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CABLE NEW SHOWS & NOTEWORTHY NEWS
A&E has partnered with producer Essential Media Group to produce one of the craziest live stunt series ever attempted. The Impossible Live will follow world renowned daredevil Bello Nock as he attempts some of the most ambitious stunts ever shown on live television. People will watch, in real time, as he risks his life pursuing insane stunts that include planes, trains, helicopters, volcanoes and more. This five-part series falls in line with A&E’s reputation for having the best live programming on cable. In addition, the network is airing a new season of their hit show Intervention. This six-part series, which began in early August, shows the rapidly growing drug epidemic in various neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia. The team of expert interventionists work with local authorities, first responders and families of opioid addicts to try to provide a way out before it is too late. A&E is also diving back into the unexplained paranormal universe with the revival of Ghost Hunters, one of the most successful paranormal series of all time.
BET has a newly-crowned king. Tyler Perry signed a multiyear content partnership with the network, making him responsible for 75 hours of original content between October 2019 and September 2020. The first of his new shows has already been announced by the network. The Oval is a White House drama that Perry says “…tells the story of an African American family placed in the White House by people of power, but also highlights the everyday life of the staff the who run the inner workings of the nation’s most iconic residence.” The network also renewed two of its very popular scripted series, Boomerang and American Soul.
BRAVO announced the production of three new series. First is In a Man’s World, a new series from executive producer Viola Davis, where women temporarily transform into men as part of a social experiment to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Second is a new competition series, Spy Games, which allows contestants to live out their “spy dreams” for the chance at $100,000. Lastly, Bravo will be home to Indian-ish, the first ever all-Indian cast in an American docuseries. The show follows several multi-generational families, originally from India and now living in Miami, as they navigate family, success and tradition.
DISCOVERY premiered their new show Serengeti in August, a groundbreaking six-part series following the heartwarming stories of different African wildlife over the course of a year. Narrated by critically acclaimed actress Lupita Nyong’o, the series combines Africa’s beauty with its unforgiving brutality. The network also announced its plan for four new series. Wildlife Warriors follows the effort of dedicated wildlife conservationists across the globe, as they work to compile the latest version of The Red List – the most comprehensive record of the state of the world’s wildlife. Perfect Planet takes a completely fresh look at life on Earth. Using state-of-the-art satellite imagery, this five-part series will showcase how the forces of nature shape the incredible variety of life on Earth. Rob Riggle: Global Investigator is an all-new series that follows actor, comedian and retired Marine Rob Riggle as he takes his passion for adventure across the globe in hopes of solving some of the world’s greatest mysteries. Lastly, River of No Return follows a tight-knit community in the backcountry of Idaho, as they endure challenging and isolating winters in order to remobilize their lives in the remote wilderness come spring.
E! is home to another Kardashian-related spin-off with Scott Disick’s new show Flip it Like Disick, which premiered in August. The series follows Kourtney Kardashian’s ex and his team as they flip high-end luxury real estate projects in Los Angeles, while also completing home design projects for celebrity friends. The 45th E! People’s Choice Awards will air on November 11, 2019. This iconic American award show recognizes people in the entertainment and pop culture industry, where the winners are completely voted on by the fans.
ESPN has two new docuseries premiering in September to coincide with the network’s year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of college football. The American Game will air 11 episodes chronicling college football’s extraordinary narrative throughout its existence, and will explore themes that have made the sport an American institution. This look into the sport will not only detail its history but will also discuss its status as a cultural phenomenon. Topics will range from the evolution and integration of the game, Bowls and Polls, the Heisman Trophy, as well as its relationship with pro football. The Greatest is also an 11-episode series and will feature a wide array of Top 11 lists (the #11 significance should resonate with fans!). These lists are more than just rankings; the countdowns will serve as a backdrop for storytelling on the moments, breakthroughs and individuals that helped define these lists.
FOOD is bringing the heat with two new series. BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon showcases Bobby Flay and fellow Iron Chef Michael Symon as they coach eight of the country’s most respected BBQ pit masters in a competition series. Flay is also getting his family involved in his newest venture, The Flay List. The show will follow Bobby and his daughter Sophie as they share some of their favorite culinary destinations. Additionally, Holiday Wars premieres this holiday season. It is a new competition series where teams of master cake and sugar artists face off in challenges to create breathtaking holiday displays for a cash prize.
FREEFORM is continuing its role as the top social cable network this year by adding three new scripted series to their network. Party of Five is a reboot of the successful FOX program from the ‘90s, but with a timely twist: in this version, the story revolves around five siblings who need to band together when their parents are deported to Mexico. Motherland: Fort Salem depicts a story set in an alternate America. 300 years ago, the U.S. government ended the persecution of witches by an agreement to have them fight in the military. The show follows three young witches as they train and prepare to fight a war against a mystical group. Additionally, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay is a series about a man in his mid-twenties who must take care of his younger half-sisters when the family discovers that their father is terminally ill. Lastly, reruns of The Simpsons have found a home on the network.
FX has earned 204 Emmy Award nominations – more than any other network or streaming service. Of those nominations, the network has received 34 wins for acclaimed shows such as American Horror Story, Fargo and American Crime Story. On the horizon is a new adaptation of Shogun, based on the best-selling 1975 James Clavell novel by the same name, which was also a five-night miniseries on NBC back in 1980. The 10-episode run is set in medieval Japan and told through multiple points of view, where the worlds of three figures collide: a shipwrecked sailor from the West in a strange land, a powerful lord struggling with dangerous rivals, and a mysterious female samurai with plenty to prove. The show is slated to premiere in late 2019 or early 2020. Another buzzworthy TBD premiere is Devs, from executive producer and sci-fi guru Alex Garland, starring Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina). Devs is an eight-episode, limited tech thriller series set in Silicon Valley. It follows a young computer engineer who investigates suspicious activity within her own company, and dangerous repercussions unfold. FX’s new drama entitled Gone Hollywood stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) and two-time Emmy Award winner Judd Hirsch (Taxi). Gone Hollywood focuses on a Hollywood talent agency in the early 1980s and will intertwine a mix of fictional and real-life personalities into the story.
