CNBC Builds Up Prime-Time Slate

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS/PASADENA: CNBC is bringing back The Filthy Rich Guide and Jay Leno’s Garage for third seasons, and the network has given a pilot order for Back in the Game (working title).

The former major league baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez is lined up to serve as host of Back in the Game, which comes from executive producer Michael Strahan. The series will focus on former athletes in financial distress.

The network also revealed three new projects in development: The Fame Economy (working title) with Hank Azaria, Ms. Fortune (working title) and I Got a Guy (working title). In The Fame Economy, Azaria is out to tackle fame and provide an inside look at what it’s like emotionally, psychologically and economically to navigate through an industry that is ultimately all about the bottom line. Ms. Fortune spotlights personal-finance expert Danisha Danielle Wrighster, who is determined to help a debt-plagued family step back from the brink by giving the tools and tough love they need to get back on the path to economic independence. I Got a Guy follows a group of animated, life-long friends from Staten Island who’ve yet to come up with an idea or product too far-fetched for them to invest in.

“We’ve always said business is a great backdrop for storytelling,” said Jim Ackerman, the executive VP of prime-time alternative at CNBC. “We continue to build on our momentum and deliver more originals that stay true to our DNA.”