confidant. A highly intelligent doctor, Uju left Nigeria under tumultuous circumstances and has resettled in America to build a better life for herself and her son Dike." Momoh then is Obinze, a classmate of Ifemelu (Nyong'o) whom she falls in love with as a teenager. (Variety.com)
COLD SHOULDER (CBS, New!) - Pam Veasey is looking to bring Lynda La Plante's novel to the small screen at the Eye. In the CBS Television Studios-based project, "after a police officer is unable to prevent the death of her partner in the line of duty, she seeks help from a fellow detective as she attempts to pick up the pieces of her broken life at home and on the force." The Jackal Group's Gail Berman and PatMa Productions' Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi will also executive produce. The news marks the Eye's second attempt at an adaptation: Kelly McGillis toplined a 2000 effort that didn't move forward to series. (Deadline.com)
CREW, THE (Netflix) - The Kevin James-led NASCAR comedy series has cast Gary Anthony Williams as Chuck; Dan Ahdoot as Amir; Freddie Stroma as Jake; Sarah Stiles as Beth; and Jillian Mueller as Catherine. The multi-camera project has a 10-episode order. (Deadline.com)
FIREFLY LANE (Netflix) - Patrick Sabongui and Brendan Taylor have scored recurring roles on the upcoming drama. Sabongui plays Chad Wiley, "a former journalist, now a college professor, who falls into a forbidden relationship with Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl), a promising young journalism student in the 1980s." Taylor portrays Mutt, a 1980s TV news cameraman who pines for his coworker Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke). Mutt is a funny, sweet, geeky underdog, with a great heart and hidden depths." (Deadline.com)
FROM SCRATCH (FYI, New!) - David Moscow is set to host a new 10-episode series for the cable channel which "follows the actor, producer and adventurer on a worldwide expedition making meals literally from scratch." UnLTD Productions is behind the project, due on Sunday, February 16 at 6:00/5:00c, with David Moscow, Karen Moscow, Graeme Swanepoel, Jordan Harman, Christian Murphy, Jason Dreyer, Graeme Swanepoel and Damien Brown executive producing. (Deadline.com)
GAME, THE (The CW, New!) - Mara Brock Akil is developing a one-hour sequel series to the 2006-2015 half-hour comedy alongside Devon Greggory, this time set in Baltimore, where "our out-of-touch old-timers are determined to help a bunch of knuckle-head new-schoolers navigate the ruthless game of football on and off the field." Salim Akil and Grammnet NH Productions' Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo will also executive produce for CBS Television Studios. (Deadline.com)
HOMECOMING (Amazon) - Joan Cusack and Mary Holland have both scored roles on the show's second season. Cusack will portray Francine Bunda, "an Army officer with an unconventional approach to the job"; while Holland will play Wendy, "an ambitious executive in Geist's R&D department." (Deadline.com)
INFAMOUS (The CW, New!) - George Northy and Darren Stein are set to team for a new drama at the netlet in which "celebrities who've experienced a devastating fall from grace are recruited by a top-secret arm of the CIA, with the promise to rehab their careers in exchange for using their global access (and eccentric reputations) to perform high-risk missions across the globe." Mike Tollin and Maia Glikman of Tollin Productions will also executive produce. No studio was indicated. (Deadline.com)
IRON SHARPENS IRON (Quibi, New!) - The streaming service has commissioned eight episodes of a new docu-series which "will pair star athletes with another professional athlete from a completely different sport." Cam Newton, Trae Young, Amanda Nunes and Carli Lloyd are among the initial participants. Iconic Saga Productions, Liquid Light and Endeavor Content's Film 45 are behind the project with Newton and David Ricks executive producing. (Variety.com)
LODGE 49 (AMC) - Creator Jim Gavin confirmed on social media today the series wasn't able to find a new home following AMC's cancellation. (@jimatdeltaco)
LORD OF THE RINGS, THE (Amazon) - Morfydd Clark has reportedly been cast as young Galadriel in the TV series. The character was famously portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson's various film incarnations. (Variety.com)
NO STONE UNTURNED (NBC, New!) - Steve Jackson's book, subtitled "The Story of NecroSearch International," is being developed as a drama at the Peacock network. Jonathan Collier is behind the project, which will follow "a group of the nation's top scientists, specialists and behaviorists who use the latest technology and the most advanced techniques to solve unsolvable crimes." Hazy Mills Productions' Todd Milliner and Sean Hayes will also executive produce for Universal Television. (Deadline.com)
RUSSIAN DOLL (Netflix) - Co-creator Leslye Headland has signed a multi-year overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios. There she'll develop new series projects for the company. (Deadline.com)
SAVED BY THE BELL (Peacock) - John Michael Higgins has been cast as Bayside High's newest principal in the revival series. Principal Toddman "is constantly being pranked by his privileged students and yelled at by their entitled parents. But all this changes when Bayside gets an influx of new, low-income students and Toddman gets a second chance to really make a difference." (TVLine.com)
SEAL TEAM (CBS) - Luis Jose Lopez has booked a multi-episode arc on the series as Carlos Ramos, "a CIA agent operating under a NOC (Non-Official Cover) who has been discovered/captured by the Venezuelan government. He's being held captive and risks being moved from South America to Middle East. " (Deadline.com)
SISTAS (BET) - Keena Ferguson will recur on the Tyler Perry-produced drama as Leslie Davenport, "a no-nonsense, tough private investigator who is hired to investigate a love triangle involving Andi, played by KJ Smith." (Deadline.com)
TRAITORS (Netflix) - MGM Television has closed a first-look deal with British management and production company 42, producer of said drama. (Deadline.com)
TRILL LEAGUE (Quibi, New!) - Anthony Piper's graphic novel is being developed as an animated series at the streaming service. The project, billed as "anime-inflected, hip-hop-informed vision of a black superhero universe," will be written by Piper and Jameel Saleem with G-Unit Film & Television's Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and 3 Arts Entertainment's Jermaine Johnson also executive producing for Lionsgate Television. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED NADER & SHLESINGER PROJECT (CBS, New!) - Comedian Iliza Shlesinger has been tapped to star in a multi-camera comedy at the Eye about Iliza (Shlesinger), "who returns home to Austin, Texas, to help her mom and sister run their family business." She'll co-write the half-hour alongside Michelle Nader with Danielle Stokdyk, Kara Baker, David Martin, Richard Allen-Turner and Jon Thoday also executive producing for Avalon Television, CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television. (Deadline.com)
VAN HELSING (Syfy) - The cable channel has renewed the series for a fifth and final season of 13 episodes, due in 2020. (THR.com)
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[11/27/24 - 10:04 AM]
Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren to Lead New Guy Ritchie Project for Paramount+ with Showtime
The project is an electrifying, new global crime series centered around two warring families based in London whose enterprises stretch all corners of the globe and the fiercely loyal "fixer" charged with protecting one of them at all costs.
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[11/27/24 - 08:00 AM]
"ChiefsAholic: A Wolf in Chiefs Clothing" Premieres Exclusively on Prime Video on December 24
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[11/27/24 - 07:09 AM]
Discovery Channel December Programming Highlights
This December, new Episodes of "Contraband: Seized at the Airport," "Expedition Files," "Game Changers," "Gold Rush," "Homestead Rescue," "The Last Woodsmen," "Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch," and "Mystery of the Abandoned" premiere on Discovery Channel.
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[11/27/24 - 05:59 AM]
Video: Check Out the Official Teaser Trailer for New Medical Mystery Drama "Watson," Starring Morris Chestnut
A 60-second version of the trailer will air during the Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions NFL Thanksgiving game Thursday, November 28, on CBS, with the full version available online.
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[11/26/24 - 05:01 PM]
"The Summer Hikaru Died" Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills to Netflix
A chilling blend of slice of life and the supernatural, Yoshiki's life is thrown upside down when his best friend Hikaru is replaced by "something" that looks and acts just like him.
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[11/26/24 - 04:55 PM]
"Abbott Elementary" Season 4 Return Skyrockets +321% in Total Viewers and +846% in Adults 18-49 Over Initial Live+Same Day Audience
The season four premiere of "Abbott Elementary" stands as the top multiplatform telecast in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 since the show's post-Oscars episode (3/10/24).
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[11/26/24 - 03:01 PM]
Video: New Games, New Stakes - "Squid Game" Season 2 Main Trailer and Key Art "Round and Round" Unveiled
With its premiere just around the corner on December 26, the trailer delivers an electrifying glimpse into the deadly games and gripping character dynamics that await fans worldwide.
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[11/26/24 - 02:34 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Debuts Official Trailer for Showtime's "Dexter: Original Sin"
The series premieres Friday, December 13 on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan, before making its on-air US debut on Sunday, December 15 at 10pm ET/PT.
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[11/26/24 - 01:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" posted double-digit gains week to week across the board, hitting a 6-week high in overall viewers and 7-week highs in both key Adult demos.
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[11/26/24 - 12:31 PM]
Netflix Orders Limited-Series Adaptation of Harlan Coben's "I Will Find You"
An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive - and must break out of prison to find out the truth.
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[11/26/24 - 12:03 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Nov. 18: "The Merry Gentlemen" and "A Man on the Inside" Take the Top Spots
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[11/26/24 - 11:44 AM]
TNT Sports to Debut "Evolve and Flex" with Lance Fresh Friday, Dec. 6, on truTV and Max
The show is hosted by sports-lifestyle expert Lance Fresh and features candid conversations with guests to discuss how life's events have contributed to their sense of style.
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[11/26/24 - 11:19 AM]
MGM+ Announces 2025 Premiere Date for "NFL Icons" Season Four
In the upcoming fourth season, the docuseries will feature Pro Football Hall of Famers Joe Montana, DeMarcus Ware, Kurt Warner and Gale Sayers.
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[11/26/24 - 10:24 AM]
Video: "Rogue Heroes" (MGM+ 2025 Series) Season 2 Tease
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[11/26/24 - 10:09 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Official Trailer for Second Season of Hit Australian Drama, "Darby and Joan"
The new season debuts with a two-episode premiere, exclusively on Acorn TV, on December 30, followed by weekly episodes through January 27.
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