HISTORY Builds Out Programming Grid for 2010-11

NEW YORK: HISTORY, which to date ranks as the number one non-fiction network of 2010, is adding 15 original series and 10 tent-pole specials to its schedule for the 2010-11 season.

HISTORY recently announced its first scripted show, The Kennedys, from the team behind 24, Joel Surnow, Steve Kronish and Jon Cassar. Additionally previously announced for the slate are the competition series Top Shot; archeology show Chasing Mummies; the American version of the hit British motoring program Top Gear; and Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, following as the comedian goes around the country immersing himself in different lifestyles.

Further greenlit series include Around the World in 80 Ways (working title), produced by Thom Beers’ Original Productions; Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, featuring the secret messages behind things we see on a daily basis; and Stan Lee’s Superhumans, hosted by the legendary creator behind the X-Men. There’s also Swamp People, about the inhabitants of a remote corner of Louisiana, and Vigilante Inspector, featuring engineer Timothy Galarnick and his partner, who inspect the nation’s quickly decaying infrastructure.

Returning shows include Cineflix’s American Pickers, Modern Marvels from Actuality Productions, Pawn Stars from LeftField Pictures and The Universe from Flight 33 Productions. These join Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers from Original Productions.

A number of specials have also been given the greenlight. These include History of the World in Two Hours (working title); Jefferson, about the life and legacy of Thomas Jefferson; President’s Book of Secrets, about the private information the nation’s leader holds; Reagan, focused on America’s 40th president; and Voices from Inside the Towers, looking at the events of September 11. There’s also the special Who Really Discovered America, looking at the controversy and questions that haunt our history.

"We are honored to be in business with such talent as Joel Surnow, Steve Kronish, Jon Cassar, Thom Beers, Craig Piligian, LeftField Pictures, Cineflix Productions and with the famous Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass," said Nancy Dubuc, the president and general manager for HISTORY. "We are also excited at the challenge to take the long-running hit BBC series Top Gear and make it our own. Together, we continue to partner on innovative and game-changing programming. It’s what makes our work here at HISTORY so rewarding.

"We always appreciate and seek out new and unique stories, because history is not the story of millions—it’s a million stories," Dubuc continued. "We challenge ourselves each and every day to push the envelope, to take HISTORY to places none of us, or our viewers, have ever been. We are fortunate because history gives us the greatest stories of all time."