MTV Commits to Greater Focus on Music

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NEW YORK: As part of its upfront presentation, MTV announced its first weekly live music performance series in nearly 20 years, Wonderland, debuting this fall, along with an all-new, rebooted MTV Unplugged.

MTV committed to bringing more live music and music-inspired programming to the network, with greenlights for Wonderland, a new L.A.-based weekly music series featuring live performances from three different acts; a yet-untitled music competition series from executive producer Mark Burnett; and a newly reimagined version of MTV Unplugged. The network also announced a deal with Scooter Braun Films to develop Studio 24, in which a famous artist and mystery talent are paired to create a new song in 24 hours. MTV is also in development on the new music documentary series Year One, which will draw on archival footage to explore the breakthrough year in a superstar’s career.

Greenlights were also given to Sweet/Vicious, a dark one-hour dramedy about odd couple vigilantes avenging sexual assault victims on a college campus; The Outsiders (working title), a docuseries following families living on the fringes of society; Acting Out, a new format in which stand-up routines are reenacted; Mary + Jane, a comedy about enterprising weed dealers navigating L.A. hipster culture; Shinesty (working title), a docuseries on the upstart Millennial fashion brand; MTV’s The Investigation (working title), a reality series in which Ryan Ferguson, who spent ten years wrongly imprisoned, digs into cases of the wrongfully convicted; Stranded with a Million Bucks, a reality competition that uses drone camera technology to follow contestants fighting brutal conditions on a remote island while armed with a suitcase full of a million dollars; Loosely Exactly Nicole, a scripted comedy starring and adapted from the life of Girl Code alum Nicole Byer; Going Off (working title), a dance docuseries set in the studio of choreographer Tricia Miranda; and The Almost Impossible Game Show, a new competition format adopted from the hit U.K. version.

MTV also greenlit a documentary special from executive producer and host Zac Efron, who will explore the role of food and the culinary arts in Millennial culture. The network announced newly signed deals with a host of new creative partners, including Burnett to develop comedic reality half-hour First World Problems (working title); rapper Pitbull to executive produce the Miami-based drama 305 (working title); Drew Barrymore to executive produce the coming-of-age twin drama Blooms (working title); It’s The Real (working title), a comedic half-hour from the Jewish hip-hop duo of the same name produced by John Legend’s Get Lifted; and Greatest Movie Show of All Time, This Week (working title), a weekly half-hour comedy/talk show executive produced by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions.

There are also projects in development, including Pick Me Up (working title), a scripted comedy with executive producer Dave Becky (Broad City, Louie), and an adaptation of the best seller 99 Days (working title) with Alloy Entertainment (Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars).

“We’re on a mission to reignite MTV with everything that makes it one of the world’s most iconic brands—its soul of music, its love of pop culture, and its unexpected, groundbreaking creative,” said Sean Atkins, president of MTV. “What we share today is just the beginning, but it’s a strong first step in the journey and shows how aggressively we are moving to energize the extraordinary promise of this great brand.”