HALLMARK is planning to break its own record by releasing 40 holiday movies in 2019! In addition to this plethora of movies, Hallmark is also planning to debut two new Christmas shows. Project Christmas Joy: Alabama will give towns in need an extreme holiday transformation, and Christmas Cookie Countdown will be a competition show where bakers will compete to make the best holiday treats. Lastly, the network’s iconic “Countdown to Christmas” will start on October 25th – and yes, you read that right – before Halloween.
HGTV has a new design series called What Not to Design that follows the same format as TLC’s classic program What Not to Wear. This show takes hopeless, unstylish homes and transforms them through the art of design. Following in the trend of reboots, HGTV also announced a new renovation show, A Very Brady Renovation, which brings back together all six of the Brady Bunch children, where they aim to restore the actual Brady house back to its vintage ‘70s self. Lastly, exciting news came from the network when they announced that in early 2020, Extreme Home Makeover will be coming back to TV with a new host…Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family!
LIFETIME is pushin’ it real good with a new scripted miniseries about ‘80s/’90s music duo Salt-N-Pepa.The show will follow the lives of Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton as they discover the rap world. It will showcase how Salt-N-Pepa made a huge impact in the hip-hop world by being one of the first all-female rap groups and the first rap act to go platinum with multiple Grammy wins, all while paving the way for future female rappers. In addition, from executive producers and Grammy Award winners Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott comes the musical tale of gospel singers, The Clark Sisters. The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel tells the story of the highest selling female gospel group in history. Lifetime also announced a series order for the iconic Supernanny, making a return to television in early 2020 with 20 all-new episodes of the beloved series. Lastly, three-time gold medalist Aly Raisman has teamed up with Leah Remini to produce From Darkness to Light. The documentary event is aimed to help other victims of sexual assault by helping them to find their voices and turn the page from victim to survivor.
TBS has Saturday Night Live alumna Nasim Pedrad executive producing, writing and yes, starring in Chad, a 10-episode comedy series about a 14-year-old Persian boy who tries to become popular as a freshman in high school while dealing with changes at home and coming to terms with his cultural identity. Originally developed by 20th Century Fox four years ago, Chad was reworked for cable and finally found a home at TBS.
TLC’s What Not to Wear is making a return in early 2020! The show that had an incredible 11-year run, transforming the lives (and closets) of hundreds of people across America, is coming back to rescue new and unsuspecting fashion-challenged people. TLC has also announced another early 2020 premiere with Say Yes to The Dress America. This spin-off of the hit show Say Yes to The Dress will feature one bride from every state across the U.S, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, in the ultimate wedding experience. Each bride will receive an all-expenses paid trip to NYC, a private shopping event at the world-renowned Kleinfeld Bridal, and an extraordinary group wedding (with all 52 couples) at an iconic NYC location where host and bridal expert Randy Fenoli will officiate.
TNT has acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott making his TV directorial debut with the series Raised by Wolves. A pair of androids are raising human children on a virgin planet where ideological and philosophical struggles ensue. Turner Broadcasting is back in the pro wrestling business for the first time since 2001 when they sold World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Funded by billionaire entrepreneur and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan and his son, president and CEO Tony Khan, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was founded on January 1st, 2019. Led by notable professional wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, AEW will have a two-hour weekly show beginning in October. It will be the first pro wrestling company in nearly two decades to compete with McMahon’s WWE. The show is currently planned to air on Wednesdays, pointedly not competing head-to-head with WWE’s RAW (Mondays on USA) or SmackDown (moving to Fridays on FOX). The time does seem ripe for a new, fresh product with top tier talent and storytelling to compete with WWE.
TRAVEL announced five new shows airing late 2019 or early 2020. Code of Wild premiered in early August and follows brothers and survivalists Casey and Chris Keefer as they go on missions to solve some of the world’s mysteries, all in treacherous locations. Relic Hunter (working title) stars Timothy Smith, a veteran appraiser and conservator of artifacts. Viewers will follow Smith along on his search around the globe for rare artifacts. Kicking off the network’s Halloween programming, Witches of Salem will tell the real story of the Salem Witch Trials with this four-part docu-drama. In addition, Ghost Nation is a new series with the same old crew. The trio, formerly known as the “Ghost Hunters” are back by popular demand, and up to their same old paranormal investigating. Lastly, Shadows of History (working title) with Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger!) will uncover the truth behind mysterious stories that seem too farfetched to be true but are documented in the nation’s newspapers.
TRUTV adds to their comedic slate and jumps on the animation bandwagon with This Functional Family. A 10-episode run will begin in early 2020 and follow comedian Jo Koy drawing on real-life experiences from his relationships and stand-up act.
USA is developing three promising dramas for a late 2019/early 2020 release. Briarpatch, starring Rosario Dawson (Jane the Virgin) and based on the novel of the same name, follows a Washington, DC investigator home to her Texas roots to search for her sister’s murderer, all while fighting to bring hometown corruption to a halt. Treadstone will be a spin-off of the “Bourne” film franchise that starred Matt Damon. The series will explore the origin, story and present-day actions of the CIA black ops program. Dare Me is another acclaimed novel set to be converted to a series. It will dive into the cutthroat world of competitive cheerleading in a small mid-West town and focus on the lengths the characters will go to in order to succeed.