Here's a unique promotion platform for a new first-run syndication show to
air next fall -- the first four episodes will be seen on NBC in the summer.
NBC Enterprises and MGM Worldwide Television Group have struck a deal to
produce and distribute the new show, an action drama called She Spies.
The premise: Three ex-con babes fight crime. The network run is being called a
"sneak peek," and it will run in the network's summer prime time schedule.
Natasha Henstridge (Whole Nine Yards and Bounce) has been
signed to play the lead.
The initial commitment is for 20 episodes, with those first four network
episodes also kicking off the first-run run.
The show has already been cleared by the NBC stations and most of the
Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. group, covering more than 50 percent of the United States.
MGM will produce with Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle serving as
executive producers. NBC's Vince Manze and Joe Livecchi also serve as executive
producers. (Van Sickle and Mitchell also ran NBC's Pretender series).
"This deal creates an excellent opportunity for stations to have a first-run
series that brings network exposure and an impressive cast to the syndication
marketplace," NBC Enterprises president Ed Wilson said. "We are pleased to
provide stations the strength of a major network launch for She Spies, and
we will continue to look for ways to offer them competitive advantages in today's
marketplace."
