Fox Family Bows Original Series, Movies
By Jim Forkan -- Multichannel News, 3/28/2001 4:50:00 PM
New York -- Fox Family Channel president Maureen Smith announced a batch of original series and movies for primetime, as well as four new kids' series, during a 2001-2002 upfront press briefing here Wednesday.
For primetime, Fox Family unveiled six original movies, as well as one-dozen series projects in various stages of development, for the new season.
The network began planning for possible writers' and actors' strikes, so 'we won't really see it impacting us at all,' Smith said.
Several of the movies are romantic comedies sparked by the success of Au Pair, which scored a 5.0 household rating last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Au Pair II is set for April 22, Smith said.
Till Dad Do Us Part (reuniting Night Court's John Larroquette and Markie Post) is due in June; When Good Ghouls Go Bad, starring Christopher Lloyd, is due as a Halloween movie; and Three Days -- which she described as 'Heaven Can Wait meets It's a WonderfulLife' -- is due as part of the network's '25 Days of Christmas' stunt.
Other movies will be biographical, including one about tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, she added.
Scariest Places on Earth, after a Monday-through-Friday stint this week, will become a series Fridays at 9 p.m. Smith felt that the newly added Thursday-night Major League Baseball coverage (as of April 5) will be an ideal promotion platform for Scariest Places.
Given that show's success, Fox Family plans two other reality series -- Breakout and Back in Time -- that put families, rather than strangers, in compelling situations.
Three new series are due in 'the first quarter and beyond,' she added, indicating that Breakout or Back in Time will be among them.
Four kiddie series have been given the go-ahead for Fox Family's new season, including So Little Time, a live-action show starring the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley.
The other three are animated and teen-oriented: Braceface, produced by and featuring the voice of Alicia Silverstone; Da Mob, about a teen hip-hop band; and TotallySpies, about three Beverly Hills teens turned spies. Nine current series have been renewed.
In addition, the cable network is developing The Alley, a tween-targeted hip-hop music series, for its kiddie lineup.
Smith -- who also heads Fox Kids on the broadcast side -- added that six new series are set for the new season and two others are in development, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series.
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