Summer Reality TV Offerings, 2012 Summer TV Guide. Though there are plenty of great scripted shows on the tube during the summer months, summer remains the season when networks trot out their lighter fare, since viewers tend to spend more time outside, away from the television. That generally means lots of reality shows, from docudramas to dating shows to dance competitions. So once you're through soaking up all that sun at the shore, why not slather on a little more lotion and soak up some of those cathode rays in your living room. Here's a look at some of summer's notable reality shows, both new and returning.
This could be the most-watched summer in TV history. At least, that's what cable and broadcast networks have worked hard to make happen. NBC has already ushered Howard Stern into its top-rated staple, "America's Got Talent." ABC is elbowing its way into the crowded singing contest buffet with Kelly Clarkson and "Duets." On cable outlet USA, Sigourney Weaver has signed on for the drama "Political Animals." Even the original rock star from Mars — a.k.a. Charlie Sheen — is back, this time in FX's new sitcom"Anger Management."
"This is the most highly anticipated summer in TV history because of the Howard Sterns and Charlie Sheens of the world," said Matt Whitfield of Yahoo Entertainment.
Time was when network executives dismissed the hot months as a mere landfill for repeats and failed series from the regular September-May season — "burn-off theater," as they smirkingly called it. But those days are gone like corncobs at a picnic. With cable networks chowing down on the legacy networks' lunch with more original series each year — thanks to hits such as the crime dramas"The Closer"and "Rizzoli & Isles" — broadcasters have been goaded into a fighting stance.
And in what could be a giant shift for the industry, there are signs that the programming free-for-all is actually pushing TV to a point where there's almost no difference between the amount of people watching in summer and winter.
"It really is our fall season," Ted Linhart, USA's senior vice president of research, said of the hot-weather months.
So what's on the agenda? For years, summer at Fox has meant"So You Think You Can Dance"and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. This year it's hoping to broaden out with two Thursday dating shows, "Take Me Out" and "The Choice."
NBC will brave the hospital drama "Saving Hope" — even though broadcasters' track record with scripted fare in summer has been dismal. In addition to "Duets," ABC is trying out a true-crime show, "Final Witness," as well as a voyeuristic reality show, "The Glass House." The latter is the subject of a lawsuit from CBS claiming it's a rip-off of "Big Brother."
Speaking of CBS, even that network — which has long stuck to a strategy of scripted repeats plus "Big Brother" during summer — is trying to get with the times.
"We're being more aggressive this summer than we have been in a long time," said Kelly Kahl, scheduling chief at CBS. This summer, the network is premiering "Dogs in the City," a reality series about problem canines that looks destined to chase the target audience for National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer."
But the broadcasters' reality-heavy lineups still look like small potatoes compared with the ambitious slates on basic cable. Scripted hits like "The Closer" have greatly boosted ad revenue and programmers have been busy plowing that money back into new shows. Cable networks as a group logged a record $5.7 billion in ad revenue for the third quarter of 2011, up 7% from the previous year, according to estimates by Kantar Media. By comparison, broadcast TV logged $4.2 billion, down slightly from summer 2010.
USA, which along with TNT has tended to dominate recent summers, is bringing back hit dramas such as "White Collar" and "Burn Notice." The network is also premiering Weaver's "Political Animals" — the kind of splashy, star-studded effort usually seen on premium cable such as HBO or during the broadcast regular season. The Comcast-owned network has to be careful about spending its money to get a product that looks broadcast quality.
"We don't have as large a writing staff [as a network series]; we shoot where we get refunds," said Bill McGoldrick, USA's executive vice president of original scripted programming. "We use every production trick in the book."
As for TNT, it will bring "The Closer" to an end but follow up with a new spin-off, "Major Crimes,"with Mary McDonnell reprising her role from the original series. And the network will also update"Dallas," the legendary CBS nighttime soap from the 1980s, with many of the same actors from the old show — a rare case of broadcast-cable cross-pollination.
"We're trying to attract a broader audience," explained TNT President Michael Wright.
So what does this crowded field of fair-weather contenders mean — besides a DVR that's even more crowded than it already is? In a startling shift, the new offerings are convincing Americans to watch more summertime TV — a lot more.
Executives have long noted that the percentage of U.S. homes watching TV is much lower in summer than during the cooler months. Conventional wisdom held that people were busy traveling and enjoying the outdoors and didn't have much time to curl up on their sofas and veg out in front of the tube.
Over the last few seasons, though, the average percentage of homes watching prime time — a figure that remained virtually unchanged for decades — has risen steadily in summer. In August 2011, it reached 58% of U.S. homes, compared with 56% for the same period two years earlier, according to Nielsen. It's easy to imagine that the level could over the new few years match that of February, when this year 62% of households were watching. And that month included NBC's coverage of the Super Bowl, the most-watched TV event of all time.
