or


[09/10/15 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 10
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

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!


CANARY (ABC, New!) - Zack Estrin ("The Whispers") is developing a new drama at the Alphabet about "a woman who risks everything to help a whistleblower come forward with secret information that will impact the lives of millions." Said effort comes from ABC Studios and Momentum Television with the latter's Nick Hamm and Sabrina Eisenstadt also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


CHAMPION: THE JEFF BEEKMAN STORY (FOX, New!) - John Aboud and Michael Colton (Penguins of Madagascar) have scored a put pilot commitment from the network for a single-camera comedy which "chronicles the everyday experiences of a hyper-competitive but perpetual underdog dad presented like a sports documentary, with commentary and analysis." The project is set up at ABC Studios with Mila Kunis, Susan Curtis, Cami Curtis and Lisa Sterbakov of Orchard Farm Productions also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


CRUSADERS, THE (FOX, New!) - Actor Idris Elba and writer/director Thomas Ikimi (Legacy) are set to re-team for a new drama at the network about "an extended family of second-generation Africans living in the U.S. who specialize in locating and returning valuable objects stolen from Africa during colonial occupation." Legendary Television-based Di Bonaventura Television is behind the project with Green Door Pictures' Elba, T&T Studios' Ikimi and Di Bonaventura's Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


DOWNWARD DOG (ABC, New!) - Samm Hodges and Michael Killen have received an off-cycle pilot production order from the Alphabet for a single-camera comedy about "a woman and her dog." Legendary Television and ABC Studios are behind the project, which began as a web series produced by Animal Media Group. Mosaic Media Group's Jimmy Miller and Sam Hansen and Animal's Kathy Dziubek are also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED LENA WAITHE PROJECT (Showtime/Fox 21; W: Lena Waithe; D: Clark Johnson) - Tequan Richmond, Aisha Hinds, Alex Henderson, Sierra McClain, Olivia Dawson and Jason Weaver are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story of a young African American male in which just growing up can be a matter of life and death. Richmond will play Emmett, "an attractive, young African-American teen who believes his sexual prowess is what defines him"; with Hinds as Jada, "Emmett's young, single mother"; Henderson as Kevin, "an adolescent whose childlike innocence collides with his pent up aggression"; McClain as Jerrika, "a tightly wound restaurant manager"; Dawson as "the mother of two of the main characters Brandon and Coogie"; and Weaver as Ronnie, "a street corner philosopher and a fixture in the neighborhood, who must go to extraordinary lengths to try and win back the love of his life." Production is set to begin in Chicago later this year with Elwood Reid recently added as showrunner. (Deadline.com)


URBAN COWBOY (FOX/20th/Paramount; W/D: Craig Brewer) - Nathalie Kelley ("UnREAL") and Lindsey Gort ("Impastor") are both bound for the network's modern reimagining of the 1980 movie, about star-crossed young lovers Kyle (Alfonso Herrera) and Gaby as they pursue their dreams and passions through the sweat of line dancing in honky tonks, the grime of the oil refineries and the glamour of modern Texas. Kelley will play the aforementioned Gaby, "the gorgeous, feisty, independent minded, bright and resourceful daughter of Marshall (Jim Belushi), the owner of Gilley's, a super-popular Houston honky tonk." Gort then is set as Pam, "the beautiful daughter of one of Houston's most powerful families who captures Kyle's attention." Bryana Salaz and Edward James Olmos also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - HBO's Bernie Madoff docudrama "The Wizard of Lies" has added Nathan Darrow (as Andrew Madoff), Kathrine Narducci (Eleanor Squillari), Steve Coulter (Martin London), Kristen Connolly (Stephanie Madoff) and Diana Henriques (herself) to the cast (Deadline.com); Vivica A. Fox has been cast as Cookie's (Taraji P. Henson) older sister on "Empire" (Deadline.com); David Slade has been tapped to direct the pilot and several more episodes of Starz's "American Gods" (Deadline.com); and Christopher Stanley will recur on "American Crime" as "a handsome and sophisticated businessman and love interest to Felicity Huffman's character" (THR.com).






