While most of the characters on Gossip Girl could probably use some advice from "Dr. Drew" Pinsky, he is actually heading to another part of the CW's schedule.
The network is set to air a new daily-half hour show, Dr. Drew's Lifechangers, beginning this fall.
The CW will air two episodes of the new show back to back from 3-4, with an original episode running in the first half hour.
The show was developed from the nationally syndicated newsmagazine Extra and will be produced in Los Angeles by Warner Bros.' Telepictures Productions. It was created by Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, Senior Executive Producer of Extra, who will serve as an Executive Producer of the new series. Pinsky will also be an executive producer, along with another EP who is yet to be hired.
The new show continues a hot streak for Pinsky, who just met with television critics last week in Pasadena to talk up Dr. Drew Pinsky, his new HLN show premiering this spring. But Gregorisch-Dempsey says while the HLN show (which is not produced by Telepictures, though HLN is also in the Time Warner family) looks to be more focused on breaking news of the day, the CW daytime show will have a more of a daytime feel with a self-help target.
"This is a more daytime focused show about personal transformation and real people stories," she says. "We feel Drew is the answer man and this is the answer show. It will be a search engine for your life."
The show will feature stories about people in conflict, anything from relationship troubles to addiction, and Pinsky - who is board certified in internal and addiction medicine - will bring in experts to help the subjects. The panelists will range from celebrities to medical experts.
"We are not doing exploitation TV, or over the top TV," says Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President of Telepictures Productions. "Drew truly wants to help people with this show."
The show will tape every week to give it a topical feel, according to Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President of Telepictures Productions. For instance, she says a show airing this week could have a doctor talking about recovering from serious injuries in the wake of the shooting in Arizona.
"It will have kind of a hybrid feel with a mix of tape and studio," she says. "Drew has an amazing array of knowledge and experience working with real people as well as celebrities, so we feel it's a great combination."
Other plans for the show include panelists taking questions from a studio audience and from viewers via video chat, as well as testing the latest self-improvement products such as beauty, anti-aging, fitness and diet products.
Pinsky has already been a mainstay on cable television in recent years, with several buzz-inducing shows on VH1 including Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, Sober House and Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew. Pinsky has also been a staple on the radio waves through a long-running syndicated show, Loveline.
The CW currently airs repeats of Tyra Banks' talk show, which is no longer in production, in the 3 p.m. timeslot.