So does all this make summer a promised land for programming? Well, in a word: No.
NBC already discovered that to its chagrin with Stern, whose premiere numbers on "AGT" were much lower than expected despite an advertising and promotional blitz that probably left no man, woman or child in the 50 states unaware of the shock jock's latest career move.
But as it happens, part of the problem may have been timing: NBC decided to premiere the talent contest — which was the No. 1 series in the summer ratings last year — a few weeks earlier than usual, outside its typical comfort zone. "AGT" could well see its ratings rise in June and July, when schedules won't be cluttered with competing season finales on other networks. (An NBC spokesman said executives were unavailable to comment for this story.)
And even if "AGT" doesn't come back, there will be plenty of other shows out there fighting for bragging rights this summer. In fact, it's hard to find any network, broadcast or cable, that isn't offering at least one new series, and often many more than that.
Yahoo's Whitfield was hardly exaggerating when he noted, "Summer could deliver some of the most interesting programs of the year."
A trio of dating shows return this summer for a bit of romance -- or something. ABC offers up a new edition of "The Bachelorette," which this go-round will feature single mom Emily Maynard, who was chosen by Brad Womack on "The Bachelor," but which (shocker!) didn't work out. Favorite contestants from seasons past will also appear on "Bachelor Pad," cohabitating and competing in challenges for the chance to win $250,000. As well, NBC will bring back a second season of its tropical romance competition "Love in the Wild," which will get a new host in Jenny McCarthy.
The young and wild employees and guests of hip Miami hotel The Catalina are the stars of one of the CW's new summer offerings. It'll be joined by "Breaking Pointe," a sort of reality version of "Black Swan," which will follow the members of Salt Lake City's Ballet West, one of the most competitive ballet companies in the country.
The two "Jersey Shore" stars move in together on this spin-off, but the show won't be filled with the usual clubbing and late-night partying, since Snooki was pregnant during the filming. "You're going to see a very different side to both women," MTV President Stephen Friedman told the Los Angeles Times. "Not just Snooki, but Jenni, who has a real maternal side." Now that we've got to see.
Hosted by Curtis Stone and Cat Cora, this new series combines "The Amazing Race" with "Top Chef," as a dozen chefs travel to some of the world's most-renowned culinary destinations to compete in challenges that incorporate local cuisines and customs, with one going home each week and one taking home $150,000.
Joining the returning dating shows this summer are a pair of new ones. "Take Me Out," which is hosted by George Lopez, is based on a British series and begins with 30 women who are vying for a date with an eligible bachelor. On "3," a trio of women from different backgrounds, different ages and with different life goals go on various dates in hopes of finding true love.
For four seasons, "Whale Wars" has been one of the best unscripted series on TV, following the cat-and-mouse game between the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Japanese whaling vessels they hope to stop. But before the show returns for its fifth season on June 1 at 9 p.m., Animal Planet offers a five-episode spin-off, which shows the Sea Shepherd crew engaging in a different kind of battle -- and one that finds them fighting whalers on and off the sea, in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing Danish territory populated by the descendants of Vikings, and who round up pilot whales each year to slaughter them for meat.
For its seventh season, "AGT" will not just get a makeover and move to New York (OK, Newark), but the summer talent competition will get a new judge in radio legend Howard Stern, who replaces Piers Morgan, and who ought to bump up the show's ratings as his millions of loyal radio listeners tune in to worship at his altar. Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne and Nick Cannon all return. That's right: One show, two Howies.
Like a real-life version of "Mad Men," the series follows two different ad agencies as they go head-to-head competing for the business of a new client. It takes the format of a competition reality show and ratchets up the drama by making the stakes real. It's a fascinating look into the world and personalities that populate the ad business. Sure, there's far less drinking, smoking and sleeping around than its scripted counterpart, but the series is still worth a look.
A pair of culinary competitions return this summer. "Next Food Network Star" changes formats for Season 8, shifting the focus from an individual competition to a group one, a la "The Voice," as teams of three to five chefs compete against each other with a mentor presiding over each one. "MasterChef" remains unchained, however, as Gordon Ramsay co-hosts the cook-off competition that lets amateur and home chefs compete for the top prize.
Ubiquitous in the tabloids and on E!, the Kardashian clan recently inked a $40 million deal for three more seasons of their popular reality series, which returns for its seventh season this month. Joining them on the network is Dina Eastwood, wife of Clint, who will star in a new reality series for the network with her teenage daughters Francesca and Morgan, as well as Overtone, the all-male a cappella singing group she manages that she relocated from Africa to her home in California.
Music stars Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke will travel across the country looking for singers worthy of being their duet partner. Lionel Richie was originally slated to participate but pulled out and was replaced by Legend. The one-named Quddus, a former MTV personality, will host.
