Spike TV has changed from Men's TV to something that is beginning to resemble regular network television, has announced its 2013 development slate that features not only unscripted projects, but scripted projects. All of the shows coming to Spike TV, and in development aim to reach that 18-49 demographic. 2013 will mark Spike TV’s first return to scripted television, in over six years. They have decided to make this return with special event series, there are more than five event series planned including behind-the-scenes account of the 2012 terrorist attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, whose aftermath still echoes in Washington. Spike TV is coming into scripted television with a different approach, which may help it gain an edge against its competitors.
Reality Series in Development
TO CATCH A CONTRACTOR
Adam Carolla is not just a renowned television, radio, and internet personality with one of the most-downloaded podcasts in the world, he is also a passionate, knowledgeable construction expert. In this pilot, Carolla serves as a vigilant watchdog to homeowners or businesses who have been cheated by a contractor and left with an unfinished disaster. Carolla, along with no-nonsense contractor Skip Bedell, hunts down the shoddy builder and gets retribution for the owner by making them fix the disaster and finish the job.
COVERT KITCHENS
Graham Elliot, award-winning chef, restaurateur and acclaimed judge on hit series “MasterChef,” gives viewers an exclusive invitation into the underground restaurant world in “Covert Kitchens.” Now a fixture all across America, these one-night-only culinary events are put on by some of the world’s top chefs in alleyways, train cars, and even tattoo parlors. It all has to come together in one day—the food, the setting and the service. Can they pull it off?
HUNGRY INVESTORS
“Hungry Investors” is the next project for “Bar Rescue” star, Jon Taffer. With Eyeworks USA producing, Taffer teams up with two fellow restaurant industry experts to seek out “diamonds in the rough” – neighboring establishments that are failing miserably, despite having amazing potential to succeed. The “Hungry Investors” put the struggling restaurants to the test in a head-to-head, challenge-based competition and the one enterprise that shows the most promise of turning things around earns a significant cash investment.
BIZ BROKERS
The buying and selling of businesses is a high stakes game where fortunes can be made and lost in mere moments. Business brokers act as the shrewd and astute middlemen behind these high-pressure deals and reap a percentage on the sale of companies they represent. In this Spike pilot, an aspiring small business owner is presented with three companies that are up for sale. With the guidance of a seasoned business broker, the fledgling business owner decides which company to purchase. Several months later, the show follows up to find out whether the small business owner succeeded in making their dream purchase into a moneymaker.
FRANKENFOOD
Superstar chef, Eric Greenspan, is going across the country to create culinary history by finding Americans with the most incredible and unique food creations. In each episode, the top food innovators will go head-to-head in order to get their mouthwatering, unexpected food combinations onto the menu of a restaurant, win a cash prize, and possibly create the next big food craze. Greenspan is the chef and owner of The Foundry and The Roof on Wilshire, and once defeated the legendary Bobby Flay on the television series “Iron Chef America.”
AUTO BODY AVENGERS
With over 200 million registered vehicles in the United States, it’s no surprise that auto repair shops are a booming business. Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you pay for. While the majority of auto body shops are fair and honest businesses, there are unscrupulous ones who seek to rip off unrespecting car owners by charging them for unnecessary or shoddy repairs. In “Autobody Avengers,” a team of operatives go undercover to spotlight the garages suspected of fraud.
PROPERTY MONSTROSITY
It seems every neighborhood has a property monstrosity which is in such disarray that it’s diminishing the value of all of the houses on the block. In this Spike TV original pilot, a concerned group of neighbors joins forces to confront their negligent neighbor. The exasperated group sternly offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to renovate and fix the disastrous house as long as the neighbor-from-hell moves out and leaves the renovation in the hands of the concerned neighbors.
REPOSA JUSTICE
Outrageous criminal defense attorney Adam Reposa is a powerful voice for the underdog and a dedicated champion for justice who loves taking the path of most resistance as he defends “the least among us.” Based in Austin, TX, Adam takes on shady salesmen, nasty neighbors, lousy landlords, and anyone else who stands in the way of “Reposa Justice.”
TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT
Job applicants unwittingly compete for a full-time position as hidden cameras capture their reactions to being put through extreme on-the-job tests designed to find the perfect hire. The applicant who handles the situation best under pressure, judged by a hiring expert and the business owner, is given the chance to fill a lucrative position within the company.
WE’RE THE BOSS
Can you imagine having the opportunity to choose your next boss? In this workplace reality series, everyday employees across America will get to be in charge for one week. By week’s end, the company will be changed – hopefully for the better.
HARD MONEY
This pilot takes viewers inside the fast-paced, high-stakes world of hard money lending, a practice that is, in essence, legal loan-sharking. These hard money lenders offer short-term loans at steep interest rates guaranteed by significant collateral. If the loans default, they collect collateral worth many times the amount of the loan itself. This series follows three successful hard money lenders and documents their never-ending roller coaster ride in the world of high financial desperation. The lenders work individually but there is constant competition among them for the best loans.
TO CATCH A CONTRACTOR
Adam Carolla is not just a renowned television, radio, and internet personality with one of the most-downloaded podcasts in the world, he is also a passionate, knowledgeable construction expert. In this pilot, Carolla serves as a vigilant watchdog to homeowners or businesses who have been cheated by a contractor and left with an unfinished disaster. Carolla, along with no-nonsense contractor Skip Bedell, hunts down the shoddy builder and gets retribution for the owner by making them fix the disaster and finish the job.
COVERT KITCHENS
Graham Elliot, award-winning chef, restaurateur and acclaimed judge on hit series “MasterChef,” gives viewers an exclusive invitation into the underground restaurant world in “Covert Kitchens.” Now a fixture all across America, these one-night-only culinary events are put on by some of the world’s top chefs in alleyways, train cars, and even tattoo parlors. It all has to come together in one day—the food, the setting and the service. Can they pull it off?
HUNGRY INVESTORS
“Hungry Investors” is the next project for “Bar Rescue” star, Jon Taffer. With Eyeworks USA producing, Taffer teams up with two fellow restaurant industry experts to seek out “diamonds in the rough” – neighboring establishments that are failing miserably, despite having amazing potential to succeed. The “Hungry Investors” put the struggling restaurants to the test in a head-to-head, challenge-based competition and the one enterprise that shows the most promise of turning things around earns a significant cash investment.
BIZ BROKERS
The buying and selling of businesses is a high stakes game where fortunes can be made and lost in mere moments. Business brokers act as the shrewd and astute middlemen behind these high-pressure deals and reap a percentage on the sale of companies they represent. In this Spike pilot, an aspiring small business owner is presented with three companies that are up for sale. With the guidance of a seasoned business broker, the fledgling business owner decides which company to purchase. Several months later, the show follows up to find out whether the small business owner succeeded in making their dream purchase into a moneymaker.
FRANKENFOOD
Superstar chef, Eric Greenspan, is going across the country to create culinary history by finding Americans with the most incredible and unique food creations. In each episode, the top food innovators will go head-to-head in order to get their mouthwatering, unexpected food combinations onto the menu of a restaurant, win a cash prize, and possibly create the next big food craze. Greenspan is the chef and owner of The Foundry and The Roof on Wilshire, and once defeated the legendary Bobby Flay on the television series “Iron Chef America.”
AUTO BODY AVENGERS
With over 200 million registered vehicles in the United States, it’s no surprise that auto repair shops are a booming business. Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you pay for. While the majority of auto body shops are fair and honest businesses, there are unscrupulous ones who seek to rip off unrespecting car owners by charging them for unnecessary or shoddy repairs. In “Autobody Avengers,” a team of operatives go undercover to spotlight the garages suspected of fraud.
PROPERTY MONSTROSITY
It seems every neighborhood has a property monstrosity which is in such disarray that it’s diminishing the value of all of the houses on the block. In this Spike TV original pilot, a concerned group of neighbors joins forces to confront their negligent neighbor. The exasperated group sternly offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to renovate and fix the disastrous house as long as the neighbor-from-hell moves out and leaves the renovation in the hands of the concerned neighbors.
REPOSA JUSTICE
Outrageous criminal defense attorney Adam Reposa is a powerful voice for the underdog and a dedicated champion for justice who loves taking the path of most resistance as he defends “the least among us.” Based in Austin, TX, Adam takes on shady salesmen, nasty neighbors, lousy landlords, and anyone else who stands in the way of “Reposa Justice.”
TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT
Job applicants unwittingly compete for a full-time position as hidden cameras capture their reactions to being put through extreme on-the-job tests designed to find the perfect hire. The applicant who handles the situation best under pressure, judged by a hiring expert and the business owner, is given the chance to fill a lucrative position within the company.
WE’RE THE BOSS
Can you imagine having the opportunity to choose your next boss? In this workplace reality series, everyday employees across America will get to be in charge for one week. By week’s end, the company will be changed – hopefully for the better.
HARD MONEY
This pilot takes viewers inside the fast-paced, high-stakes world of hard money lending, a practice that is, in essence, legal loan-sharking. These hard money lenders offer short-term loans at steep interest rates guaranteed by significant collateral. If the loans default, they collect collateral worth many times the amount of the loan itself. This series follows three successful hard money lenders and documents their never-ending roller coaster ride in the world of high financial desperation. The lenders work individually but there is constant competition among them for the best loans.
Drama Scripted Pilots
HIT MEN
From Leslie Greif (“Hatfields & McCoy’s”), Chris Collins (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Rock God and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons (KISS), comes “Hit Men,” a thrilling look into the untold story of how the mafia took control of the music industry of the 1970’s. From rising artists to radio stations to record labels, the impact organized crime had on all facets of the music business in this era was all-consuming and changed the music world forever.
WHITEY BULGER PROJECT
this movie event chronicles the raw and unfiltered rise and fall of Whitey Bulger, one of America’s most notorious criminals. This four-hour epic delves deep into the life of Boston’s most infamous organized crime leader, who ruled New England’s criminal underworld with an iron fist for decades. Bulger’s larger-than-life story takes us from his days as a low-level street thug to FBI informant, to mob boss bent on undermining the competition, to the FBI’s most wanted list, and fugitive on the lam for sixteen years
THE LAMP
In the 1970’s, the United States military set up some very unorthodox and secretive departments to research a wide range of areas from telekinesis to ambient noise to body language. Among these included the Research and Acquisitions Department, designed to covertly find and acquire all artifacts mentioned in religious and mythological texts to determine if any of them truly claimed magical powers. The search came up empty until they came across the legendary Aladdin’s Lamp.
UNTITLED BENGHAZI PROJECT
This project lifts the curtain on the untold behind-the-scenes story of the 2012 terrorist attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Based on declassified documents and testimonials from those who were on the ground, this miniseries will shed light on the actual events surrounding the tragic deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, and the heroic actions of CIA operatives that saved dozen of American lives.
iHUMAN
The stories of how technological innovation is transforming the human condition will be at the center of a series of films from Raw TV, the BAFTA-Award winning team behind the critically-acclaimed film, “The Imposter.” As technology becomes such an integral part of our lives and our most personal information becomes captured in a “cloud,” how does this affect human interaction? From the comfort of a laptop, we are now able to do everything from cheating on our spouses, to sending SWAT teams to celebrities’ homes, to bringing about revolution or crashing financial markets. The connections in the digital age are actually resulting in a disconnection from humanity and this film series will explore this in a way never before seen on television.
SPIKE TV NEWS
Tattoo Nightmares returned Tuesday, May 28th 2013
Bar Rescue Received a 20 episode back order
Cops will premiere new episodes September 2013
BREEZY'S RECAP
Spike TV has always catered to that male, raunchy 18+ type and since I am not a man, I must admit that this channel had little appeal to me before I started this blog, and I still do not know what channel it is on at my house. However, Spike TV's stated shift from target males 18-49 to targeting everyone 18-49 is a smart move. By not alienating half the population, it stands to grow in ratings and viewers. I am really excited to see that Spike TV grabbed Cops and renewed it. While the drama pilot Hit Men looks interesting, there isn't anything else I am particularly looking forward to. What about you? What will you be watching? How much do you love Spike TV? Let me know in the comments section
HIT MEN
From Leslie Greif (“Hatfields & McCoy’s”), Chris Collins (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Rock God and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons (KISS), comes “Hit Men,” a thrilling look into the untold story of how the mafia took control of the music industry of the 1970’s. From rising artists to radio stations to record labels, the impact organized crime had on all facets of the music business in this era was all-consuming and changed the music world forever.
WHITEY BULGER PROJECT
this movie event chronicles the raw and unfiltered rise and fall of Whitey Bulger, one of America’s most notorious criminals. This four-hour epic delves deep into the life of Boston’s most infamous organized crime leader, who ruled New England’s criminal underworld with an iron fist for decades. Bulger’s larger-than-life story takes us from his days as a low-level street thug to FBI informant, to mob boss bent on undermining the competition, to the FBI’s most wanted list, and fugitive on the lam for sixteen years
THE LAMP
In the 1970’s, the United States military set up some very unorthodox and secretive departments to research a wide range of areas from telekinesis to ambient noise to body language. Among these included the Research and Acquisitions Department, designed to covertly find and acquire all artifacts mentioned in religious and mythological texts to determine if any of them truly claimed magical powers. The search came up empty until they came across the legendary Aladdin’s Lamp.
UNTITLED BENGHAZI PROJECT
This project lifts the curtain on the untold behind-the-scenes story of the 2012 terrorist attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Based on declassified documents and testimonials from those who were on the ground, this miniseries will shed light on the actual events surrounding the tragic deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, and the heroic actions of CIA operatives that saved dozen of American lives.
iHUMAN
The stories of how technological innovation is transforming the human condition will be at the center of a series of films from Raw TV, the BAFTA-Award winning team behind the critically-acclaimed film, “The Imposter.” As technology becomes such an integral part of our lives and our most personal information becomes captured in a “cloud,” how does this affect human interaction? From the comfort of a laptop, we are now able to do everything from cheating on our spouses, to sending SWAT teams to celebrities’ homes, to bringing about revolution or crashing financial markets. The connections in the digital age are actually resulting in a disconnection from humanity and this film series will explore this in a way never before seen on television.
SPIKE TV NEWS
Tattoo Nightmares returned Tuesday, May 28th 2013
Bar Rescue Received a 20 episode back order
Cops will premiere new episodes September 2013
BREEZY'S RECAP
Spike TV has always catered to that male, raunchy 18+ type and since I am not a man, I must admit that this channel had little appeal to me before I started this blog, and I still do not know what channel it is on at my house. However, Spike TV's stated shift from target males 18-49 to targeting everyone 18-49 is a smart move. By not alienating half the population, it stands to grow in ratings and viewers. I am really excited to see that Spike TV grabbed Cops and renewed it. While the drama pilot Hit Men looks interesting, there isn't anything else I am particularly looking forward to. What about you? What will you be watching? How much do you love Spike TV? Let me know in the comments section
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