  [september 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICAN CRIME (ABC)
· AMERICAN GODS (STARZ)
· CANARY (ABC)
· CHAMPION: THE JEFF BEEKMAN STORY (FOX)
· CHI, THE (SHOWTIME)
· CRUSADERS, THE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOWNWARD DOG (ABC)
· EMPIRE (FOX)
· IMPASTOR (TV LAND)
· UNREAL (HULU)
· URBAN COWBOY (FOX)
· WHISPERS, THE (ABC)
· WIZARD OF LIES, THE (HBO)





[04/24/24 - 01:45 PM]
What's New on Max This May
Highlights include new seasons of "Hacks" and "Pretty Little Liars: Summer School"; and the streaming debuts of "Turtles All The Way Down," "Stop Making Sense" and "The Iron Claw."

[04/24/24 - 01:32 PM]
Tracee Ellis Ross Packs Her (Many) Bags for New Roku Original Travel Doc-Series "Tracee Travels" (wt)
The docu-series will shoot later this year and debut exclusively on The Roku Channel in 2025.

[04/24/24 - 10:59 AM]
Prime Video Announces Premiere Date and Key Art for Stand-Up Comedy Special "Marlon Wayans: Good Grief"
The one-hour special will premiere in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on June 4.

[04/24/24 - 09:09 AM]
Video: Disney+ Shares Official Trailer for "Jim Henson Idea Man"
Produced with the full participation and cooperation of the Henson family, "Jim Henson Idea Man" is an unprecedented, intimate look at Henson's illustrious, revolutionary career and complex personal life.

[04/24/24 - 09:05 AM]
Gird Your Loins! Prime Video Releases Official First Look Images and Launch Date for "My Lady Jane"
Also announced, the series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, June 27 in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
Steve Carell to Star in "The Four Seasons" Netflix Comedy Series from Universal Television
Carell will star in the series alongside Tina Fey.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
ID Announces New Docuseries "Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter"
From their outsized fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s to their headline-making struggles in recent years, the docuseries pulls back the curtain on the fraught dynamic of the Carter family and the dark side of such an abrupt rise to fame.

[04/24/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Black Twitter: A People's History" - Official Trailer - Hulu
The rise, movements, voices and memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.

[04/24/24 - 07:59 AM]
Starz Confirms Additional Casting for "Outlander: Blood of My Blood"
Joining the cast in a role "Outlander" fans will recognize from early seasons is Sally Messham as Mrs. Fitz, Ellen's maid at Castle Leoch and Murtagh's aunt.

[04/24/24 - 07:03 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Debuts Trailer for "The Big Cigar," New Limited Series Starring Andre Holland as Black Panther Leader Huey P. Newton, Premiering Globally on Friday, May 17
Based on the magazine article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman, who also serves as executive producer, "The Big Cigar" tells the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution.

[04/24/24 - 07:02 AM]
Paramount+ Renews Original Animated Preschool Series "Dora" for a Second Season
The iconic Latina heroine made her triumphant return earlier this month in the all-new CG-animated series produced by Nickelodeon Animation.

[04/24/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Golden Kamuy" - Official Trailer - Netflix
On the Hokkaido frontier, a war veteran and Ainu girl race against misfits and military renegades to find treasure mapped out on tattooed outlaws.

[04/24/24 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Illusions for Sale: The Rise and Fall of Generacion Zoe" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This documentary follows the rise and fall of GeneraciĆ³n Zoe, a spiritual coaching network hiding the most unusual scam in Argentina's history.

[04/24/24 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "My Oni Girl" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A shy teenage boy's inability to say no is tested when a headstrong girl drags him on a mystical journey amid summer snow to find her missing mom.

[04/24/24 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Thank You, Next" - Official Teaser - Netflix
After a painful breakup, a young lawyer dives head first into the confusing world of modern dating, with the unwavering support of her best friends.