• Variety, Wednesday, May 6, 2009 9:30 AM

A handful of Fox television stations will test a half-hour reality series from the producers of "TMZ" that will offer user-generated content with commentary from the show's staff.

"Beyond Twisted" will air as an eight-week trial on Fox stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Phoenix and Minneapolis/St. Paul beginning July 6. By using non-celebrity content already shot and garnered from sources such as YouTube and other popular video Web sites, the series keeps its costs down. Hence, if the show fails to connect with audiences, both Fox and the producers will not take much of a financial hit.

Airing the show during different parts of the day on each station will also give Fox a sense of how "Twisted" is playing on its own, rather than as a lead-in or follow-up to a hit or ratings-challenged program.

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