POP CELEBRATES FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF GROWTH WITH NEW UPFRONT PROGRAMMING SLATE
New and Returning Series Showcase Premium Scripted Entertainment With Industry Leading Talent In Front of and Behind the Camera
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – April 25, 2018 – Pop, the CBS/Lionsgate joint venture television network, continues to ramp up its original programming fare this upfront season, unveiling more premium scripted entertainment and a diverse slate of projects in development with the industry’s top creative talent.
The network also announced today its programming strategy and primetime schedule for the remainder of 2018 and first quarter of 2019. Pop’s roster features over 400 hours of original content per year.
“We are heading into this year’s upfront with an ever-growing linear television audience, a premium slate of original content with A-list talent, and carriage across all major distributors and almost every over-the-top service,” said Brad Schwartz, President of Pop. “Building on this momentum, we’re introducing more premium scripted content than ever before, including highly anticipated new series like FLACK, as well as returning hits like SCHITT’S CREEK. We are uniquely targeting our Modern Grown-up® audience with programming that is culturally relevant and effortlessly entertaining.”
“Our current and upcoming original programming includes smart, audacious and fresh concepts that all take contemporary flips on classics our audience grew up with,” continued Justin Rosenblatt, EVP of Original Programming for Pop. “This organizing principle of familiar faces in familiar formats, but seen through an updated lens, is truly resonating with our audience.”
Pop’s Original Programming Premieres for 2018 (April through December):
- HOLLYWOOD DARLINGS, Season Two (Premiered: Wednesday, April 18; Season Finale: Wednesday, June 6): Real-life best friends Jodie Sweetin (“Full House,” “Fuller House”), Beverley Mitchell (“7th Heaven”) and Christine Lakin (“Step-By-Step”) are bonded by a sisterhood only they can share – former child stars who grew up in the ‘90s limelight. The half-hour comedy stars Sweetin, Mitchell and Lakin as exaggerated versions of themselves as they comically improvise and riff on their current Hollywood live
- BIG BROTHER AFTER DARK (Premieres: Summer 2018): Pop returns as the exclusive television home of BIG BROTHER AFTER DARK (BBAD), the ultimate after-show to the fan favorite television hit “Big Brother” on the CBS Television Network. BBAD is a live, late night feed inside the Big Brother House, which airs seven nights a week all summer long.
- SWEDISH DICKS, Season Two (Premieres: Thursday, July 26): From Lionsgate and MTG, SWEDISH DICKS is a procedural comedy about private detectives solving some of the most minor cases Los Angeles has ever seen. Season Two brings back series stars Peter Stormare (“John Wick, Chapter Two,” “Fargo,” “American Gods”) and Johan Glans (Best Male Comedian, “Swedish Comedy Awards”), alongside an all-star ensemble cast, including Vivian Bang (“White Rabbit”), Traci Lords (“Melrose Place”) and Felisha Cooper (“The Bold and The Beautiful”), as well as special guest star Keanu Reeves (“John Wick”).
- CLIQUE, Season One (Premieres: Summer 2018): From the creative team behind the smash British hit “Skins,” CLIQUE follows childhood soulmates Georgia (Aisling Franciosi - “The Fall,” “Game of Thrones”) and Holly (Synnove Karlsen - “Medici: Masters of Florence”) who are only a few weeks into the so-called best years of their lives at college, when Georgia gets drawn into an elite clique of alpha-girls interning at a corrupt corporation. CLIQUE is a thrilling six-episode limited series drama and co-produced with BBC.
- WOLF CREEK, Season Two (Premieres: October 2018): Based on the terrifying cult horror film “Wolf Creek,” season two of the WOLF CREEK television series brings back the notorious serial killer Mick Taylor (John Jarratt – “Wolf Creek,” “Django Unchained”) as he continues to wreak havoc in the Australian outback, this time with a busload of tourists. From acclaimed horror producer/director Greg McLean (“Wolf Creek,” “The Belko Experiment,” “Jungle”), season two of WOLF CREEK is a six-part limited series and will be broadcast as a three-night television event.
- SCHITT’S CREEK Special Holiday Episode (Premieres: December 2018): Tune-in to a holiday-themed episode with the Rose family – Johnny (Eugene Levy), Moira (Catherine O’Hara), David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy).
2019 (First Quarter):
- SCHITT’S CREEK, Season Five (Premieres: First Quarter 2019): Pop’s #1 original series, created by and starring Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy, returns for its fifth season with an increased order of 14 episodes. SCHITT’S CREEK is a half-hour, single-camera comedy starring Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire and Jennifer Robertson. The series follows a wealthy family who suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt’s Creek, a small town they once bought as a joke.
- FLACK (Premieres: First Quarter 2019): Starring Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winning actress Anna Paquin (“True Blood,” “X-Men,” “The Piano”) and directed by the Oscar®-nominated Peter Cattaneo (“The Full Monty,” “Rev.”), FLACK is a one-hour dramedy set in the fast-paced and cut-throat world of celebrity public relations. Equal parts hilarity and heart, FLACK reflects the brutal reality and complexities of modern life where problems can go viral in an instant. Paquin stars as Robyn, an American PR executive living in London who’s an expert at her craft but a complete self-saboteur when it comes to her personal life.
