Another Packed Day for Cable at TCA

THE PROGRAMMING INSIDERFriday, July 31, 2009 LIVE FROM THE SUMMER TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION PRESS TOUR IN PASADENA, CA On the Cable Menu:Lifetime, Comcast Entertainment Group, BET, Discovery Networks, HBO, Food Network Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest HBO Press Tour Highlights:______________________________________________________________________ On the Cable Menu:Lifetime, Comcast Entertainment Group, BET, Discovery Networks, HBO, Food Network Unlike the network portion of the Press Tour, which begins on Monday, August 3, cable is a rapid potpourri of different networks presenting the best of their upcoming new programming. Wednesday featured a breakfast with Lifetime (with the upcoming contestants from Project Runway), followed by panels on programs from Style Network, G4, E!, BET, Discovery Networks and HBO. The day capped off with a dinner sponsored by Food Network. More on that dinner in Monday’s PI. If you read The Programming Insider, you won’t be surprised to hear that Monique, who was here to speak about her upcoming late night talk show on BET, was a personal highlight for me. The woman exudes positive energy, and the audience will absolutely relate to her. She’s funny and warm…and rare combination these days. But I was also impressed with R&B singer Monica, who is doing a reality series for BET; reality couple Bill Rancic and Juliana DePandi Rancic, who have a new non-scripted show coming on Style Network; the canine panelists on Animal Planet’s SuperFetch, and the comments in particular from Monique and Monica on the passing of Michael Jackson. “I wish him the best in his rest,” said Monique. “And leave him alone. Leave his family alone. And let that brother rest in peace. Whatever the issues were, they’re gone now because he’s gone. Stop trying to find a story to write about, damaging it can be damaging, and it gets ugly, and he can’t defend himself. So as of today make the promise to let that story die.” Added Monica: “My direct connection to Michael would be the pain of knowing how much is talked about that is not true. People assume as artists you create this thick skin that doesn’t allow you to feel anything in particular when things are said or written about you. And people have a tendency to lie.” Least impressive, but likely to still attract an audience, is the family called Lamas, who are featured in an upcoming docudrama on E! and seemed so messed up that the critic sitting in front of me commented: “Dr. Phil would chew these people up and spit them out.” While that may be true, chances are there are viewers that will watch this messed-up mishmash. Later in the day, Discovery Communications presented six shows: Superfetch (Animal Planet), Masters of Reception (TLC), Police Women of Broward County (TLC), Head Games (Science Channel), On the Case With Paula Zahn (Investigation Discovery) and Out of Egypt (Discovery Channel). Masters of Reception, which focuses on a family owned New Jersey catering business, is produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (who appeared via satellite from New York); multi-tasker Whoopi Goldberg is one of the executive producers of Head Games, TLC’s first-ever trivia driven series; and Paula Zahn gives On the Case a built-in credibility. Superfetch, meanwhile, follows pet trainer Zak George as he works with pet parents; Out of Egypt makes connections with Egypt and other cultures past and present; and Police Women of Broward Country is exactly what the title would suggest. Each of the six aforementioned six Discovery Channel series caters, of course, to the target demo of the individual cable network. But given the ongoing thirst for crime solvers, 10-part docudrama Police Women of Broward County looks like the standout. As for Kelly Ripa playing down her own wedding and acting as fascinated as you and I would be at many of these over-the-top weddings…not! All in all, it was a frantically busy day chock full of informative sessions exhibiting cable’s growing relevance in the broadcast landscape. Closing the day was a session with zany Robin Williams on his first solo comedy special on HBO in seven years. More on that in Monday’s PI. _______________________________________________________________________ Press Tour Tidbits:Notes of Interest -On the Panel Front from Comcast: Giuliana and Bill (Style Network): Busy couple Bill Rancic and Giuliana DePandi Rancic have a new gig: a reality series on Style Network that allows the cameras to follow them. Bill is an entrepreneur and former winner of The Apprentice; Guiliana is co-host of E! News; and the two met during an E! News interview. And, yes, their wedding was featured on Style Network (and the birth of their first child will probably be featured on the cable net as well). So, you might think it is all about the “business.” But after being questioned by the press for about 30 minutes, there is a sincerity about the couple that truly makes them more of the real deal than, let’s say, Trista and Ryan Sutter. But are they “exciting” enough for people to want to watch? That’s questionable. Guiliana and Bill debuts on Tuesday, August 5 at 9 p.m. Here are some sample comments from the couple: Bill: “I think the drama that exists in the show is real drama. It’s real drama that every couple experiences. I think we’re very relatable to the people who are watching this show because everything that we go through, they’ve probably gone through in their lives. I think a lot of people fall into a trap with stuff like this. They become someone they think the viewers want them to be. That doesn’t work because the TV audience today is a lot smarter than they’ve ever been and they know when you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes or when you’re trying to be someone you’re not.” Giuliana: “This show probably wouldn’t have worked three or four years ago because it was all trash on these reality shows. It was who was the loudest, who was the meanest, who was the nastiest, who was cheating, who was cussing. When you watch a lot of these reality shows, you go, “I never want to be that.” It’s poison.” ---------- 2 Months, $2 Million (G4) The small screen obsession with poker continues care of 2 Months, $2 Million, a docu-drama about four high IQ twentysomething year old males -- Brian, Emil, Jay and Dani -- who have two months to win $2 million by playing online poker on a shared bankroll. While this may sound like just another poker competition (how many are there already?), one of the members of the press commented that the quartet reminded them of the