The CW ordered a new reality series called “Crowned,” an eight-episode competition program in which mother-daughter teams work together to win a beauty pageant, The CW’s President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff announced during the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour in Pasadena last week. The CW also announced a full-season renewal of “Everybody Hates Chris.” In addition, the network will expand its online offerings to include next-day streaming of “Beauty and the Geek,” “Supernatural,” “Veronica Mars,” “One Tree Hill,” “Chris,” “All of Us,” “Girlfriends” and “The Game.” In another interactive measure, The CW announced plans to launch the first avatar-based mobile game tied to a major TV show. CBS Interactive and Hong Kong-based Artificial Life will partner to produce the “America’s Next Top Model” game, which allows “Top Model” characters to “live” on users’ mobile phones.
NBC Orders Improv Series
NBC ordered six episodes of an improvisational comedy format from “American Idol” producer FremantleMedia North America called “Thank God You’re Here,” network executives announced at Press Tour. The hour series goes into production immediately and NBC plans to premiere the program by the end of the season. NBC also ordered renewals for “Heroes,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “The Office.” The network also ordered seven more episodes of the game show “Identity” for the summer. In “Thank God,” celebrity contestants are given a costume and a prop, and enter a set where a scene is already in progress. The room can be anything from an operating room to an Egyptian tomb to an executive boardroom, and it is pre-stocked with improv comics following a rough story outline. The celebrity is greeted with the words “Thank God you’re here” and must improvise through the scene. David Alan Grier (“In Living Color”) hosts and Dave Foley (“News Radio”) judges the performers. The format was launched in Australia in 2004, and spread to 10 international territories.
`Survivor’ Renewed for Two More Seasons
Despite some ratings drain in recent years, CBS has ordered two more seasons of its reality kingpin “Survivor.” The new seasons will mark the 15th and 16th editions of the series and will air during the 2007-08 season. The most recent installment, “Survivor: Cook Islands,” earned an average 5.5 rating among adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
`Nine,’ `Six’ Back on ABC, `Day Break’ Online
ABC announced that freshman dramas “The Nine” and “Six Degrees,” which were pulled from the schedule earlier this season, will likely return to finish their runs before May. “Day Break” will only be available on ABC.com.