USA Ramps Up Programming Lineup

LOS ANGELES,
July 21: USA Network is bolstering its Characters Welcome brand with a raft of
programming in development, in addition to renewing In Plain Sight.

On the network’s
development slate is Covert Affairs (working title). The series follows a well-traveled linguist training
at the CIA who helps solve critical cases. Also slated for development are the
tentatively titled series Operating Instructions and Stiffs. Operating Instructions follows
a female trauma surgeon who returns home from Iraq and takes a job at an
inner-city hospital. Stiffs is
centered on a fast-talking salesman who suddenly finds himself with the
responsibilities of being a single father.

Royal Pains, a 90-minute pilot from Burn Notice director Jace Alexander, is also in the works. The
show follows a young doctor who becomes an on-call medical concierge to the
affluent residents of the Hamptons. Mark Feuerstein (What Women Want, In Her Shoes) has been tapped for the starring role.

Saab USA has signed on as
a partner for the second season of Burn Notice, integrating the Saab nine three convertible into
the series. The companies are also partnering for an online alternate reality
experience called Covert Ops,
which invites players to help solves client cases. Saab will be included in
tune-in spots for Burn Notice,
promos for the Covert Ops companion
and sweepstakes, in addition to in-show snipes and bumpers. Also receiving a
second-season order is In Plain Sight, with production on the 16 new episodes set to begin in October.

"Our development
slate continues our commitment to creating uniquely appealing characters,"
said Jeff Wachtel, the executive VP of USA original programming and co-head of
original programming for Universal Cable Productions. "Our goal at USA is
not only to become the number one destination for quality programming in basic
cable, but to become the premiere brand across all media platforms."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski