| • |
Last week ABC announced that it would air a “best-of” version of its hidden camera series “What Would You Do?” Now the network has finally set a season premiere for new episodes. TVNewser hears that the new season will officially kick-off the following week, Friday, October 29, at 9 PM. Segments on the premiere episode will include a tutor getting far too “friendly” with her student in a coffee shop, and a gay teen getting bullied. ABC News correspondent John Quinones hosts the program.
Update: It’s official, release after the jump.
Advertisement“PRIMETIME: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?” RETURNS FOR FULL SEASON,
NEW SHOWS BEGIN AIRING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 9 PM
“Best Of” Show to Air Friday, October 22
When People See a Situation that Cries Out for Action,
Do They Step in, Back Away or Just Walk on by?
When you think no one is watching… what would you do? The popular ABC News series“Primetime: What Would You Do?” returns with a full season order of all new scenarios, beginning Friday, October 29 at 9:00 pm ET. The show, which was called “a Candid Camera of Ethics” by The Columbia Journalism Review, ranked No. 1 in its 9:00 pm time period among the broadcast networks in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 during its run this summer. The show more than doubled the performance of ABC in time period, increasing by 110% in Total Viewers and by 133% in Adults 18-49 from the Net’s performance in the hour in the comparable weeks last summer.
Using hidden cameras, “What Would You Do?” establishes everyday scenarios and then captures people’s reactions. Whether people are compelled to act or mind their own business,John Quiñones reports on their split-second and often surprising decision-making process.“What Would You Do?” will air on Fridays from 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET on the ABC Television Network.
Additionally, a “Best Of” show will air on Friday, October 22 (9:00 – 10:00 pm ET).
Friday, October 29 Scenarios Include:
- Cougar Tutor: It is exam season, and with college admissions on the line, more and more high-school students are turning to tutors for help. But what do you do when you are at a coffee shop and you see a sexy, 30-something tutor being way too affectionate with a teenaged student? What if she is stroking his hair, or rubbing his back and what if she is dressed so provocatively that the science tables don’t stand a chance?
- Anti-Military Protest: A “WWYD” scenario ripped from the headlines… on a sidewalk near a military recruiting center, ‘protesters’ against the Afghanistan War heckle a young man who is on his way to volunteer for duty – chanting “no more war!” and “baby killer!” Will passersby defend the protesters right to free speech, or will they protect the recruit and get in their faces? And what will happen when the protesters start taunting an elderly veteran who happens by?
- Gay Bullying: They are tragedies that have become heartbreakingly familiar in recent weeks: gay teens being bullied by their peers. It is an experience so painful that some victims have been driven to take their own lives. What will witnesses do when they see a teenager being taunted mercilessly by his friends simply because he is gay?
- The Mom who had too much: It’s understandable that a new mom might need to blow off a little steam and have a glass of wine every now and then, but what happens when a mom brings her young child to a bar? What will the other patrons do when the tipsy mom has more than a few too many while her child just wants to go home?
“Best Of” Scenarios Airing Friday, October 22 Include:
- Date Rape Drug: Suppose you saw a stranger slip a suspicious powder into his date’s drink – would you tell his date? Hidden cameras capture customers’ reactions to this serious and scary dilemma. (OAD: 1/13/09)
- Muslim Woman: Based on the real-life experiences of a devout Muslim woman living in west Texas, “What Would You Do?” finds out what happens when a Muslim woman wearing a veil is denied service by the owner of a popular bakery. Who will come to her defense, and who will support the owner who wants to kick her out? (OAD: 2/26/08)
- Waiting Room: “What Would You Do?” explores how people react when a woman collapses on a busy street during morning rush hour. How long will it take for anyone to come to her aid? What if instead of a well-dressed woman, a homeless man is the one needing help? (OAD: 3/10/09)
- Polygamy: At a restaurant just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, a man in his 60’s and his three wives are celebrating his impending marriage to a 15-year-old girl, who is visibly upset about the arrangement – to become wife #4 against her will. How will fellow restaurant patrons react to a reluctant child bride in need of help? This restaurant is just a few hours away from two of the largest strongholds of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, the breakaway sect of the Mormon Church that still practices polygamy. (OAD: 3/17/09)
“What Would You Do?” has won awards from the Chicago International Television Festival, and the Avon Foundation’s 2006 Voice of Change award for exposing “injustice and wrongdoing against women and bringing the message of domestic violence to the mainstream.”
David Sloan and Chris Whipple are co-executive producers and Danielle Baum Rossen is the senior producer of “What Would You Do?”