LOWDOWN ON THE UPFRONT: USA Sets Year-Round Original Debuts
‘Starter Wife’ Starts On Fridays In October
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 3/26/2008 6:10:00 PM
New York -- USA Network will continue to premiere original programming year-round, with a variety of debuts set for this summer and the launch of the Emmy-Award winning The Starter Wife as a series slated for this fall, officials said Wednesday.
After successfully bowing Law & Order: Criminal Intent last October, USA will repeat the formula and premiere the new 10-episode order of last year’s hit miniseries, starring Debra Messing, The Starter Wife, Friday nights at 10 p.m., this October.
The network, which was slated to make a series of announcements at its upfront presentation in Manhattan Wednesday night, said it was bringing back Law & Order: CI June 8, the day it will also debut the new original scripted series In Plain Sight. Law & Order has the 9 p.m. slot Sundays, followed by In Plain Sight at 10 p.m.
In Plain Sight, about a U.S. Marshall working in the federal witness protection program, will have limited 
commercial interruptions during its premiere, which will be presented by Proctor & Gamble. Shot on location in and around Albuquerque, N.M., In Plain Sight will premiere with a 76-minute episode, followed by 11 one-hour episodes.
In addition, new seasons of USA’s hit shows Monk, which is celebrating its 100th episode this season, which is the show’s seventh season; Burn Notice as well as Psych are all returning in the summer. Burn Notice begins its second season July 10, while Monk and Psych are both returning July 18.
Monk’s landmark 100th episode will air Sept. 5.
At its upfront, USA Network was also expected to unveil its own name, “brandwidth,” as a term that is trying to extend the breadth and creative potential of the “Characters Welcome” brand and its vast media reach.
USA is encouraging advertisers to leverage its “brandwidth” by partnering on innovative and customized character-focused opportunities. Past examples of recent successful brand partnerships include the network’s pairing of its obsessive-compulsive titular character Monk with Windex in its dreamscape spots; as well as Pond’s and The Starter Wife; GM and Direct TV with Burn Notice; and Kleenex and Monk.
Additionally, USA plans to grow its “Characters Welcome” brand in the 2008-2009 by investing in a series of pure-play, multi-platform brand initiatives. The “Character Project” and “Character Approved” will be the first in a series of brand campaigns crafted to grow the character brand beyond its core fan base and the television landscape.
In the Character Project, USA will team up with a well-known photographer and several up-and-coming photographers to capture the “character” of America today. USA will embark on a cross-country, 50-state quest in search of subjects as varied as the country, and include everyone from celebrities to local heroes.
And to jump-start the Character Approved initiative, USA will first work with clients to showcase the most unique commercials featuring quintessential characters.
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