Development Update: the 9th of March
1600 PENN (NBC) - Amara Miller ("The Descendants") has scored a role on the comedy pilot, about a dysfunctional First Family where the out-of-control oldest son Skip (Josh Gad) returns home and becomes not only it's biggest liability but also the glue holding everyone together. She'll play Marigold ("direct and tough - but with the soul of a poet"), the youngest daughter of President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman). Andre Holland and Brittany Snow also star in the 20th Century Fox Television-based project, from co-creators Gad, Jon Lovett and Jason Winer. (Deadline.com)
666 PARK AVENUE (ABC) - Mercedes Masohn ("The Finder") and Robert Buckley ("One Tree Hill") have both landed roles on the drama pilot, based on Gabriella Pierce's novel about a young couple (Rachael Taylor, Dave Annable) who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City where they begin to experience supernatural occurrences. They'll play two of their tenants - playwright Brian Leonard ("33, handsome, disheveled hipster") and his photographer wife Louise ("35, stylish, intellectual"). Masohn's casting is in second position to the FOX drama. Terry O'Quinn also stars in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from director Alex Graves and writer David Wilcox. (Deadline.com)
ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM (TLC) - The cable channel has passed on ordering a second season of the much-ballyhooed reality series, which follows the daily lives of five American Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan. The show's eight-episode freshman run averaged 984,000 viewers and a 0.4 rating among adults 18-49. Dan Peirson, Jennifer O'Connell and Nick Emmerson were the executive producers for Shed Media. (Detroit Free Press)
AMERICAN JUDY (ABC) - Ken Marino ("Childrens Hospital") and Erica Ash ("MADtv") have signed onto the comedy pilot, about Judy (Judy Greer), a cosmopolitan woman who gets married and becomes a fish out of water in the suburbs having to juggle stepkids (Jadon Sand, Madison Lintz), her mother-in-law (Mimi Kennedy) and the ex-wife (Elaine Hendrix) of her husband, who also happens to be the town's sheriff. Marino will play said husband, Dean Jennings, a very handsome airline pilot; with Ash as Judy's L.A.-based friend Claire, "who doesn't understand what her life in the 'burbs entails." Beth McCarthy-Miller is directing the ABC Studios-based half-hour from a teleplay by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. (THR.com)
THE AMERICANS (FX) - Keri Russell ("Running Wilde") has booked the female lead on the pilot, a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington DC in the early 1980's. Said hour follows "the arranged marriage of Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell) - who have two children who know nothing about their parents' true identity - as it grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control." Gavin O'Connor is directing the hour from a script by Joe Weisberg. DreamWorks Television, Fox Television Studios and FX Productions are producing. (Deadline.com)
APPLEBAUM (CBS) - Rhys Coiro ("A Gifted Man") is set to star opposite Rachelle Lefevre in the drama pilot, about Juliet Applebaum (Lefevre), a former public defender who becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom. He'll play her husband, Peter Wyeth ("30s, handsome nerdy"), in the CBS Television Studios-based hour, from director Chris Columbus and writer Ayelet Waldman. Coiro, who was upped to series regular for "Man's" final three episodes this season, like Lefevre is being cast in second position. James Hiroyuki Liao and Marlowe Peyton also star. (Deadline.com)
ARROW (The CW) - Colin Salmon ("Resident Evil: Retribution") has landed a role on the drama pilot, a modern retelling of the story of DC Comics character Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), better known as Green Arrow. He's on board as Walter Steele, a family friend who married Oliver's mother (Susanna Thompson) and oversaw Queen Consolidated while he and his father (Jamey Sheridan) were presumed dead following a boating accident. Colin Donnell, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Paul Blackthorne and Willa Holland also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, to be directed by David Nutter. Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg penned the teleplay off a story by Greg Berlanti and Guggenheim. (Deadline.com)
ELEMENTARY (CBS) - Aidan Quinn ("Prime Suspect") is the latest addition to the pilot, a drama which envisions Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) in the present day as a former Scotland Yard consultant who solves crimes for the NYPD alongside Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), his personal recovery assistant. He'll play Tobias "Toby" Gregson ("early 50s, a cop's cop, manicured but Naugahyde tough"), an NYPD Captain who originally crossed paths with Holmes while assigned to Scotland Yard to observe their counterterrorism bureau after 9/11. Robert Doherty is behind the CBS Television Studios-based hour, to be directed by Michael Cuesta. (Deadline.com)
GOLDEN BOY (CBS) - British actor Theo James ("Bedlam") has been tapped for the title role on the drama pilot, which tracks one man's (Phillippe) meteoric rise from uniform cop at age 26 to police commissioner at 34. He'll take over for Ryan Phillippe, who was originally cast as said role, Walter William Clark, Jr. Richard Shepard is directing the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, which comes from creator Nick Wootton and also stars Chi McBride, Kevin Alejandro and Stella Maeve. (Deadline.com)
