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Cynopsis Media Presents: Upfront Wrap up – Part 3
04/29/13

by Roberta Caploe

It’s Monday, April 29, and welcome to the third of Cynopsis’ Upfront Wrap-Up Special Reports. Each Monday, for the next three weeks, we will share our compendium of the latest news and happenings at these critical events. This year, each network has outdone itself in making presentations to the ad community (as well as the press and production folks) that fizz and entice. It’s looking to be an exciting season. Enjoy these highlights from E!, MTV, Nat Geo, and Scripps.

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E! unveiled its original programming slate, which includes six new series, a myriad of topical specials, live events and unique projects in development across a variety of genres. It was a rockin’ show at the Manhattan center, MC’d by Ryan Seacrest, who introduced Kelly, Giuliana & George from Fashion Police (did we mention there were striking FP writers outside the venue?) The Soup’s Joel McHale (who compared Seacrest to a Yorkie), Kourtney and super-pregnant Kim Kardashian along with mom Kris Jenner, and the irrepressible Chelsea Handler. Here’s a look at what the network has coming up.

New Series

• The Wanted Life (produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, Scooter Braun Projects and Global Talent TV) chronicles the personal and professional lives of the edgy pop music powerhouse The Wanted (who performed live at the Upfront). The show premieres Sunday, June 2 at 10:30p.
• Viewers will get to peek into the personal lives of the glitzy, glamorous real women behind the WWE Divas in Total Divas. Produced by WWE and Bunim-Murray Productions, the series debuts Sunday, July 28 at 10p.
• Pop Innovators, slated to debut in July 2013, showcases the most influential names in pop culture in their own words. The first episode will offer an in-depth look at the life and career of will.i.am from his point of view.
• Love and Other Contact Sports: Eric and Jessie, slated for a late summer 2013 debut, will take viewers inside the confines of celebrity/athlete romances, starting with country/pop singer Jessie James and her fiancee, Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker. The show is produced by Shed Media U.S.
• Hosted by Ross Matthews, interactive talk show Hello Ross [wt] gives fans the opportunity to debate the most buzz-worthy topics and come face to face with their favorite celebrities. From Borderline Amazing Productions, show is expected to premiere in fall 2013.
• The Trend, slated to debut in fall 2013, features a team of experts and celebrity contributors discussing all things fashion, beauty and design.

Ten new specials include everything from baby drama to celebrity spats and lifestyles, including Holly Has A Baby (from Comcast Entertainment Studios and debuting Sunday, May 12 at 9p) about Holly Madison’s journey to motherhood; Bigger, Badder Celebrity Feuds (from Comcast Entertainment Studios and debuting Tuesday, May 28 at 10p), which reveals the gritty details behind some Hollywood’s biggest fights; and 50 Hours with 50 Cent (slated to debut in fall 2013), which gives one fan the opportunity to spend two full days with iconic rapper.

In addition, the network has six unscripted projects, three topical/comedy projects, and eight scripted projects in development.

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MTV unveiled its and sister network’s MTV2‘s programming slates at its annual Upfront presentation at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, which featured performances from Selena Gomez and Emeli Sande as well as appearances from Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer. A high point was Vinny Guadagnino, who introduced his mom Paola and Uncle Nino – his co-stars in the new Staten Island-based series “The Show With  Vinny” (We cannot wait to see it!). Here’s a look at what else is coming up.

MTV

• MTV and Dimension Films‘ one-hour pilot will reinvent the Scream film franchise to a legion of unsuspecting fans. Dimension Films is in discussions with the films’ original director Wes Craven to direct the project, and DiGa Vision will serve as a producer. The series is slated for a summer 2014 debut.
• Docu-drama Generation Cryo explores the issues faced by a new generation of kids coming of age who were conceived via anonymous sperm donors and are redefining what it means to be a family.
• Nurse Nation [wt] follows nine twenty-something travel nurses all assigned to work at a new hospital in a brand new city for 13 weeks.
• Individuals looking for a match will choose from four potential suitors based on their social media history on The Hook Up [wt], a dating show that will air as an afternoon strip.
• Snooki & JWOWW has been renewed for a third season and  will continue to follow Jersey Shore BFF’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWOWW” Farley as they navigate the radical changes that life keeps throwing at them.

