CNBC Unveils New Reality Primetime

By Chris Ariens 

Ten months after hiring its first alternative programming executive, CNBC has unveiled its new primetime, made up mostly of reality shows produced by outside production companies.

VH1 alum Jim Ackerman joined as Senior Vice President of primetime alternative programming back in February. Now, we’re about to see what he’s been working on.

In March, CNBC will debut two new shows: “Treasure Detectives” and “The Car Chasers.” “Treasure Detectives” comes from Endemol USA, the company behind “Big Brother” “Wipeout” and others. “The Car Chasers” is from ITV Studios America which produces “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares.”

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CNBC has also added four new unscripted projects to its development slate, including “The Next Big Big Thing,” “Money Talks,” “Liquidate Your Life,” and “The Big Fix.” (More details on all those shows after the jump.)

“CNBC is collaborating with some of the most creative minds in reality to develop primetime content that appeals to a broader audience yet still embodies the network’s distinct brand and inherent themes,” said Ackerman.

Like Comcast sibling The Weather Channel, CNBC is turning to alternative programming to bring in viewers looking for something more than market moves and economic discussions. In 2012, the only hour of CNBC’s entire day of programming to show growth was the 10pmET hour, when documentaries air.

CNBC’s new primetime will consist of a mix of the new reality shows, existing programs like “American Greed” and “Crime Inc.” and other in-house documentaries.

The two new shows debut Tuesday, March 5 at 9pm and 10pmET.

TREASURE DETECTIVES

Produced by Endemol USA with Amber Mazzola as executive producer.

The network has greenlit “Treasure Detectives,” a one-hour weekly show featuring world-renowned fakes and forgeries detective, Curtis Dowling, and his team of investigators who dig into the history of potentially counterfeit items using high tech science. In each episode, the “Treasure Detectives” team will meet collectors and verify the authenticity of collectibles, artwork and antiquities using innovative technology and street smarts to determine whether they’re sophisticated forgeries or extremely valuable collectors’ items…answers that could cost or earn owners a small fortune. They trace not just where an item came from, but how it was made…and in many cases, how it was faked.

THE CAR CHASERS

Produced by ITV Studios America in association with Leepson Bounds Entertainment.

Jeff Allen and Perry Barndt are gamblers…their game, classic and exotic cars. They travel the country looking to buy and sell cars. Whether it’s a rare Shelby Mustang or a one-of-a-kind Bugatti, the key is buy low and sell high, something that doesn’t always happen. Selling cars is a dangerous business…but perhaps there’s no greater danger than negotiating with your own dad. Tom Souter, Jeff’s dad, runs his own classic car dealership right around the corner from Jeff’s shop in Lubbock, Texas. They are not just regular trading partners; they are trading partners hell-bent on one-upmanship. Tom says doing a deal with his son is like being locked in a closet with a porcupine, “it’s gonna hurt but you know it won’t kill you.”

CNBC PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT:

THE NEXT BIG BIG THING (working title)

Produced by Original Media with Charlie Corwin as executive producer.

When Charlie Walk ran Columbia Records, he nurtured stars like Mariah, Bruce and Beyonce. He did it with great instincts and a flair for marketing. Now, he’s taking those same skills and applying them to the world of start-ups. His company, JWalk, is a brand building company that test drives new businesses with seed money. Walk and his team tinker and tweak these new concepts in hopes of creating new vibrant businesses. Of course, finding the next big thing is never a sure thing.

MONEY TALK$ (working title)

Produced by Turn Left Productions with Todd Crites and Jackson Nguyen as executive producers.

“Money Talk$” takes viewers inside the world of sports betting, a world dominated by Steve Stevens. As owner of VIP Sports, a handicapping business in Las Vegas, Stevens has a stable of agents that keep the phone lines running 24/7. But Stevens himself remains the king, the top closer, the highest earner. He knows the games, he’s got access to information and he delivers, for the gamblers who place a hundred dollars on a game to the whales who routinely wager six-figure bets. Stevens consults with the biggest sports betters in the world, including his good friend, the boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather, who recently placed a million dollar bet on a college football game.

LIQUIDATE YOUR LIFE (working title)

Produced by Optomen USA with Ben Adler and Nicola Moody as executive producers.

Are you stuck in the wrong job? What would you do if you were given a chance to scrap it all and start over? Would you dump the suit and tie for flip flops and shorts and buy a bar on a Caribbean beach? Would you turn your back on the rat race to run a bed and breakfast in the country? “Liquidate Your Life” will allow average people to break the rut of their humdrum careers and jobs and reinvent themselves. With the help of two mentors – a business expert and a financial guru – families will see how every possession can be turned into working capital, which in turn could finance a brand new life. In the end, they’ll have to decide if they’re truly ready to liquidate their lives.

THE BIG FIX (working title)

Produced by THE Company with Justin W. Hochberg and Charlie Ebersol serving as executive producers.

Marcus Lemonis, self-made master of business turnarounds with a portfolio of over 100 successful companies, is doing something no one has ever done before. He’s putting over $2 million of his own money where his big mouth is in order to turn around failing companies all across America. Marcus will make you an offer you can’t refuse. And once he’s inside your business, he’ll do anything and everything to turn your business around. Even if it means firing the president, promoting your secretary or doing the work himself. If you have a business that’s in trouble and think your management team can survive America’s turnaround king, then you’re ready for “The Big Fix.”

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