CMT is set to announce three new series and two new music franchises at its upfront presentation Tuesday.
The network announced a 12-episode order last week for Foxworthy’s Big Night Out, which will debut in September. The show will feature comedian Jeff Foxworthy performing stand-up and sketch comedy, along with live musical performances from country-music stars.
Also set for a September debut is eight-episode series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, which originated as a two-hour special last November. The series will go behind the scenes at tryouts for spots on professional football’s most famous cheerleading squad.
In the first quarter of 2007, CMT will present even-episode documentary series Finding Miss America, which will follow the 52 Miss America finalists through the preliminary competitions prior to the 2007 MissAmericaPageant, set to air live on CMT next January.
As for music franchises, CMT Giants, set to debut during the fourth quarter, will see country stars pay tribute to a chosen legend by singing that artist’s greatest hits.
And in the second quarter of 2007, the network will premiere CMT Cross Country, a two-hour performance special during which two country artists of different generations will sing the songs that have influenced them most.
“These series and specials represent CMT’s most ambitious original-programming slate to date,” executive vice president and general manager Brian Philips said in a prepared statement.
“We aim to maximize these properties across all of our digital-media platforms by creating exclusive, original content designed for our new broadband channel Loaded, CMT.com [www.cmt.com], CMT Mobile, CMT On Demand and more,” he added.