cast members of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. Well…guess what?...that sitcom is a growing hit. Catered to the young male audience, 2 Months, $2 Million could be the perfect fit on G4. The 10 half-hour episodes premieres on G4 on August 16 at 9 p.m. ET. ---------- -The Lamas Life (E!) Move over Kardashians…here comes the Lamas clan, headed by four-time married patriarch Lorenzo (who honed his wooden acting skills on dramas Falcon Crest and Renegade) in a docu-drama produced by The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss. The players in this tainted Hollywood clan: former The Bachelor contestant Shayne, siblings A.J. and Dakota, aforementioned Lorenzo, and Lorenzo’s ex-wife and mother of the three siblings…Michele Smith. Michele, according to the press release, is constantly in the middle of all the chaos.Based on the dynamics on stage, you would immediately assume The Lamas Life is the next Keeping Up With the Kardashians. But, in the words of Lorenzo Lamas:“You know, I think you will be surprised to see how normal and dysfunctional this family is. And what might be a surprise to the audience is that, you know, we’re celebrities — people know Shayne from The Bachelor. They know me from my shows. But we don’t live the life of opulence. I’ve had success. I’ve lost it. I’ve had money. I’ve lost it. We are, in a sense, rebuilding our lives professionally and personally. And, you know, that’s a human interest story. We’re not out there living in mansions, living the celebrity life, you know, like, “Ooh, isn’t this great being famous and having money?” We are dealing with very personal dynamics. And the challenges that we face, having the public eye and the spotlight on us again (in my case, again; in their case, for the first time) I think will be interesting for the audience to see how we cope with this new opportunity.”Once the series premieres, it looks like the “personal dynamics” will become very public. And, potentially, very sleazy. The Lamas Life premieres this October on E!. ------------------- BET Coming off its highest rated month in its 29-year history, BET will be introducing two new series this fall: Monica, an eight-episode docu-drama that follows R&B singer Monica; and The Monique Show, a late night talk show headlined by comedian and former sitcom star Monique. As I crowed earlier in the column, Monique has exactly what it takes to host her own late night show (make room Conan and Dave), while honest Monica is a personality worth following. In other words, the current momentum for BET is likely to continue. -------------------- -Animal Planet Investigates:Animal Planet has announced a series of quarterly specials in early 2010 under the umbrella title Animal Planet Investigates. Topics will include animal testing, the exotic pet trade, cloning and pet food nutrition, and the series will kick-off with Dogfighting: An Animal Investigates Special in January. ______________________________________________________________________ HBO Press Tour Highlights: -True Blood, Big Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and Hung Update:Yes, it is coming back for a third season…without a doubt. But fans of biting drama True Blood will have to wait until the summer of 2010 for the next set of new episodes after the current season concludes. Elsewhere, the new season of Big Love opens in January and Curb Your Enthusiasm for season seven on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. ET. Ten new episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm have been ordered. Half-hours Entourage and Hung will also be returning. -Speaking on Curb Your Enthusiasm:The cast of Seinfeld -- Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards -- will reunite on Curb Your Enthusiasm this season. Seinfeld will appear in five episodes, and the others potentially four (either all together or separate). But the season-finale will focus on the Seinfeld reunion. -New HBO Comedy Bored to Death to Launch in September:Upcoming HBO sitcom Bored to Death, the story of a stagnant young writer who moonlights as a private detective, will kick-off on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET (out of the aforementioned Curb Your Enthusiasm). Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson lead the cast. -Wanda Sykes and Robin Williams Return to HBO:She may be heading to Fox for a Saturday late night talk/variety show, but comedian/sitcom star Wanda Sykes will return for her second solo special on HBO in October. The special will be taped in front of a live audience at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. next month. Robin Williams is also heading back to HBO in Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction, his first solo comedy event for the cable net in seven years. It premieres on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET. -HBO Sports Announces Launch Date for Hard Knocks:Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The Cincinnati Bengals, the first sports-based reality series, will debut on HBO Sports on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 10 p.m. ET. The season-finale is slated for Sept. 9. -Epitafios Kicks-Off Season Two on HBO2:Spanish language suspense series Epitafios, which is filmed in Argentina, will return for season two on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 11 p.m. ET for the first of 13 new installments. Episodes without English subtitles will debut on HBO Latino beginning on Friday, Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. ET. -HBO Documentaries:HBO has announced the following slate of documentaries, which will air as follows: Boy Interrupted (Monday, Aug. 3)The Nine Lives of Marion Barry (Monday, Aug. 10)Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi (Monday, August 17)Which Way Home (Monday, Aug. 24)Youth Knows No Pain (Monday, Aug. 31)The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Monday, Sept. 7)Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags (Monday, Oct. 19)By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (Tuesday, Nov. 3)An Omar Broadway Film (December)A Family is a Family is a Family: The Rosie O’Donnell Celebration (December) ______________________________________________________________________ Coming Up on Monday: Rainbow Networks, Travel Channel, TCA Award Winners and the best of Robin Williams at his HBO session to promote his first solo comedy special for the cable net in seven years.

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Another Packed Day for Cable at TCA

Marc Berman

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