- The cast of FLACK includes talent from multiple award-winning films, popular television hits and critically acclaimed series, including: Academy Award and Golden Globe®-nominated and Tony® Award-winning Sophie Okonedo (“Hotel Rwanda,” “Criminal Justice”), Genevieve Angelson (“Good Girls Revolt,” “House of Lies”), Lydia Wilson (“Star Trek Beyond,” “Black Mirror”), Rebecca Benson (“Game of Thrones,” “The White Princess”), Arinzé Kene (“Crazyhead”), Marc Warren (“The Good Wife”), Rufus Jones (“Episodes”) and more.
- CLIQUE, Season Two (Premieres: 1Q 2019): Pop has ordered six new episodes of the dramatic one-hour limited series event. CLIQUE is co-produced with BBC
Pilots:
- ARRANGED: From the co-creator of the critically acclaimed comedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, Aline Brosh McKenna, and series writer/producer Sono Patel, comes this timely and diverse romantic comedy about two best friends who end up in a marriage of convenience. McKenna is the co-creator, showrunner and executive producer of CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND and is currently in an overall deal with CBS Television Studios. Patel most recently served as co-producer on the last season of CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, and was named one of Forbes’ 2018 “30 Under 30” writers to watch. The project hails from CBS Television Studios. McKenna, an accomplished screenwriter with credits including “The Devil Wears Prada,” is directing the pilot.
- FLORIDA GIRLS: From JAX Media (“Roseanne” revival, “Younger,” “Search Party”) and 3 Arts Entertainment (“Parks and Recreation,” “The Mindy Project”), FLORIDA GIRLS, created by and starring Laura Chinn (“The Mick”), who also executive produces, is a distinctive series based on Chinn’s life. The series is a bold comedy and an inside look at female friendship and poverty. Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns and Brooke Posch of JAX Media, and Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman of 3 Arts Entertainment also serve as executive producers.
- THE DEMONS OF DORIAN GUNN: This supernatural comedy follows disgraced New York socialite Dorian Gunn, who discovers he’s descended from a long line of demon hunters and is forced to abandon his life of leisure to protect humanity from monsters as they emerge from the gates of hell. It stars Jeffery Self (“Search Party”), Chrissie Fit (“Pitch Perfect 2” and “Pitch Perfect 3”), H. Jon Benjamin (“Archer”), Lateefah Holder (“Disjointed,” “Transparent”) and Kyle Harris (“Stitchers,” “High Maintenance”). THE DEMONS OF DORIAN GUNN is written by Evan Greenspoon and Brandon Scott Jones (Upright Citizens Brigade) and executive produced by actress/writer/producer Krysten Ritter (“Jessica Jones”) through her production company Silent Machine; Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns of JAX Media (“Roseanne” revival, “Younger,” “Search Party”); and Kara Welker of Generate. John Skidmore serves as producer. Mike Poisson and Peggy Cheng from Silent Machine serve as co-executive producers.
In Development:
- WRIGHTFUL HEIRS: A modern take on “The Beverly Hillbillies” meets “Downton Abbey,” this series centers on a street-smart single mom who inherits a British manor and moves her family from middle-class Ohio to a life of nobility in the U.K. WRIGHTFUL HEIRS is written by Chris Gau and Michael Orton-Toliver, with Jed Mercurio serving as showrunner, and executive produced by Jimmy Mulville (“Episodes”) of Hat Trick Productions.
- BEST INTENTIONS: From A+E Studios and Adam Herz, the writer of “American Pie” and two subsequent hit sequels, comes this half-hour scripted comedy about the insecurities of a single father, his teenage son and the all-too-smart women of their fumbling affections. Revolving around the local high school, each episode promises the signature heart, lovable characters and outrageous comedic setpieces that are hallmarks of Herz’s style. BEST INTENTIONS is executive produced by Herz and Ben Silverman, Sean Canino and Jay Weisleder of Propagate.
- SPINNING: From the writer of “Heathers” comes this half-hour scripted comedy that takes place in the Hamptons as the town is struck by a series of mysterious murders. A 40-something spinning instructor makes it her mission to find the killer. SPINNING is written by Matt McConkey.
About Pop:
Fans don’t sit at the outskirts of pop culture making snarky comments. They live right smack in the middle of it, sharing, creating and connecting their passions with others. Pop gives fans a dedicated channel that loves being a fan as much as they do. A channel filled with optimism, humor, excitement and a passion for the great times in life – those you remember and those still to come.
Pop is a joint venture of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B). The partnership combines CBS’ programming, production and marketing assets with Lionsgate’s resources in motion pictures, television and digitally delivered content. Pop’s ownership structure is comprised of the company with the #1 broadcast network and many of the top first-run syndication series and the studio responsible for the worldwide box office phenomenon “La La Land,” winner of six Academy Awards, the breakout smash “Wonder,” the blockbuster “Hunger Games,” “Twilight Saga,” “John Wick” and “Now You See Me” franchises and acclaimed television series including “Orange is the New Black,” “Nashville,” “Casual,” “Dear White People” and “Greenleaf.”
On the web: www.poptv.com
