Lifetime To Celebrate 40th Anniversary With ‘Undeniable,’ Female-Centric Fare (TCA)

Lifetime will look to celebrate its 40th year anniversary with original series, specials and documentaries that will be undeniably and unabashedly female-focused, according to the network’s executive VP and head of programming Elaine Frontian Bryant.

Bryant, who took over Lifetime programming duties this past summer, said the network in 2024 will build on its diverse lineup of original programming, which includes bio-movies and unscripted content as well as drama and true-crime films. She said the network’s recently announced partnership with acclaimed author Terry McMillian to produce movies from McMillian’s collection of well-known romance novels will add another element to the network’s content portfolio.

Lifetime previously worked with McMillian — best known for her novels turned hit films How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale — on a 2014 original movie A Day Late and a Dollar Short, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Mekhi Phifer, Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Tichina Arnold and Ving Rhames.

“Lifetime offers amazing, undeniable stories told through access-driven storytelling by and about women,” Bryant told Multichannel News in an interview at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California. “There’s not just one facet to storytelling for women, and I think at Lifetime we’re tackling them all.”

The McMillian partnership comes on the heels of the network’s announcement of a two-night original docu-series, Where is Wendy Williams?, focusing on the former talk show host’s comeback journey to reclaim her life and legacy despite facing health issues and personal turbulence, said the network. The four-and-a-half-hour series debuts February 24 and 25, the network said.

“We want to continue to tell our stories with our own voices,” Bryant said. “We want to make sure we have authentic storytelling from a women’s point of view.”