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NBCU 'Pre-Upfront' Touts New Shows From USA, E!, Bravo, SyFy

NBCUniversal is promoting new and returning shows this week across four of its cable networks in advance of NBCU's upfront next week (Monday, May 15).

A press release on Tuesday encompassed announcements from USA Network, E!, Bravo and Syfy.

The release leaned more heavily on returning series than new shows. In all, just three new shows were announced, all unscripted.

Two of them are coming to USA. One of them, “The Big D,” is new to USA, but it is not a new show. USA picked it up last November after it was canceled by TBS, its original home. The other new USA show has no title. It is described as a “social experiment.”

“The Big D” (the “D” stands for “divorce) centers on two divorcees, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rogers as they “search for romance in paradise with one catch: their exes are along for the journey,” the NBCU press release said.

USA’s “Untitled Social Experiment” is further described as “a new immersive experiment that reflects modern social dynamics in a 2.0 house reality series.”

The third new show is “House of Villains” on E!, hosted by Joel McHale. The show “brings 10 of reality television’s most iconic and infamous villains under one roof,” NBCU said. None of the reality TV villains were identified.

Dozens of returning shows, plus the upcoming debuts of new shows that were previously announced, made up the bulk of the NBCU cable announcements.

The USA Network portion of the release promoted the returns of two unscripted USA shows for their new seasons -- “Temptation Island” and “Barmageddon.”

On E!, returning series are “Live from E!,” hosted by Laverne Cox, “E! News” and the plastic surgery series “Botched.”

Previously announced new ones on E! are “Trippin’ with Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris,” premiering June 22, plus three new, original, scripted romcom movies -- “Arranged Love,” “Ms. Match” and “Maybe It’s You.”

Also coming to E! next month: “Black Pop,” described as “a multi-part, archive-rich series that looks at the Black American dream through decades of pop culture.” Stephen Curry is executive producer.

Upcoming new seasons later this year for long-running Bravo series were also promoted -- “The Real Housewives of New York City,” “Top Chef,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,” “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” “Married to Medicine,” “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” “Southern Hospitality,” “The Real Housewives of Miami,” “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm,” “Below Deck Mediterranean,” “Winter House,” “Below Deck Down Under” and “Vanderpump Rules.”

Also on Bravo, “The Real Housewives of Orange County” returns for a new season June 7; “Project Runway” starts a new “all-star” season June 15, and the new “Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake” starts in July, NBCU said.

Syfy is promoting five scripted dramas returning later this year -- “Chucky” (also airing on USA Network), “Resident Alien,” “SurrealEstate,” “Reginald the Vampire” and “The Ark.” 

This week’s press release on the NBCU cable networks continues an annual tradition of such releases issued in the week before the upfronts.

Verbiage throughout the release that is common to all upfronts at this time of year confirms that the release is designed for pre-Upfront coverage and publicity.

“Highlighting one of the strongest fandoms across cable television, NBCUniversal’s wide-ranging upcoming entertainment slate across Bravo, E!, Syfy and USA Network, includes returning hits, beloved franchises, and a trio of debut series,” the release said.

Bravo is described as “a top five cable entertainment brand with the #1 most loyal fanbase [and] a premiere lifestyle and entertainment destination with sought-after programming that drives cultural conversation.”

E! is “the leading force in pop culture programming [and] remains a top destination for fans,” NBCU said.

“Syfy continues to redefine genre programming for fans, ranking as one of cable’s highest-reaching networks across all key demos,” said the release.

And USA Network’s new and returning series “build off its more than 25-year streak as a top five cable network,” the company said.

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