FOX's dance competition "So You Think You Can Dance" is beginning to show some signs of aging. The Cat Deeley-hosted series will be reduced to one day this summer, with the live results show being cut from the schedule. But Deeley will stay plenty busy. She'll also preside over FOX's just-announced "The Choice," a dating show that borrows heavily from NBC's "The Voice," including a group of daters who will sit in chairs with their backs turned to potential dates, choosing who they want to go out with based on non-visual characteristics.
On "Hotel Hell," Gordon Ramsay will attempt to do for hospitality establishments what he does for restaurants on "Kitchen Nightmares," which is turn struggling businesses into profitable ones. The show is his fourth series for FOX. As well, the show that put him on the map in this country, the culinary competition "Hell's Kitchen," returns this summer, on June 4, for its 10th season.
Like sunshine, swimming pools and barbeques, "Big Brother" has become a staple of summer, and the show returns for its fourteenth season on July 12th, where a new group of strangers will share a house and hope to avoid eviction long enough to take home $500,000.
Speaking of CBS, even that network — which has long stuck to a strategy of scripted repeats plus "Big Brother" during summer — is trying to get with the times.
"We're being more aggressive this summer than we have been in a long time," said Kelly Kahl, scheduling chief at CBS. This summer, the network is premiering "Dogs in the City," a reality series about problem canines that looks destined to chase the target audience for National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer."
But the broadcasters' reality-heavy lineups still look like small potatoes compared with the ambitious slates on basic cable. Scripted hits like "The Closer" have greatly boosted ad revenue and programmers have been busy plowing that money back into new shows. Cable networks as a group logged a record $5.7 billion in ad revenue for the third quarter of 2011, up 7% from the previous year, according to estimates by Kantar Media. By comparison, broadcast TV logged $4.2 billion, down slightly from summer 2010.
USA, which along with TNT has tended to dominate recent summers, is bringing back hit dramas such as "White Collar" and "Burn Notice." The network is also premiering Weaver's "Political Animals" — the kind of splashy, star-studded effort usually seen on premium cable such as HBO or during the broadcast regular season. The Comcast-owned network has to be careful about spending its money to get a product that looks broadcast quality.
"We don't have as large a writing staff [as a network series]; we shoot where we get refunds," said Bill McGoldrick, USA's executive vice president of original scripted programming. "We use every production trick in the book."
As for TNT, it will bring "The Closer" to an end but follow up with a new spin-off, "Major Crimes,"with Mary McDonnell reprising her role from the original series. And the network will also update"Dallas," the legendary CBS nighttime soap from the 1980s, with many of the same actors from the old show — a rare case of broadcast-cable cross-pollination.
"We're trying to attract a broader audience," explained TNT President Michael Wright.
So what does this crowded field of fair-weather contenders mean — besides a DVR that's even more crowded than it already is? In a startling shift, the new offerings are convincing Americans to watch more summertime TV — a lot more.
Executives have long noted that the percentage of U.S. homes watching TV is much lower in summer than during the cooler months. Conventional wisdom held that people were busy traveling and enjoying the outdoors and didn't have much time to curl up on their sofas and veg out in front of the tube.
Over the last few seasons, though, the average percentage of homes watching prime time — a figure that remained virtually unchanged for decades — has risen steadily in summer. In August 2011, it reached 58% of U.S. homes, compared with 56% for the same period two years earlier, according to Nielsen. It's easy to imagine that the level could over the new few years match that of February, when this year 62% of households were watching. And that month included NBC's coverage of the Super Bowl, the most-watched TV event of all time.
So does all this make summer a promised land for programming? Well, in a word: No.
NBC already discovered that to its chagrin with Stern, whose premiere numbers on "AGT" were much lower than expected despite an advertising and promotional blitz that probably left no man, woman or child in the 50 states unaware of the shock jock's latest career move.
But as it happens, part of the problem may have been timing: NBC decided to premiere the talent contest — which was the No. 1 series in the summer ratings last year — a few weeks earlier than usual, outside its typical comfort zone. "AGT" could well see its ratings rise in June and July, when schedules won't be cluttered with competing season finales on other networks. (An NBC spokesman said executives were unavailable to comment for this story.)
And even if "AGT" doesn't come back, there will be plenty of other shows out there fighting for bragging rights this summer. In fact, it's hard to find any network, broadcast or cable, that isn't offering at least one new series, and often many more than that.
Yahoo's Whitfield was hardly exaggerating when he noted, "Summer could deliver some of the most interesting programs of the year."
Though there are plenty of great scripted shows on the tube during the summer months, summer remains the season when networks trot out their lighter fare, since viewers tend to spend more time outside, away from the television. That generally means lots of reality shows, from docudramas to dating shows to dance competitions. So once you're through soaking up all that sun at the shore, why not slather on a little more lotion and soak up some of those cathode rays in your living room. Here's a look at some of summer's notable reality shows, both new and returning.
