• by Paul Gough , April 3, 2003

While some other cable networks may have moved away from the genre, Bravo is embracing arts and entertainment in its offerings for the 2003-04 TV season. It's the first for the channel since it was acquired by NBC last fall.

"We will do this by offering viewers the opportunity to experience arts and popular culture from a different vantage point that is unique to Bravo," said Jeff Gaspin, president of Bravo.

Leading the schedule is the cable premiere of a mainstay on NBC and new series that push the bounds of unscripted programming, a variety show by a famed circus troupe and an eight-part series that looks at music through the decades. Bravo has also ordered 20 more episodes of Inside the Actor's Studio, which will include the cast of NBC sitcom Will & Grace. The network will carry the Golden Globe Awards in January 2004 and 188 hours of the Summer Olympics in August 2004 as part of NBC's coverage of the games.

"With a wide variety of Bravo signature events, films, specials and series this season, we will continue to build a unique brand, an exciting image and increase tune-in among the affluent and educated viewers," Gaspin said.

Among Bravo's plans for the new TV season:

The West Wing's first season will be aired on Bravo beginning in August. That premiere season earned 13 Emmy Awards, including best drama.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, five gay men called the Fab Five whose mission is to introduce straight men to the world of music, fashion and pop culture. Each of the 12 one-hour episodes will introduce a straight man who will undergo a "lifestyle makeover" and tips on everything from hair products to Feng Shui and foreign films, according to Bravo. It will premiere in July.

Cirque du Soleil Variety Show, a 13-part series that will showcase the troupe and highlight some of its productions. Bravo is the exclusive presenter of Cirque du Soleil. A premiere week of Cirque du Soleil and a behind-the-scenes look at the troupe will begin in June and the series will air in the second quarter of 2004.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a remake of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel that will star John Hannah and air in October 2003.

More Than Music, eight half-hour shows that look at popular music and how they affect people throughout the decades. It's part of several music-themed programs that will include a two-hour documentary on reggae.

Other programs include a five-part documentary on reality television in the third quarter of 2003, a five-hour documentary called The Greatest TV Characters of All Time in the third quarter of 2004 and an unscripted series called Stage Moms.