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[10/22/14 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Wednesday, October 22
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!


BEWITCHED (NBC, New!) - The Peacock has issued a pilot production commitment to Sony Pictures Television for a new comedy re-imagining the famed 1964-1972 series. Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (The Vow) are penning the half-hour, which centers on "Daphne - Samantha's granddaughter and Tabitha's daughter - a single twentsomething witch who has always used her magical powers to conjure herself the perfect life. But she soon realizes that the one thing she cannot conjure and control is the one thing she wants most - real love." Television 360's Daniel Rappaport and Red Wagon Entertainment's Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick will also serve as executive producers. The latter duo previously attempted a revival at CBS with writer Marc Lawrence in 2011. (Deadline.com)


BIG HOLE, THE (ABC, New!) - Maggie Carey (To Do List) has sold a single-camera comedy to the Alphabet which "explores the generational clash between an entitled millennial and her baby boomer boss at a failing PBS station in Big Hole, Montana." 20th Century Fox Television is behind the half-hour with Caroline Williams and 3 Arts Entertainment's Tom Lassally and Greg Walter also attached as executive producers. (THR.com)


COLONY (USA/Legendary/UCP; W: Carlton Cuse & Ryan Condal; D: Juan José Campanella) - Amanda Righetti ("The Mentalist") is the latest to join the drama pilot, about a family torn by opposing forces and making difficult choices as they balance staying together with surviving the struggle of the human race. She's set as Madeline, "younger sister of Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies) and the mother of a diabetic child in need of insulin. She appeals to Katie for help but will do what it takes to protect her child and family in need." Josh Holloway also stars. (Deadline.com)


CRIME (A.K.A. CRIMINAL JUSTICE) (HBO; W: Richard Price & Steven Zaillian; D: Steven Zaillian) - Michael Kenneth Williams, Amara Karan, Jeannie Berlin and Glenne Headly have all been cast in the upcoming drama, about Jack Stone (John Turturro), "an ambulance-chasing New York City attorney who gets in over his head when he takes on the case of Pakistani Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), accused of murdering a girl on the Upper West Side." Williams will play "the head of a NY gang, controlling his nexus of power within the walls of Rikers Island" with Berlin as Helen, "a New York DA's Office lifer assigned to prosecute the Khan case"; Headly as Alison, "a successful attorney specializing in high-profile cases, who comes on board to defend Khan"; and Karan as Chandra, "a young attorney involved in attempting to prove Khan's innocence." Bill Camp, Payman Moaadi and Poorna Jagannathan also star. (Deadline.com)


FINGER, THE (ABC, New!) - Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) is set to star in a potential single-camera comedy at the Alphabet about Nick Ferguson a.k.a. The Finger, "the world's most famous jewel thief who wants to quit his life of crime, open up a humble sandwich shop and do right by his 9-year-old son - and all of that is really hard to do." He'll co-write the half-hour alongside Ben Karlin ("Modern Family") for ABC Studios with 3 Arts Entertainment's David Miner also serving as an executive producer. (Deadline.com)


FRANKENSTEIN (FOX, New!) - The network has given a put pilot commitment to a new drama about Adam Tremble, "a morally corrupt FBI agent who is given a second chance at life when he is brought back from the dead. Now younger and stronger, Tremble will have to choose between his old temptations and his new sense of purpose - dealing with threats beyond the FBI's capabilities. All the while navigating the complicated relationship with his creators: an antisocial Internet billionaire and his bio-engineer twin sister." Rand Ravich ("Crisis") is behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour with Teakwood Lane Productions' Howard Gordon and Hugh Fitzpatrick serving as executive producer and co-executive producer, respectively. (Deadline.com)


HITCH (FOX, New!) - Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (Made of Honor) are the latest to spearhead a small screen take on the Will Smith-led 2005 feature, "a workplace comedy that explores dating and sexual politics." Sony Pictures Television is behind the single-camera project, with Overbrook Entertainment's Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett also serving as executive producers. Pete Chiarelli and Ben Wexler were behind previous incarnations in 2010 and 2007, respectively. (Deadline.com)


MR. ROBOT (USA/UCP; W: Sam Esmail; D: Niels Arden Oplev) - Gloria Reuben (Lincoln) has been cast in the drama pilot, about a young programmer, Elliot (Rami Malek), who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. He wields his skills as a weapon to protect the people that he cares about. Elliot will find himself in the intersection between a cybersecurity firm he works for and the underworld organizations that are recruiting him to bring down corporate America. She will play "Elliot's psychologist Krista, who is trying her best to break through their frustratingly silent sessions together." Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin and Martin Wallstrom also star. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED FORTUNE FEIMSTER PROJECT (ABC, New!) - Comedian Fortune Feimster is set to topline a multi-camera comedy at the Alphabet based on her life growing up in Belmont, North Carolina. She'll co-write the script, which has a penalty attached, alongside Matt Hubbard with Tina Fey, Robert Carlock and 3 Arts Entertainment's David Miner likewise executive producing for Universal Television. Feimster will serve as co-executive producer. (Deadline.com)


WEATHERMAN, THE (FOX, New!) - "Dads" co-creator Wellesley Wild is back in business with the network for a new workplace comedy "centering on weatherman Tony Turpinson, the most insecure man on television." The 20th Century Fox Television-based project, which has a penalty attached, is based on Timothy Nash and Lucas Crandles's Australian web series of the same name. Former Fox Entertainment Group chairman Sandy Grushow will also executive produce. (THR.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - FOX has quietly commissioned four additional scripts for its struggling drama "Red Band Society" (Deadline.com); "Jane the Virgin" director Brad Silberling has inked a two-hour overall deal with producer CBS Television Studios (Deadline.com); Morena Baccarin has been cast as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, "a gifted and dedicated physician who was a friend of Bruce Wayne's parents," on "Gotham" (Deadline.com); Karen Pittman has scored an arc on "The Americans" as "a struggling mother and recovering alcoholic who works on the assembly line of a highly classified Defense Department project" (Deadline.com); Kevin Rahm will recur on "Bates Motel" as "the wealthy, self-involved and gregarious owner of an elite hunting club who grew up with Romero" (TVLine.com); Ana Ortiz is bound for "Black-ish" as "one of Dre's (Anthony Anderson) co-workers who becomes an adversary at their company's office Christmas party" (THR.com); and Willie Garson will guest on FOX's "Weird Loners" as "a friend of Eric's (Nate Torrence) who offers up a trade to Eric for a better position in live-action chess for a date with Caryn (Becki Newton)" (THR.com).






  [october 2014]  
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T
W
T
F
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· AMERICANS, THE (FX)
· BATES MOTEL (A AND E)
· BEWITCHED (ABC)
· BIG HOLE, THE (ABC)
· BLACK-ISH (ABC)
· COLONY (USA)
· CRISIS (NBC)
· DADS (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· FAMILY FORTUNE (ABC)
· FINGER, THE (ABC)
· GOTHAM (FOX)
· HITCH (FOX)
· JANE THE VIRGIN (CW)
· MENTALIST, THE (CBS)
· MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
· MR. ROBOT (USA)
· NIGHT OF, THE (HBO)
· RED BAND SOCIETY (FOX)
· SECOND CHANCE (FOX)
· WEATHERMAN, THE (FOX)
· WEIRD LONERS (FOX)





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