The television world moves so fast that by the time you learn of a show’s premiere, it could already be canceled. It’s hard to keep track of the constant stream of television news, so Flavorwire is here to provide a weekly roundup of the most exciting — and baffling — casting and development updates. This week: Scarlett Johansson stars in an Edith Wharton adaptation, Jay Leno returns to television, and networks begin picking up every show that’s thrown at them.
In the span of 24 hours, NBC ordered a Say Anything TV series, Cameron Crowe tweeted his distaste for it, and NBC shelved the series. Let’s hope the same thing happens with ABC’s Uncle Buck series. [Deadline]
Amazon renewed Transparent for Season 2! [THR]
Scarlett Johansson will star and act as executive producer of a series based on Edith Wharton’s The Custom of a Country. The limited series will be written by Christopher Hampton and consist of eight episodes. [Variety]
Stephen Collins’ anticipated return to Scandal has been yanked. ABC will not air any of the footage that Collins appears in, due to the news of his involvement in a child molestation scandal. [TV Line]
Call your dad: Jay Leno is returning to TV with a show about classic cars for CNBC. [A.V. Club]
There were a ton of announcements about developing shows, so here’s a quick rundown, courtesy of Deadline:
- ABC’s Splitting The Difference , about a widow who reunites with the 18-year-old she gave up for adoption.
- Fox’s untitled space drama, described as “The Dirty Dozen in space” from Sleepy Hollow‘s Len Wiseman.
- NBC’s single-camera comedy, about a failed political blogger who joins a women’s magazine (Cosmo EIC Joanna Coles serves as one of the executive producers).
- NBC’s Take It From Us, from Friends‘ Greg Malins, about “a couple in their 50s who tell their son and his new fiancée all the mistakes they made in life” so they can avoid those same mistakes.
- CBS’s parenting comedy from Will Arnett, titled How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane, about unconventional parenting.
- ABC’s Juvie , about a privileged boy who works at a juvenile hall and learns things.
- Showtime’s In The Heat of the Night, based on the 1967 film dealing with race relations and a murder during the Civil Rights era. The drama will take place in the present day.
- Syfy is finalizing a deal for Five Ghosts, based on the comic of the same name about a treasure hunter who can “harness the ghosts of five literary characters.”
- Starz’s The Disappearance ,which is a mystery about a mother whose kidnapped son returns seven years later and may or may not be connected with murders.
- ABC’s Big Stop, from Modern Family‘s Eric Stonestreet, is a multi-camera comedy revolving around a Kansas truck stop.
Promos for the next episode of Saturday Night Live featuring Bill Hader’s return!
Cartoon Network launched a “micro-network” for smartphones that features video snippets, games, trivia, and quizzes. [Variety]
Victor Garber (Alias) has joined The Flash in a recurring role. He’ll play Dr. Martin Stein, or one half of Firestorm. [TV Line]
Lifetime is going ahead with the fourth (and thankfully, final) installment in the Flowers of the Attic franchise, Seeds of Yesterday. [Deadline]
Pivot has added Baratunde Thurston, comedian and author of How to Be Black, to TakePart Live, where he’ll be a co-host alongside Meghan McCain and Jacob Soboroff. [Pivot]