MTV Renews 'Faking It,' Orders Late-Night Celebrity Talk Show
By Lesley Goldberg
MTV is firming up its scripted roster.
At its upfront presentation Tuesday, the Viacom-owned cable network renewed scripted comedy Faking It for a third season and re-entered the late-night field by teaming with CollegeHumor for Middle of the Night Show.
Additionally, the younger-skewing cabler announced it was teaming with Vine star Logan Paul for a loosely scripted comedy based on his family and rise to stardom and renewed unscripted series The Challenge, Broke A$$ Game Show and Are You the One for their 27th, second and third seasons, respectively.
“We’re exploding our development process across screens — getting faster, more daring, putting more projects into play and taking bigger swings than ever,” MTV president Stephen Friedman said. “We’ve exponentially expanded the ways we connect with our audience and deliver for our advertisers.”
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MTV also used its upfront presentation to give advertisers a first look at its upcoming big scripted swing with genre play The Shannara Chronicles and an extended look at its Scream TV series, while also debuting footage from unscripted efforts Todrick, Follow the Rules with Ja Rule, Greatest Party Story Ever and Girl Code Live.
MTV’s original programming roster consists of eight new and 10 returning series as well as a whopping 85 series in development.
For its part, Middle of the Night Show is described as a reinvention of the late-night comedy talk show. The series hails from CollegeHumor’s Big Breakfast. CollegeHumor’s Brian Murphy will co-host and guide viewers through the fast-paced series that features the show’s crew and live band crashing the bedroom of unsuspecting celebrities who are forced to host the talk show on the spot — and without any preparation and on little sleep. Sam Reich, Spencer Griffin and Jon Cohen will exec produce for Big Breakfast, while Paul Ricci and Dane Reiley of MTV will exec produce for the network. Murphy will also produce.
The series marks MTV’s latest foray into the late-night space after its Nikki Glaser and Sara Schaefer series was canceled following its two-year run in 2013.
Faking It, a scripted comedy from Carter Covington and starring Rita Volk and Katie Stevens, will return for a third season ahead of its Aug. 31 summer debut. The comedy is one of only two scripted comedies the network currently has on its schedule, with its lead-in — veteran Awkward — set to kick off its fifth and final season the same night.
The Paul comedy, meanwhile, will follow the Vine star and his brother in Ohio and provide a look at the stunts and pranks that have made them some of the video service’s most popular stars. Scott Tomlinson (Tosh.0) and Douglas Banker (BroBible.com) exec produce, with Paul also a co-EP.
“This slate demonstrates the creative breadth of what MTV can do — epic scripted dramas, irreverent comedies, inventive format-driven series, fun topical talk shows, all with a distinct, youthful voice,” MTV president of programming Susanne Daniels said. Here’s a look at MTV’s summer premiere dates:
Scream June 30 at 10 p.m.
One Bad Choice July 9 at 11 p.m.
Todrick Aug 31 at 10 p.m.
Girl Code Live Aug. 31 at 10:30 p.m.
Girl Code June 3 at 10 p.m.
Awkward Aug. 31 at 9 p.m.
Faking It Aug. 31 at 9:30 p.m.
Teen Wolf June 29 10 p.m. and June 30 at 9 p.m.
Catfish July 8 at 10 p.m.
Teen Mom 2 July 9 at 10 p.m.
