USA Network Expands Offerings

NEW YORK, March 27: USA
Network has unveiled new pilots on its development slate as well as a raft of
original programs that it will premiere throughout the year, including the
launch of the mini-series The Starter Wife as a series, along with a new pro-social initiative
and multiplatform brand campaigns.

The network’s four new
projects in the works are Royal Pains, White Collar, Shirleyville
and The Nanny Files, all working titles. Royal Pains follows a concierge doctor who is on call for the
rich, famous and infamous. White Collar will watch as the world’s most creative conman escapes from a
maximum-security prison to find the love of his life, and is tracked down by
his nemesis at the FBI who uses him as a consultant to catch other criminals.
In Shirleyville, a man returns
home after two tours of duty in Afghanistan to find himself tossed into the
role as the town’s new mayor. The detective series The Nanny Files features a widower police chief who hires a new
nanny for his children, and the two end up more involved in the other’s work
that they had planned.

Kicking off this summer,
USA Network will debut its new original scripted series In Plain Sight on June 8 at 10 p.m. Shot on location around
Albuquerque, New Mexico, In Plain Sight will debut with a 76-minute episode with limited commercial
interruptions, followed by 11 one-hour episodes. The series stars Mary
McCormack (The West Wing) as a
U.S. Marshal working in the highly secretive branch of the witness protection
program that relocates federal witness. Also on June 8, Law & Order:
Criminal Intent will return at 9
p.m. On June 25, USA will present AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to
Warren Beatty at 9 p.m.

In July, the network will
launch the returns of Burn Notice,
Monk and Psych. Burn Notice will premiere its second season on July 10 at 10 p.m. and Monk rolls out new episodes on July 18 at 9 p.m.,
followed by the return of Psych at
10 p.m. The U.S. Open will begin broadcasting on the network on August 25 and
runs through September 7. World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night Raw will continue to air 52 weeks a year on Mondays at
9 p.m.

USA is bringing back the
hit mini-series The Starter Wife
as a 10-episode series, starring Debra Messing, who is also serving as
executive producer. The program will focus on the post-divorce adventures of
the lead character. The show is produced by NBC Universal Cable Studios in
association with McGibbon/Parriott Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.
Stephanie Davis (The Caveman's Valentine), Howard Klein (The Office, Carnivale) and Molly
Madden (Picture Perfect) will
also serve as executive producers for 3 Arts.

The network is also
rolling out a new multiplatform pro-social initiative that promotes action and
celebrates diversity, Characters Unite. The new initiative will bring together a mix of non-profit
organizations, corporate sponsors, educators and characters all across the
country through on-air programming, online social networking and a variety of
other activities. Characters Unite follows
on USA Network’s previous campaign, Erase The Hate, which began in the 1990s and held a five-year
run, promoting the same message of acceptance and tolerance.

Furthermore, the station
is leveraging what it calls its “brandwith,” a term that defines the breadth,
depth and creative position of the “Characters Welcome” brand and its media
potential. The network is not only looking to bolster the brand’s relationships
with advertisers, but USA also has plans to grow its current brand in the
coming year by investing in a series of pure play multiplatform initiatives.
The first two of these campaigns are “Character Project,” which is a
cross-country quest to capture the character of America today, and “Characters
Approved,” which seeks to identify the people and/or things which get the
network’s stamp of character approval.

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski