LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TVGN (TV Guide Network) today announced its 2014-2015 Upfront slate encompassing more than 400 hours of original programming, a six-fold increase from last year’s Upfront. The network’s lineup will include six original series and four primetime specials, plus exclusive cable premieres of signature event programming airing on the CBS Television Network. TVGN also announced three new original series in development, including a new project with Lionsgate Television.
“Our programming celebrates entertainment and celebrity in a fun, vibrant tone and often with a comedic perspective that delivers the excitement of being a fan—because we’re fans too,” said Brad Schwartz, President, Entertainment and Media, TVGN. “From the fan-fueled party cruise phenomenon with New Kids on The Block to celebrity-obsessed daily show ‘Popsugar Now’ to the best after-show on television ‘Big Brother: After Dark,’ we are putting ourselves right in the middle of fandom culture.”
Programming descriptions for TVGN’s 2014-2015 lineup follow below.
ORIGINAL SERIES AND SPECIALS:
ROCK THIS BOAT: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Die-hard fans take the
vacation of a lifetime when they board a cruise for a week-long party on
the high seas with America’s favorite bands. The first group to headline
this all-new eight-episode series franchise is New Kids on the Block
(NKOTB), one of the hottest boy bands in music history with more than 80
million albums sold worldwide, countless sold-out tours and
record-breaking #1 hit songs. For the past five years, NKOTB has sold
out its wildly popular concert cruises, and for the first time ever,
cameras will follow the fun, free-spirited voyage of a few select groups
of super fans at sea with the band mates of NKOTB. In addition, TVGN
will air a 30-minute television special dedicated to the casting for
ROCK THIS BOAT: NKOTB to showcase all the fun and fandom. ROCK THIS
BOAT: NKOTB and ROCK THIS BOAT: NKOTB casting special are produced by
Jarrett Creative Group in association with Executive Producer and NKOTB
band member Donnie Wahlberg.
THE SORRENTINOS
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino rose to
meteoric fame as one of reality TV’s biggest stars, but his world came
crashing down after a battle with addiction. This docu-comedy ensemble
series follows life after reality as Mike makes a comeback and shares
the spotlight with his family—mom Linda (mother), Marc (middle brother),
Melissa (sister) and Frank (older brother). With the support of his
family, who walk the line between abounding love and sibling rivalry,
viewers will have access into this family's everyday life—the good, the
bad and the funny. THE SORRENTINOS is produced by Jarrett Creative Group.
UNUSUALLY THICKE
UNUSUALLY THICKE stars a real-life modern
family—TV icon Alan Thicke, his beautiful, spicy and much-younger wife
Tanya, and his dry-witted, often-opinionated 16-year-old son Carter—in a
series that follows the fun and humor that happens in their everyday
lives. Dozens of celebrity appearances are featured throughout the
season, including Robin Thicke, David Hasselhoff, Bob Saget, Magic
Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, John Stamos, Bill Maher, Tom Green, and many
more. UNUSUALLY THICKE premiered to strong ratings on April 16 and is
currently airing on TVGN on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM, ET/PT. It is a
14-episode original series that blends reality television with situation
comedy, and is produced by Peacock Alley Entertainment.
WATCH! TV
TVGN will premiere a primetime television event
special that goes behind the scenes of CBS’s Watch! Magazine as it takes
today’s biggest stars to exotic destinations for high-end photo shoots
with the world’s best photographers. Premiering this summer, the WATCH!
TV special will feature Michael Weatherly (“NCIS”) at the Mandarin
Oriental in Hyde Park, London and Rachelle Lefevre (“Under the Dome”) at
the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire, England and at Jane Austen’s House
Museum in Hampshire. WATCH! TV is produced by TV Guide Productions.
RETURNING SERIES AND SPECIALS:
BIG BROTHER: AFTER DARK
For the second year in a row, TVGN
will be the exclusive television destination for BIG BROTHER: AFTER
DARK, the live, late night companion show to CBS's BIG BROTHER, one of
television's most talked-about and socially engaged reality series. BIG
BROTHER: AFTER DARK gives fans of the popular reality series an
unfiltered, late night look at life in the “Big Brother House.” The show
features a live television feed from inside the house, where nothing is
sacred and anything goes.
