Before the Michael Eisner show today, The WB announced its fall lineup.
TV Barn's reproduced the press release.The Frog has generally not been the most supportive of the unscripted genre, but this year a U.S.-produced game/reality show will be on the fall schedule for the first time ("No Boundaries" was a Canadian series). "Studio 7," Michael Davies' melding of "Big Brother" and "Jeopardy!" (with a possible debt to the UK "24 Hour Quiz"), will be given the no-favors slot of Thursday at 9 p.m. ET against "The Apprentice" and "CSI." Lotsa luck, Mike. How the press release describes it:
STUDIO 7 Producer Michael Davies (Who Wants To Be a Millionaire) is taking his acclaimed showmanship into new territory for The WB. His premise: what happens when you mix the reality and game show genres and produce a quiz show presented from the contestants’ point of view? Introducing Studio 7, a radical new series that pits seven bright young adults against each other in a series of intense elimination rounds that test their knowledge of pop culture, world events, science and literature. Only one can win a large cash prize. The catch is that the contestants will also be roommates for one week in one of Manhattan’s most luxurious apartments. Blending the rivalry and romantic complications of reality programming with the high pressure stakes of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, Studio 7 will not only allow viewers to play along, but will give them the intimate perspective of the competitors themselves. Alliances will be forged, passions will ignite and newfound friendships will be undermined as the contestants vie to be the grand champion of Studio 7. From Diplomatic and executive producer Michael Davies.
As in the past, the Frog does have some game/reality series in the hopper for mid-season--back to the press release:
REALITY SERIES
Also waiting in the wings for midseason is a lineup of reality shows from premier reality television producers, including a brand new series from Mark Burnett; BIG MAN ON CAMPUS and the third installment of HIGH SCHOOL REUNION from Mike Fleiss; WANNABES from executive producer Jamie Kennedy; and two top secret series: one from producer Bruce Nash and another from British production company RDF.
[snip]
REALITY SERIES
HIGH SCHOOL REUNION Returning for a third installment on The WB, the reality series reunites former high school classmates for their 10-year reunion. This time around, classmates from a Catholic School in Fort Lauderdale will reunite in beautiful Maui. From Next Entertainment and Telepictures with executive producer Mike Fleiss and co-executive producer Mike Nichols.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS From the creator of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette comes the ultimate Greek God competition. On a beautiful college campus, in a beautiful setting, with lots of beautiful people, things will get ugly. That’s because we’ve got not one, but TWO cutthroat competitions. First, the school’s sorority sisters are going to pick the Big Man on Campus - the cutest, hottest, sweetest frat boy around. But then the tables will turn as he methodically chooses his Campus Queen - from the very same co-eds who picked him. These girls will do anything to make the grade. From Next Entertainment Studios and Telepictures with executive producer Mike Fleiss.
WANNABES Everyone’s a wannabe… but who’s it gonnabe? It’s the oldest story in Hollywood… the beautiful girl from Nowheresville who heads to Hollywood, pays her dues, waits her turn, until one day she’s discovered and overnight she’s a STAR! But guess what? It doesn’t really happen like that. The reality is much more brutal, and for most of these beautiful girls, the ugly truth is that they’ll never make it. Wannabes takes you behind the famous Hollywood sign into the hard reality of showbiz hopefuls. Away from the glamorous lights, there are thousands of young women living in tiny apartments, working lousy jobs, going to auditions and praying for that one big break. The series will focus on a small group of gorgeous starlets who live together and try to become friends while competing for the same roles. A panel of judges will eliminate one aspiring star each week as they compete in series of tasks, some silly, some serious. Delivering a singing telegram, performing in a clown suit at a birthday party, casting sessions and very odd jobs will all be part of the audition process. Will they support each other or show no mercy? Who’s got what it takes, and who’s got a one-way ticket out of town? Share the rough road of near misses and close calls. Finally, share the joy of one lucky winner who makes it all the way to a starring role on The WB! From Telepictures with executive producer Jamie Kennedy (The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Malibu’s Most Wanted) and co-executive producers Scott Einziger (Amazing Race 2 & 3, The Howard Stern Show), Josh Etting (The Jamie Kennedy Experiment) and Ellen Rapoport (co-author of the book Wannabes).
In addition, The WB's also airing Burnett's first attempt at a scripted series, his autobiographical "Commando Nanny." He also has a mid-season pickup for the comic-book-based drama "Global Frequency." Up in TV Heaven Mark Goodson probably wishes that he'd been so lucky with getting people to buy his attempts at scripted television.
The other nets later this week.
