Oxygen Sets First Original Film
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 7/8/2003 7:19:00 AM
Hollywood, Calif. -- Oxygen is the latest network to take the plunge into the original-movie waters with a romantic comedy set to debut in October.
The film, A Tale of Two Wives, debuting Oct. 11, stars Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) as one of two women married to a man afraid of marital boredom, played by Peter Gallagher (While You Were Sleeping).
Oxygen president of programming Debby Beece said the film -- produced in conjunction with film-production company Working Title -- could be the first of several original movies to air on Oxygen in the near future.
Unlike the women-as-victim roles usually portrayed in Oxygen competitor Lifetime Television's movies, Beece said, Oxygen movies will take a more lighthearted approach to the issues facing women.
"We're generally an upbeat, optimistic, fun kind of place, so we're looking for humorous, strong women -- no victims," she added.
Beece believes developing a successful original-movies franchise will bring new viewers to the network and aid in promoting other Oxygen original programs.
"It's a format that people want to see and attracts a lot of stars that you wouldn't ordinarily get," she said. "It brings a lot of new reasons for viewers to tune in."
Beece spoke with Multichannel News after Oxygen's Television Critics Association summer press tour presentation here.
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