MTV2

Comedian, actor and host Nick Cannon will debut the re-imagined improv comedy show Nick Cannon Presents Wild N Out on Tuesday, July 9 at 11p.

The laws of manhood will be upheld as some familiar MTV2 faces determine the guilt or innocence of a variety of cases in accordance with guy code in the half-hour comedic series Guy Court, set to premiere in fall 2013.

Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family will return for a second season. The show will begin production later this year to premiere in early 2014.

National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD continued their walk on the wild side with returning favorites, new series, specials and daring events. “National Geographic always has been synonymous with exploration and epic, natural history documentaries. Nat Geo WILD takes this notion further, by presenting original programming that captures the fun and uplifting spirit of the brand,” said NGC President Howard T. Owens. “We’re producing series and specials that will inspire viewers to push the limits, get real and just have a good time.”

“Nat Geo is authentic entertainment,” said David Lyle, CEO of National Geographic Channels US and Global Programming, to Cynopsis. “We want to be popular, but still have substance, emotion, and fun.” Here are some highlights of what the two networks have coming up:

• Jobs That Bite!, a new show hosted by Jeremy Brandt, explores the unsung heroes who take on the challenge of working with all things that slither, grunt, growl and bite.
• Following Leader of the Pack, which was filmed entirely in Europe, Cesar Millan returns home to launch an as yet untitled series. This time he’ll help troubled dogs find new homes.
• The new series Die Trying features men and women pushing the limits of adventure, endurance and possibility — all in the name of science.
• The Legend of Mick Dodge, a new show to appeal to aspiring survivalists, focuses on the quirky title character whose unique brand of Zen comes from living by his own code — off the land and off the grid.
• The network also has issued second season renewals to two shows: Brain Games, which debuts in April, is an interactive series exploring the mind’s mad skills hosted by Jason Silva. Ultimate Survival Alaska, which debuts in May, is an extreme adventure series.

• Two pilots are on the slate: Building Wild, an extreme do-it-yourself-type series that helps the wilderness-obsessed build retreats in America’s last frontiers, and Showdown of the Unbeatables, the ultimate battle of cutting-edge inventors.

Events and specials include Killing Kennedy, the follow-up to Killing Lincoln that chronicles the events leading up to one of the most shocking assassinations of the 20th century, and Kingdom of the Apes, which reveals the secrets of chimpanzees and gorillas living deep in the jungles of Africa.

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Scripps Networks Interactive, parent company of HGTV, Food, Cooking, GAC, DIY and Travel, announced its new programming slate during its Upfront presentation at New York’s Alice Tully Hall. “We’re feeling very optimistic about the Upfront,” said Steve Gigliotti, President, Advertising Sales & Marketing for Scripps. “We’ll also be launching TV Everywhere beginning in June for computers and tablets, with a second wave focusing on apps, and then a third wave for Android devices in September. It’s going to be a busy summer for our tech guys.” Here’s a look at what’s coming up on each of the six Scripps networks.

Food

“I’m hoping that anywhere from two to four of our new shows get traction, meaning they rate significantly above the prime time average,” said Brooke Johnson, President Food Network and Cooking Channel. New series include:

• Giving You the Business (produced by Cineflix, premiering April 2013) centers around CEOs of well-known food chains looking to reward one of their employees with the opportunity to own their own franchise by secretly entering them in a hidden camera competition.
• Food Court Wars (produced by Optomen, premiering July 2013) pits two teams of aspiring food entrepreneurs against one another as they battle to win their own food court restaurant rent-free for a year.
• Bubba’s Grills Gone Wild (from Nancy Glass Productions, premiering July 2013) profiles the lives of Bubba, his family and his crew, the creators of the world’s most outrageous custom barbecue grills.

Returning series include:

• Season 3 of Chopped All-Stars (produced by Notional, premiering April 2013) features 16 culinary competitors battling it out for the title of All-Star champion and a $50,000 prize for the winner’s charity.
• Host Guy Fieri takes a cross-country road trip to visit some of America’s classic “greasy spoon” restaurants that have been doing it right for decades in Season 17 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (produced by Citizen Pictures, premiering April 2013).
• Food Network Star (produced by Triage, premiering June 2013) returns for Season 9 with twelve hopefuls competing for the ultimate prize: their own Food Network show.