GUILTY (FOX) - Jay Harrington ("Better Off Ted") has joined the cast of the Cuba Gooding, Jr.-led drama pilot, about William "Billy" Remz, a morally questionable defense attorney who, after being falsely convicted of fraud and stripped of his license, uses unorthodox methods to continue working cases. He'll play Scott Shepherd ("kind; idealistic; gay"), Billy's only remaining friend, who lets him operate out of his practice. Eva Amurri Martino and Julian Morris also star in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from director McG and writer Marc Guggenheim. (Deadline.com)
MISTRESSES (ABC) - Rochelle Aytes ("Work It") and Jes Macallan ("Justified") have booked two of the principal roles on the upcoming drama, based on the U.K. series of the same name which follows the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships. The former will play April ("charming and girlish"), a recent widow raising two daughters and running a high-end linen shop on Robertson Boulevard; with Macallan as Josslyn, "a real estate broker and an unapologetically sensual woman." Aytes previously starred in Lifetime's 2008 attempt to import the series (alongside Camille Sullivan, Holly Maria Combs and Brooke Burns). Cherie Nowlan is on board to direct the K.J. Steinberg-penned hour for ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)
ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES (ABC) - Wendi McLendon-Covey ("Bridesmaids") has been tapped for the female lead on the comedy pilot, about two streetwise brothers (John Leguizamo, Dustin Ybarra) and their aging grandfather (Christpher Lloyd) as they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get-rich-quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires. She'll play Ruby Ross, the ex-wife of Leguizamo's character who owns the bar the brothers frequent. The actress had been attached to the HBO pilot "The Viagra Diaries" but was released following the exit of Goldie Hawn. B.J. Bales also stars in the ABC Studios-based project, to be directed by Ted Wass from a script by Brian Bradley and Steven Cragg. (Deadline.com)
THE SELECTION (The CW) - Leonor Varela, Martin Donovan and Peta Sergeant have all been cast in the pilot, a drama set 300 years in the future about a poor woman (Aimee Teegarden) who is chosen by lottery to compete to become the next queen of a war-torn nation. Varela and Donovan will play Royal Family members Queen Amberly ("refined and beautiful") and King Clarkson ("dignified"), whose son Maxon (Ethan Peck) will marry the winner of said contest. Sergeant then is set as Commander Gaia Woods ("gorgeous; raised to be a fierce soldier"), who is spearheading a rebellion against the monarchy. Sean Patrick Thomas also stars in the Warner Bros. Television-based hour, from co-writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. Mark Piznarski is directing. (Deadline.com, THR.com)
UNTITLED BEN FALCONE/LARRY DORF PROJECT (CBS) - Emily Rutherfurd ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and Andrea Martin ("My Big Fat Greek Life") have both been cast in the comedy pilot, about David (Ben Falcone), a single 37-year-old who loses everything he has in the real estate collapse and must move back in with his parents. Martin will play his mother Shelli while Rutherfurd is set as Julie, his former high school crush who now works as a waitress. They joint the previously cast Judd Hirsch and Rachael Harris as David's father and sister. Warner Bros. Television is producing. (Deadline.com)
UNTITLED JOSH BERMAN/ROB WRIGHT PROJECT (FOX) - William Forsythe ("Boardwalk Empire") has scored a role on the drama pilot, about Grace Devlin (Jordana Spiro), one of Chicago's top young cardiothoracic surgeons who, to save her gambling-indebted brother (Jesse Lee Soffer), is forced to moonlight as a mob doctor. He'll play Alexander Constantine - the legendary, imposing boss of Chicago Outfit's Southside faction - who has a history with Grace's mother, Maria (yet to be cast). Jaime Lee Kirchner and James Carpinello also star in the Sony Pictures Television-based hour, to be directed by Michael Dinner. (Deadline.com)
YOU KILL ME (Showtime, New!) - Emmy-winners Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely ("The Life and Death of Peter Sellers") are developing a small screen take on their 2007 film, about "a hit man who, after messing up one too many times, is forced to deal with his demons in AA." Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni and Luke Wilson starred in the project, which was directed by John Dahl. Markus and McFeely will pen the script and executive produce. (Deadline.com)
ZERO HOUR (ABC) - Anthony Edwards ("ER") and Carmen Ejogo ("Chaos") are set to star in the drama pilot, about a skeptical magazine editor who, after his wife is improbably kidnapped, finds himself swept up in a conspiracy dating back to World War II. He'll play said fellow, Hank Foley, with Ejogo as Becca "Beck" Sunjata ("your typical TV FBI chick, but as we shall find, not the case at all"), an FBI agent who gets sucked into his quest. They join the previously cast Addison Timlin, Anthony Edwards and Scott Michael Foster. Pierre Morel is directing from a script by Paul Scheuring for ABC Studios. (Deadline.com)