Lifetime Vamps In Late-Night

Lifetime will launch the second season of its vampire-themed series Blood Ties  Oct. 12, part of the women's new Friday night lineup.

The drama series starring Christina Cox (The Chronicles of Riddick) as a private investigator specializing in solving supernatural crimes with the help of a mysterious vampire played by Kyle Schmid (Beautiful People), averaged 1.2 million viewers during its first season run this past spring.

The ten-episode series joins Lifetime’s new Friday night programming that features new episodes of supernatural-tinged Lifetime original reality series Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead and America’s Psychic Challenge.

Lifetime is coming off a successful ratings summer which produced the network’s most successful original series ever, Army Wives. The series, about the lives of a group of women – and one man – living with their military spouses on an army base, averaged a 3.1 household rating, 2.9 million homes and 3.7 million viewers (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6474355.html?q=Army+Wives) Lifetime has already placed a second-season order for 18 more installments of the breakout show.

Still unclear is whether two other Lifetime freshman scripted dramas, Side Order Of Life and State Of Mind will receive renewals from the network. Both shows averaged nearly 2 million viewers.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.