TV Land And Nick At Nite Announce New Slate Of Original Series And Specials
Programming Line-up Deepens Networks� Commitment to Originals
New York, NY, May 3, 2005 � TV Land and Nick at Nite will premiere five new original series and specials through the end of the year, it was announced by Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite, during the MTV Networks� upfront presentation held at New York�s Theatre at Madison Square Garden this evening. This new slate, which includes Inside TV Land: Tickled Pink, Hi-Jinks, One Night Only With David Steinberg, 100 Most� and TV Land Confidential, continues to further TV Land and Nick at Nite�s commitment to original programming to complement the two network�s successful acquired programming strategy.
The next phase of original programming for the networks includes the following upcoming series and specials:
Inside TV Land: Ticked Pink � This one-hour special, produced for TV Land by Linda Ellerbee�s Lucky Duck Productions, takes an in-depth look at celebrated television personalities and characters that gay viewers have either gravitated towards or closely identified with. Among the characters and performers to be discussed include legendary comic actor Paul Lynde, Bea Arthur�s depiction of the title character of Maude as well as her portrayal of �Dorothy Zbornak� in the hit 1980�s sitcom The Golden Girls to the enormous popularity of Xena: Warrior Princess among gay viewers. Premieres June 1, 2005 at 11pm (ET/PT).
Hi-Jinks �Nick At Nite�s original hidden-camera series in which adults play good-natured pranks on kids. Hi-Jinks uses hidden cameras to capture all of the action as kids react to funny and bizarre situations. Each installment also features a celebrity prank in which famous faces use their talents to play tricks on their unsuspecting marks. The series is created and produced by Nick at Nite�s Joe Boyd and is executive produced by Joe Boyd and Kim Rosenblum, Senior Vice President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. The show is produced by Banyan Productions (Trading Spaces). Premieres August 2 at 9:30pm (ET/PT). (30 mins.)
One Night Only With David Steinberg (working title) � Legendary comedian, producer and director David Steinberg engages classic and contemporary comedians -- who got their starts in television � for uproarious conversations in which celebrated performers share anecdotes from their careers in entertainment. Guests include Martin Short and Jon Lovitz. Dark Light Pictures is producing the series. Slated to premiere December 2005. (30 mins.)
100 Most� (working title) � Building on the success of 2004�s The 100 Most Memorable TV Moments, this five-part special looks at some of the unexpected milestones in television history. Topics to be covered will range from Sally Field�s portrayal of an airborne sister in The Flying Nun to the singing detectives of the short lived 1990 musical cop show Cop Rock. Gay Rosenthal Productions is producing the special. Slated to premiere December 2005.
TV Land Confidential (working title) � TV Land Confidential brings you the stories behind your favorite TV shows from the people who were there: the stars, producers, network executives and others in the know. You�ve seen the shows. You know all the characters. You know all the story lines, but here are the stories you haven�t heard from the near-miss casting decisions to pilots featuring alternate cast members and storylines to love on the set and behind the scenes friction. Brainstorm Inc. is producing the series. Executive Producer is David Levin. Slated to premiere September 2005. (30 mins.)
TV Land and Nick at Nite and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International, Inc.
TV Land Productions was created in 2003 to develop original programming that complements the network�s successful acquired programming slate. TV Land Productions has also produced The TV Land Awards Show: A Celebration of Classic TV (March 2003, 2004 and 2005), the Emmy-nominated The Dick Van Dyke Show, Revisited, the network�s first original special for broadcast, which premiered on CBS in May 2004, the Emmy-nominated Still Brady�After All These Years reunion special in September 2004 and Chasing Farrah (Spring 2005), the original reality series that followed iconic Hollywood actress and sex symbol Farrah Fawcett. For more information about TV Land�s original Wednesday night line-ups, visit www.tvland.com.
Now seen in over 85 million U.S. homes, TV Land�s program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind � the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television and features all-time Classic hits like All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Carol Burnett Show and Bonanza.
Nick at Nite Originals was created in 2003 to develop original programming that meets what the network refers to as the "Four F�s" criteria: programming that is Family-Friendly, Funny and Familiar. Nick at Nite Originals produced Fatherhood (June 2004), a show based on Bill Cosby�s best-selling book of the same name, which has been one of the highest rated shows on the network. For more information about Nick at Nite's originals line-ups, visit www.nickatnite.com.
Currently seen in more than 88 million U.S. homes, Nick at Nite features timeless hit comedies: �The Cosby Show� � this Emmy Award-winning sitcom is one of the network�s highest-rated shows: �Full House� � this popular family comedy launched on the network in October and is one of the highest-rated and most popular syndicated programs in television; and �Roseanne,� one of the most talk-about and celebrated sitcoms in television history.
MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, mtvU, VHI, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 12 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
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