“TVGN LIVE WITH ET” at the Oscars® and Grammy Awards®
ENTERTAINMENT
TONIGHT, television’s #1 syndicated entertainment show from CBS
Television Distribution, will produce a live red carpet show that will
air on TVGN leading up to television’s biggest award shows, the Oscars
and the Grammy Awards.
EXCLUSIVE CABLE PREMIERES FROM CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
TVGN
will bring viewers exclusive cable premieres of big events like The
Tony® Awards, The Grammy®-related specials, ACM Awards Salute to the
Troops Concert Special, A Home for the Holidays, and The Victoria’s
Secret Fashion show.
POPSUGAR NOW
POPSUGAR NOW is a daily half-hour entertainment
show airing weeknights at 6:00 PM, ET/PT that delivers all of the top
stories in celebrity news, fashion, lifestyle and pop culture. Based on
the hugely popular online media network POPSUGAR, which reaches more
than 22 million unique users and 51 million video views per month across
all of its sites, POPSUGAR NOW is shot live from its studios in New
York, Los Angeles and San Francisco every day to bring viewers the
latest trends and breaking news. POPSUGAR NOW is produced by POPSUGAR.
THE STORY BEHIND
This series continues with six new episodes
that go behind the scenes of TV’s greatest hits and most iconic shows,
and how they got their start. THE STORY BEHIND reveals stories straight
from the set with exclusive on-camera interviews with all the insider
players from cast members to producers to television executives. Each
one-hour episode of THE STORY BEHIND will be dedicated to a different
show including current fan-favorites on broadcast and cable television,
as well as classic shows that have endured the test of time. THE STORY
BEHIND is produced by TV Guide Productions.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
SING IT ON (Working Title)
From the company behind “American
Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” SING IT ON is the real-life
“Pitch Perfect,” with steeper competition and higher stakes. This
docu-series follows the world of collegiate a cappella groups across the
U.S. and their journey as they prepare for and compete in the top a
cappella competition in the country, the ICCA (International
Championship of Collegiate A Cappella). SING IT ON is produced by a CORE
Media Group company, with Jennifer O’Connell and Teri Wagner Flynn
serving as Executive Producers. Jenny Ramirez, Glenn Stickley and Amanda
Newman serve as Co-Executive Producers.
SOAP TOWN (Working Title)
From the producers of “Hatfields &
McCoys” and “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” comes SOAP TOWN—a new
docu-series which follows a group of former daytime and primetime soap
stars as they attempt to produce a new primetime serial drama to star
in. The cast will need to work in front of and behind the cameras as
they develop, pitch, and produce this new steamy series hoping to land a
pilot deal by the end of the season. SOAP TOWN is being produced by
Thinkfactory Media, with Adam Reed, Adam Freeman and Leslie Greif,
serving as Executive Producers.
JET TO THE SET (Working Title)
This travelogue show is a mix
of Hollywood lifestyle and adventure, as viewers are transported to TV
and film locations across the country to unveil the hottest hotels,
restaurants, beaches, bars, nightclubs and retail stores that
celebrities frequent while on location. The show will feature travel
experiences from two perspectives—economical versus splurge. JET TO THE
SET is produced by Rogue Atlas Productions in association with Lionsgate
Television, with Laurie Feltheimer, Carly Steel and Eli Frankel serving
as Executive Producers.
About TVGN:
TVGN (TV Guide Network) is a highly distributed
entertainment network owned by CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A) (NYSE: CBS)
and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF). The venture combines CBS’s programming,
production and marketing assets with Lionsgate’s resources in motion
pictures, television and digitally delivered content. Seen in more than
80 million homes, TVGN’s programming celebrates Hollywood with original
series and specials. TVGN’s new ownership structure is comprised of the
company with the #1 broadcast network and many of the top first-run
syndication series (“Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider”) and the
studio that produces and distributes the blockbuster “Hunger Games” and
“Twilight” franchises and produces such award-winning dramas as “Mad
Men.”
TVGN:
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