TV News: A+E Networks Upfront Announcements

A+E Networks held its Upfront presentation today, announcing the upcoming programming lineup for its subsidiaries and affiliates, A&E, History, Lifetime, and FYI.

Check out the official press release below for the summary of programming highlights.

A+E NETWORKS’ UPFRONT ANNOUNCEMENTS

SUMMARIZED FOR YOU!

CROSS NETWORK, CROSS PLATFORM & EVENT PROGRAMS ANNOUNCED

NEW SERIES LINEAR & DIGITAL

New York, NY April 30, 2015 – A+E Networks today held their annual Upfront presentation and party and made a number of significant programming announcements on new event series, new series, and new digital-only series.

Below is a summary of programming highlights (in alpha order):

A&E

DAMIEN: “Damien” follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny — that he is the Antichrist. Damien stars Bradley James as Damien Thorn (“Merlin,” “Homeland”), along with Oscar® nominee Barbara Hershey (“Once Upon a Time”), Omid Abtahi (“Better Call Saul”) and Meganlyn Echikunwoke (“House of Lies”). (previously announced)

FIT 2 FAT 2 FIT: When it comes to weight loss, it’s easy for personal trainers to talk the talk, but that if they also had to walk the walk? For 4 months, 10 personal trainers will eat what the average overweight American eats and stop working out altogether. Then each trainer will team up with an overweight for a weight loss journey unlike any other.

CRITICS CHOICE: A&E is the exclusive home to the 2015 and 2016 “The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards” and “The Critics’ Choice Television Awards.” (previously announced)

HISTORY

ROOTS CROSS NETWORK –  HISTORY, A&E and LIFETIME greenlight the scripted event series ROOTS for a new generation of viewers to simulcast on all three flagship brands. Will Packer ance char(Ride Along, Think Like A Man) joins as executive producer and original ROOTS cast member and Emmy-award winning LeVar Burton boards as co-executive producer. Mark Wolper is also executive producer. The classic miniseries ROOTS was a television phenomenon that had an indelible effect on American culture. A+E Networks and The Wolper Organization – the company that produced the original – are making a version of Alex Haley’s American family origin story based around the life of Kunta Kinte. ROOTS is slated to air in 2016. (previously announced)

ALONE (SERIES) – ALONE, the country’s boldest and longest survival experiment ever captured for television is slated to air this summer. The ten-episode series places ten hardcore survivalists alone in the Vancouver Island wilderness – no camera crew, no teams, no producers – on a single mission to stay alive. At stake is $500,000 awarded to the person who can last the longest.

BOYS OF ’67 (DEVELOPMENT)- HISTORY® is in development on THE BOYS OF ’67, a scripted series about the First Platoon of Charlie Company, 9th Infantry Division; the only division raised, trained and deployed en masse to service in Vietnam. THE BOYS OF ’67 will be produced for HISTORY by A+E Studios in association with Head First Productions and Muse Entertainment.

SHOTGUN – New Digital Series – Shotgun…it’s a Game Show on the road! Contestants try to answer questions while riding “shotgun” in a high-performance race car that’s flying around a track at top speed.  It will be produced as highly shareable digital shorts.

LIFETIME

UNREAL– Launching June 1, Lifetime’s highly-anticipated scripted drama UnREAL, starring Shiri Appleby (Girls) and Constance Zimmer (House of Cards, Entourage), gives a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program.  Produced by A+E Studios, UnREAL was created by Marti Noxon (Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, Mad Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro.

SING IT! (working title)— Sing It! follows two cross-town rival a cappella groups from New Jersey as they are given a chance to work with the world’s best coaches, Deke Sharon (Pitch Perfect) and Diana Preisler (SingStrong’s AcaIdol), and face off in weekly competitions, leading to the final championship sing off. The docuseries is produced by Studio Lambert Associates and All3Media America in association with InsomniaTV, who conceptualized the project.

WAR AND PEACE– Lifetime, A&E Network and HISTORY are partnering with The Weinstein Company, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Worldwide/Lookout Point on a major limited series event based on Leo Tolstoy’s enduring novel War and Peace.  Simulcasting in the U.S. on the three networks in 2016, War and Peace will feature an all-star cast including SAG Award® and Film Independent Spirit Award winner Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Little Miss Sunshine), Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey), Golden Globe® winner Gillian Anderson (The X Files, Hannibal), Oscar®, James Norton (Happy Valley, Rush), Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Iris) and others. (previously announced)

FALL INTO ME (working title) – New Digital Platform— Marking Lifetime’s first original scripted content for non-linear distribution, the short-form digital platform Fall Into Me will feature romantic drama stories for today’s modern and tech-savvy woman. Catering to the fast-growing romance-fiction marketplace, each series will take viewers on journeys full of passion and excitement that can be discreetly enjoyed on phones and tablets. The concept for Fall Into Me comes from Daytime Emmy® nominee Guy Shalem (Lovespring International, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers), who will lead a team of creative storytellers for each series. Produced by Propagate Content, the Fall Into Me series will be executive produced by Shalem, Howard T. Owens and David McKillop. (previously announced)

FYI

WHAT THE FUNG?!– Follows foodie comedians and brothers, Andrew and David Fung, as they travel across America in search of the best local spots to eat
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT: THE FIRST YEAR– This spin-off docu-series follows the two couples who remained married from season 1
TINY HOUSE THE FIRST 24– Digital companion series that will highlight some of the craziest and funniest moments of a families first 24 hours in their new tiny home
FOOD PORN– Michael Chernow takes the food scene by storm with a nationwide hunt for the most popular #foodporn dishes! (previously announced)

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!