http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080331abc03ABC ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER SCHEDULE WITH THE PREMIERE OF EIGHT ORIGINAL SERIES
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ABC announces its summer schedule with the premiere of eight original series, including the return of "The Bachelorette" Monday, May 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.), following the performance show finale of "Dancing with the Stars;" "The Mole" Monday, May 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); "Wipeout" Tuesday, June 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" Tuesday, June 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.); ABC News' "Hopkins" Thursday, June 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.); "Dance Machine" on Friday, June 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); "High School Musical: Summer Session" Sunday, July 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.); and "Wanna Bet" Monday, July 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.).
THE BACHELORETTE SPECIAL TWO-HOUR PREMIERE MONDAY, MAY 19 (9:00-11:00 p.m.) - Millions of viewers watched DeAnna Pappas, 26, suffer through a painful, last-minute rejection by Brad Womack on the last season of "The Bachelor" -- earning her the sympathy of women everywhere. Now DeAnna will have the last laugh as the tables are turned and she gets to choose from among 25 bachelors in her own bid for true love, when "The Bachelorette" returns to the ABC lineup. This is the fourth edition of the female version of ABC's popular romance reality series. The brunette, brown-eyed real estate agent from Neunan, Georgia, became an immediate fan favorite and she was the final woman remaining on the finale of "The Bachelor" in November. The ending proved to be a huge shocker though, when Womack didn't select any woman a first in "Bachelor" history. "The Bachelorette" will regularly air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. Hosted by Chris Harrison, "The Bachelorette" is produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss, Martin Hilton and David Bohnert are the executive producers.
THE MOLE PREMIERES MONDAY, MAY 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.) "The Mole" returns with all-new missions, locations and music, plus online and mobile interactivity enabling more viewer participation during the 10 episodes. Jon Kelley ("Extra," "The National Sports Report," "Baseball Today") is the host. "The Mole" follows a group of 12 players as they try to figure out who among them is The Mole, a saboteur trying to keep them from winning money. Players must decide who they think The Mole is and then learn as much about him or her as they can, because, at the end of each one-hour episode, the player who knows the least about The Mole is immediately eliminated from the game. In the final dramatic episode, The Mole is revealed and one of two final players wins a substantial cash prize. The highly-rated unscripted series aired in various time periods during its four-season run, and was a consistent draw with key young adult viewers opposite established network competition, including NBC's "Law & Order" and the inaugural season of Fox's "American Idol." Scott A. Stone and Clay Newbill are executive producers for Stone & Company Entertainment.
WIPEOUT PREMIERES TUESDAY, JUNE 24 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) Twenty-four contenders compete in an extreme obstacle course designed to provide the most crashes, face plants, impacts and wipe outs ever seen on television. During each one-hour episode, one competitor will win the title of Wipeout champion and $50,000. "Wipe Out" is hosted by John Anderson (ESPN's "SportsCenter"). Jill Wagner is co-host. "Wipeout" is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive produced by Matt Kunitz. Scott Larsen is co-executive producer.
I SURVIVED A JAPANESE GAME SHOW PREMIERES TUESDAY, JUNE 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) This unscripted reality/game show takes an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at 10 Americans who are whisked away to Japan and compete in the ultimate Japanese game show. The results and prizing will be based on who best adapts to the Japanese culture and challenges in each episode. The executive producers are Arthur Smith and Kent Weed of A. Smith & Co. ("The Swan," "Kitchen Nightmares"), David Sidebotham, Karsten Bartholin and Tim Crescenti, from a concept by Babyfoot APS Denmark/Small World IFT.
ABC NEWS' HOPKINS PREMIERES THURSDAY, JUNE 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m.) -- Nearly eight years after the critically acclaimed series, "Hopkins 24/7," ABC News returns to Baltimore's John Hopkins Hospital for a new documentary series entitled "Hopkins." This six-part program will take viewers inside the legendary hospital to meet patients in the throes of medical crisis and young doctors forced to make life and death decisions on the fly while struggling to keep their personal relationships from unraveling. Shot in high definition with unparalleled access for over four months, ABC News takes an intimate look at the men and women who call this hospital home.
DANCE MACHINE PREMIERES FRIDAY, JUNE 27 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) - Each episode features six real people from all walks of life who will face off against each other in a series of one-on-one dance offs to the most popular songs of all time. Imagine a 70-year-old grandmother in a dance off with a 25 year-old gravedigger, to the tune of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Throughout the course of the night contestants will be eliminated by voters in the studio audience. By the end of the evening, just two finalists will be left to challenge each other for the honor of being crowned that night's "Dance Machine" and to take home the $100,000 cash prize. Popular E! News correspondent Jason Kennedy is the host. The show is from RDF USA. Greg Goldman, Executive Vice President of Development and Current for RDF USA is creator and executive producer of the show. Chris Coelen of RDF, as well as Brian A. Veskosky of Metro Entertainment are executive producers.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: SUMMER SESSION PREMIERES SUNDAY, JULY 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) - The multi-episode competition reality series will hold unique nationwide casting sessions that will appear in the show, with plenty of surprises from global sensation "Disney's High School Musical." This much-anticipated series brings the phenomenally successful "High School Musical" experience to life. The casting scouts welcome anyone and everyone ages 16-22 who has dreamed of being center stage--the high school quarterback who's never tried out for a play but has a song in his heart; the drama club extrovert looking to break into the big time; someone looking to trade the chess club routine for a dance routineall are invited to "Get'cha head in the game," as the hit song says! The finalists will ultimately participate in a summer music program to hone their skills. After eliminations, the winner will be given the opportunity of a lifetime, but details of the grand prize are still under wraps. The series premieres on Sunday, July 20, and will air Sunday and Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. for three weeks, and then continue on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. through the end of the summer. "High School Musical: Summer Session" is executive produced by Jay Blumenfeld and Tony Marsh (both of "Here Come the Newlyweds") of The Jay and Tony Show. Hosts and judges will be announced at a later date. Disney Channel's "High School Musical" has been seen by over 250 million viewers and the sequel, "High School Musical 2," has been seen by over 195 million viewers in 24 languages around the world. The movies spawned stage productions at schools and in professional theatres around the world, multi-platinum CDs, DVDs and books, a successful consumer products franchise at mass retailers, a themed show at Disneyland Parks in Anaheim, Orlando and Paris, a sold-out 42 date arena concert tour in North America and Latin America and a popular touring ice show around the world.
WANNA BET PREMERES MONDAY, JULY 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) -- British comedy sensations Ant and Dec host this one-hour weekly primetime event. Four celebrity contestants/judges have the chance to earn big money for the charity of their choice by betting on the success or failure of some of the wildest stunts, tricks and mental challenges that average Americans dream up and perform in front of a studio audience. Celebrity contestants include Drew Lachey, Sherri Shepherd, Bill Engvall and Scott Hamilton. "Wanna Bet" is executive produced by Philip Gurin ("The Singing Bee," "Weakest Link") and Mark Jansen ("The Weakest Link").
