KFC and Lifetime are teaming up for a Mario Lopez mini-movie and Twitter is losing it: 'This can't be real'

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated ·4 min read
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At last, here’s a thriller where murder really is most fowl. Lifetime and KFC are marrying their brands for the all-new mini-movie called A Recipe for Seduction, starring none other than Saved by the Bell’s Mario Lopez as a sexy Latin Colonel Sanders.

Premiering Dec. 13 on Lifetime, and then available to stream throughout the holiday season on all Lifetime apps and VOD platforms, the 15-minute film is a lovingly plated homage to the network’s menu of cheesy melodramas.

“Let’s face it, we could all use a little distraction this holiday season,” KFC U.S. CMO Andrea Zahumensky, says in statement to Yahoo Entertainment. “So why not fill some of your time at home with a suspenseful drama and the comfort of our world-famous fried chicken?” (Watch the trailer above.)

Billed as Lifetime and KFC’s first foray into branded custom mid-form content, A Recipe for Seduction finds Lopez’s strapping Sanders catching the eye of wealthy heiress Jessica, who is equally attracted to his physique and his grand plans to shake-up the way fried chicken is prepared and consumed. “He has a secret recipe that’s going to change the world,” she boasts. Her feelings don’t sit well with Jessica’s scheming mother or shady would-be fiancé, who launch a campaign of their own to oust Sanders from their kitchen... and their lives.

“Lifetime is the perfect holiday home to bring this spicy, unexpected tale to life,” says David DeSocio, A+E Networks EVP of ad sales marketing and partnerships. “With a wink to the unique sensibilities celebrated in Lifetime movies, this co-production spotlights each brand’s POV and marries them in a fun and authentic way.” Uber Eats is joining in the branding fun: the food ordering and delivery service is offering six free extra crispy tenders on KFC purchases of $20 or more through their online platform.

Based on the Twitter reaction to A Recipe for Seduction, KFC may be busier than usual this holiday season.

But there are those who aren’t too keen on smelling what KFC and Lifetime are cooking.

One thing’s for sure: A Recipe for Seduction is the biggest cinematic platform for a fast-food icon since Ronald McDonald appeared in the legendarily awful ’80s kids movie Mac and Me. And if this mini-movie is as ridiculous as that famous disaster, it’ll be something to savor.

A Recipe for Seduction premieres Dec. 13 on Lifetime.

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