VH1 Ramps Up Development Slate

NEW YORK: A record 44 original series are on the slate for VH1, with new programming centered on music, celebrity and real-life stories.

The focus of the new programming was culled from research the network did on what it calls "Gen Mix," covering ages 25 to 34. "They told us that they want to connect even more with our characters, our artists and our celebrities—but in a more genuine way," said Tom Calderone, the president of VH1. "They still enjoy VH1’s signature sense of fun and irreverence, but they also want more story lines that reflect the issues and challenges they are experiencing in their own lives."

"As a result, we’re taking our signature storytelling strengths and amplifying them through three distinct areas: music, celebrities and real-life stories," added Jeff Olde, the executive VP of original programming and production at VH1. "And we’re expanding the ways we tell a story so that we have more ways to reflect on what’s happening in the music and pop culture that our viewers love."

New series include You’re Cut Off!, which is being billed as "spoiled brat rehab;" Money Hungry, featuring contestants who will drop weight and win money in the process; and My Big Friggin Wedding (working title), a docu-series following the planning and execution of outrageous nuptials. There’s also Wedding Wars (working title), a competition elimination series where the prize is a dream wedding, and Diary of a Hip Hop Girlfriend, a doc-soap examining the ups and downs of being involved in a relationship with a rap artist.

Series pickups include a second season of Fantasia For Real, featuring the life of Fantasia Barrino; a development pilot from Eva Longoria called Beso: Waiting on Fame, about the people who work at the star’s Hollywood restaurant; and Estranged with Dr. Drew, a development pilot in which Dr. Drew Pinsky attempts to help relationships in ruins.

VH1 is returning to its music roots with a lineup of new programming that includes VH1 and the USO Present Divas Rock the Troops, taking its iconic music event on the road to honor the men and women of the armed forces; VH1 Hip Hop Honors: The Dirty South, spotlighting the southern story of hip hop’s global message; and Behind the Music, which returns after a successful re-launch last summer. An Evening with Christina Aguilera gives a behind-the-scenes look into the life of one of the biggest names in pop music. VH1’s Rock Doc franchise returns with 50’s Roots, focusing of the rapper and mogul 50 Cent. Also on the slate are RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Let’s Spend the Night Together: Confessions of Rock’s Greatest Groupies, the concert series Friday Night Alright and 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.