Cable programmers may be mostly absent from the exhibit floor at this year’s Western Show, but many will make year-end and new-year promotions and new programming announcements.
* Lifetime Television is announcing a new telefilm along with two new faces that are joining the cast of “The Division,” its second-season police drama from Viacom Productions. It is also offering another sneak preview of its digital Lifetime Movie Network.
The preview follows four previous sneaks in the past year that together generated more than 1 million viewer calls that then were converted into leads for cable operators prospecting for new digital subscribers.
The new movie is “Taking Back Our Town,” a fact-based tale of two women, played by Laura Innes and Ruby Dee, who build a grass-roots movement to prevent a corporation from building a large petrochemical plant in their back yard.
The new “Division” cast members are Taraji Henson (“Felicity”) and Jon Hamm (“Providence,”), who will be joining the series about San Francisco police inspectors.
* Trio, USA’s emerging digital popular arts channel, is announcing the premiere of “Broadway Legends,” a one-hour documentary hosted by Matthew Broderick; “The Score,” a Norman Lear- and Phil Ramone-produced series focusing on the relationships between film directors and their soundtrack composers; and “Walkthrough,” a one-hour celebrity-hosted series that looks at American collectors.
“Legends” will include interviews with the late Jason Robards, Lauren Bacall, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Julie Harris, Hume Cronyn, Stephen Sondheim, Neil Simon and Nathan Lane, among others.
* American Movie Classics is announcing “Hello, He Lied,” a one-hour special hosted by producer Lynda Obst and based on her best-selling insider’s guide to Hollywood.
* WE: Women’s Entertainment, AMC’s sister network, is announcing a new series and a new host for a returning series, as well as the winners of a promotional contest.
The new series is “Winning Women,” hosted by actress-triathlete Alexandra Paul, which will spotlight female athletes. The new host is Daisy Fuentes, who joins “StyleWorld.”
The contest is the “Simplify Your Life” promotional sweepstakes, in partnership with Real Simple magazine, which offered $60,000 worth of prizes.