USA To Expand Into Reality Programming And Bring Back 'WWE Tough Enough'
By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 18, 2010 @ 9:42am PDT
USA Network continues its genre expansion with a big push in reality
programming. The top basic cable network is close to ordering its first
unscripted series in 5 years, WWE Tough Enough. It is also in the process of
hiring a reality executive, and USA programming president Jeff Wachtel has
been meeting with top reality production companies to talk about his plans
in the arena. USA's revival of Tough Enough actually came together
separately from its current efforts in the unscripted area and stems from
the network' relationship with WWE through USA staple WWE Raw. Tough Enough,
which features contestants competing for a contract with WWE, ran on MTV for
3 seasons, and in 2004 it moved to UPN where it aired for a season as part
of SmackDown. On USA, it also is expected to run in tandem with USA's WWE
Raw series.
USA has only run a handful of reality series over the past decade, including
Cannonball Run in 2001, Nashville Star in 2003 and Made in the USA in 2005.
For its next generation of reality series, "we are certainly looking for
aspirational, character-based shows," Wachtel said. "We'd love a show that
has a clean and promotable hook." Wachtel's favorite example of the type of
show he is looking for at USA is CBS' hit Undercover Boss. For now, USA is
staying away from game shows as well as straight competition or straight
docu series like The Hills. USA has not had a dedicated unscripted executive
for the past 2 years. In 2006, its reality executive, vp alternative series
and specials Libby Hansen, was given a dual role, overseeing development for
both USA and NBC. With USA largely out of the unscripted game, Hansen
dropped the USA responsibilities in 2008 when she was upped to SVP at NBC.
(She has since left NBC.) For the past few months Wachtel and NBC Uni Cable
president Bonnie Hammer have been meeting with candidates for the job and
are expected to name a new reality topper soon.
Reality is one of two areas where USA is looking to go next, after building
an expansive portfolio of light character-driven hourlong series. The other
is half-hour series, where Wachtel says he is not looking for
straight-forward comedies but more genre-bending half-hours like Showtime's
Weeds or Nurse Jackie. USA's efforts are already underway - in May the
network ordered its first half-hour script in more than a decade, Linda
Bloodworth's Driven, and over the summer USA made its first major half-hour
acquisition in a long time, ABC's Modern Family. Wachtel said he plans to
launch a new reality series (in addition to Tough Enough) by the end of the
year and hopes to also launch a half-hour series by year's end. The goal for
the next 2-3 years is to have 1-3 comedies and 3-4 unscripted series on the
air.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva
http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/usa-to-expand-into-reality-programming-and-bring-back-wwe-tough-enough/
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