CMT Announces Upcoming Programming Slate

NEW YORK: U.S. network CMT is adding five new programs and a NASCAR event, along with returning shows and specials, to its programming lineup.

Among the new originals are Still the King, starring singer/songwriter/actor Billy Ray Cyrus, due out next year, and the tentatively titled I Love Kellie Pickler, featuring country singer Kellie Pickler and her husband Kyle Jacobs, launching in September. Also picked up by CMT are the prank show The Ed Bassmaster Show, starring YouTube star Ed Bassmaster and slated to debut in June; Gainesville, a coming-of-age docuseries premiering in May; and American Speed: The True Story of NASCAR, a limited series event for next year. Additionally, the channel will launch in June its first-ever nightly talk show, The Josh Wolf Show, starring comedian Josh Wolf and produced by Chelsea Handler.

CMT is also set to premiere new seasons of returning shows and events, including a second season of Party Down South in May; the 2015 CMT Music Awards, scheduled to air in June; the competition show Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, debuting in August; the sixth annual CMT Artists of the Year event in early December; and the concert special CMT Championship Kickoff Party, due out in January. In addition, the entire series of the ensemble drama Friday Night Lights will begin airing in May.

“CMT is on fire. We are producing more original content than ever before and have a rich pipeline of fresh and innovative ideas,” said Jayson Dinsmore, the executive VP of development for CMT. “This year, we’re enlisting some of the biggest names in the industry to unleash a groundbreaking new programming slate including epic events and music specials, a bold scripted comedy and brilliant documentaries.”