• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, March 7, 2025

A+E Global announced a lineup of A-list talent who will be involved in new content coming soon to A&E, History Channel and Lifetime.

The content announcements earlier this week are a sign that upfront season has begun, at least from the perspective of the TV Blog’s inbox.

A+E’s list of A-listers includes Tyler Perry, Henry Winkler, David Duchovny, Ashley Judd, Wynonna Judd and Ving Rhames.

A+E has formed a partnership with megaproducer Perry, along with Pantheon Media Group. The “multi-series development deal” will have Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon producing “a slate of unscripted projects” (none of which were announced) for A&E and Lifetime, the company said.

Winkler and Duchovny are headlining two new shows for History Channel. Duchovny, one-time star of “The X-Files,” will host the 10-part series “Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny.” Topics will include the mystery of Area 51.

Winkler, formerly known as The Fonz on the nostalgic 1970s sitcom “Happy Days” about the 1950s and early ’60s, is hosting “Hazardous History with Henry Winkler” about the activities and products that were in wide use decades ago that are now banned.

“In each hour-long episode, Winkler dives into the unsupervised and often perilous activities of the past, revealing things people used to do for fun, money or even out of boredom, that are unthinkable in today’s modern world, from doctors who prescribed cigarettes and sodas laced with cocaine and lithium to radioactive toys and toxic refrigerators,” A+E said.

Also coming to History: A new series for Mike Wolfe, long-time star of “American Pickers.” On his new show, “History’s Greatest Picks with Mike Wolfe,” Wolfe will guide viewers through surprising new details about bizarre artifacts and rare collectibles,” the company said.

Other new History Channel shows include “History’s Deadliest with Ving Rhames,” about some of the world’s most infamous killers, and two sports documentaries.

One of them, “Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling” (working title), will tell the story of the two prizefights these heavyweight rivals fought in 1936 and 1938. 

Louis was the premier African-American athlete of his age, and Schmeling was German. