Showtime announced Tuesday that it has acquired rights to
off-broadcast-network show Wasteland, including 10 never-before-seen
episodes, for its Showtime Next multiplex channel.
The show -- which follows six 20-something friends coming to terms with life
after college -- premiered on ABC in 1999, but it was axed by the network after
only three telecasts.
A Showtime spokeswoman said the network will air the shows beginning in June
on the 18- to 34-year-old targeted service, which launched last March.
'This series didn't get much of a chance on network TV, but we're very
pleased to bring it to our subscribers while giving fans of the show an
opportunity to see how things turned out,' Showtime vice president of
acquisitions Gary Garfinkel said in a statement.
'Wasteland is perfectly suited for Showtime Next . the characters in
the show and the issues they struggle with seem very much in tune with the age
group we are targeting, and we're confident that Wasteland will be a big
success,' he added.
Showtime also announced that it has commissioned 17 new episodes of
critically acclaimed series The Chris Issak Show. The show -- a comedic
satire on the life of a rock star -- airs Mondays at 10 p.m.
