Looking to keep its Mojo working, the recently rebranded high-definition men's network will roll out three new original series, along with new episodes of a trio of returning series in October.
“For the fall season, we really want to capitalize on a lot of the momentum we have,” said David Asch, senior vice president of programming and new media at In Demand-owned Mojo, which until May 1 was known as INHD. “We have some really good combinations, not only in terms of shows that are brand new and returning, but also in how we pair the shows together to get really compelling hours of programming.”
The first pair of premieres tackles the technology front. While car series Test Drive covers everything from chick-magnet autos to tips on driving and maintenance in the concrete jungle, “fish-out-of-water” reality series Technology Jones will challenge modern professionals to use only the technology from randomly selected years for their everyday needs.
Mojo, which targets affluent males 25 to 49, has ordered up six 30-minute episodes and eight 30-minute episodes of the shows, respectively. The tech duo will likely debut in mid to late October.
The third new show could be thought of as Top Chef meets Survivorman. Pressure Cook (working title) follows chef and restaurateur Ralph Pagano — a former competitor on Fox's Hell's Kitchen — around the world as he is dropped, without money, into different cultures and cuisines.
“When they take him to the airport he does not know where he is going,” said Asch. “And he's forced to use just those cooking skills, common sense and ingenuity to get home.”
The network has ordered 10 half-hour episodes, two of which have been shot in Iceland and Mexico.
The sophomore season of After Hours will shift from New York to L.A.'s late-night restaurant scene. Chef Daniel Boulud will host 10 half-hour episodes, gathering other chefs, celebrities and food critics for new dishes, stories and gossip.
After journeying through Africa, Dr. Danger also gets a geographic makeover as the eight-episode second season brings former NBC correspondent Dr. Bob Arnot to the Middle East, where he'll report from Afghanistan, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Libya.
Finally, music series London Live enters its third season with a new host, BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, and top bands performing in The Koko Club.