Cooking Channel

New series include:

• Pizza Cuz (produced by No Regrets, premiering May 2013) follows the cross-country pizza exploration through the taste buds of pizza aficionados Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, owners of the growing pizza empire, Artichoke Basille’s Pizza.
• Ching He-Huang travels across the country to help struggling restaurants in Ching’s Menu Makeover (produced by Lion TV, premiering October 2013).
• Donut Showdown (produced by Architect Films, premiering October 2013) is a competition among some of the best donut makers in the country.

Returning series include:

• Season 4 of Eat St. (produced by Paperny, premiering April 2013) continues to focus on a lip-smacking celebration of North America’s tastiest, messiest, and most irresistible street food.
• Man Fire Food (produced by Irene Wong, premiering June 2013) returns for Season 2 as Roger Mooking explores cooking at its most basic, featuring cooks who take the fundamental formula of fire and food to make delicious culinary creations.
• Not My Mama’s Meals (from Follow Productions, premiering August 2013) is back for Season 4 featuring Bobby Deen  as he transforms his mother’s Southern comfort recipes into lighter, leaner, yet still delicious dishes.

DIY

New series include:

• With no frills, no music and no power tools, Vanilla Ice lives and learns from the best craftsmen in the business, the Amish, in Vanilla Ice Goes Amish. 
• Bronson Pinchot scavenges his way through the U.S. to rescue artifacts from demolition in Bronson Pinchot Saves America. 
• Daryl Hall fuels his passion for historic home restoration with his latest project, a quaint 1700s Connecticut home, in The Daryl Hall Project.

Chris Grundy returns to host Season 7 of Blog Cabin, an interactive home building series inviting fans to design the network’s 2013 vacation home getaway  a 19th century beach cottage on North Carolina’s “Crystal Coast.”

HGTV

New series include:

• Twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, hosts of Property Brothers and Buying & Selling, face a new challenge in Brother vs. Brother, a competition series pitting Jonathan and Drew against each other as they each mentor teams of home improvement experts vying for a $50,000 grand prize.
• Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri of Cousins on Call, lower the wrecking ball on outdated, dysfunctional spaces and surprise neighborhood heroes with stunning, budget-friendly renovations in Undercover Overhaul.
• In Staged to Perfection, Meridith Baer, owner of the largest home staging company in the world, shows how to decorate an empty house so that it sells fast.

Returning series include HGTV Star, back for Season 8, with 10 contestants competing in suspenseful challenges with the hopes of: winning an HGTV show and a feature in HGTV Magazine. 

Travel

New series include:

• Adam Richman takes viewers across America in search of the biggest and wildest fan events this country has to offer in Adam Richman’s Fandemonium (produced by Sharp Entertainment, premiering Sunday, July 14 at 10p.)
• Get Lost [wt] (produced by Tremendous! Entertainment) features former U.S. Army Special Forces survival expert Mykel Hawke and his journalist wife Ruth England. Dropped blindly into the wilderness with limited supplies, they must rely on instinct, expertise and each other, to figure out where they are and how to get out.
• Backroad Gold (produced by Brentwood Communications International, Inc.) follows antique car expert Corky Coker as he scours the highways, back roads and small towns of America, wheeling and dealing for hidden riches such as antique cars, motorcycles, trucks, gas pumps and road signs.

Returning series include Hotel Impossible (produced by Atlas Media Corp., premiering
Monday, August 12 at 10p.), back for Season 3 to turn struggling hotels into bustling tourist destinations; and Mysteries at the Museum (produced by Optomen Productions, Inc., premiering Monday, August 15 at 9p.), back for Season 5 to span the country and explore local archives, storefront collections and stately institutions to uncover artifacts that reveal the nation’s hidden secrets.

GAC

New series The Willis Clan centers on Toby and Brenda Willis and their brood of 12 children, ages 2 to 21, who are accomplished singers, musicians and, in the case of the older kids, internationally-ranked competitive dancers. The show premieres Thursday, June 27 at 8p.
Farm Kings, which recently returned for a second season, continues to follow the adventures of the King family. The series airs on Thursdays at 9p.

Keep Watching & Reading,
Roberta Caploe
Editor
04.29.13

Roberta Caploe: Editorial Director
Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Cynopsis Media
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

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