TV Guide Serves 'Sushi TV’

Los Angeles— TV Guide Channel is turning Japanese for its upcoming original series.

Premiering in late June, Sushi TV is a compilation of competitions and bizarre challenges from Nippon, with a focus on people who engage in eating challenges to those who sweat the most, according to network officials.

Sushi TV is part of TV Guide Channel’s original-programming slate late this month and next that includes live red-carpet coverage of the 59th Annual Tony Awards in New York June 5 from 7 to 8 p.m. (ET).

Coming up in specials next month at 8 p.m. are three one-hour entries: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Reality TV, including insights into Survivor, Fear Factor and Extreme Makeover (June 12); a preview of warm-weather viewing called Summer TV (June 19); and Summer Movies Hunks & Babes (June 26), a countdown of the 15 hottest stars on the silver screen.

The program-navigation service will also bring back a second season of Seeing Stars, in which Ricky Kalmon encounters people on the street and hypnotizes them into believing they are TV personalities (May 31 at 8 p.m).

On June 8 comes the sophomore campaign of Look-a-Like, which transforms regular folk into the celebrities they resemble. It’s preceded by a marathon of six first-season episodes (June 5), following the Tony Awards coverage.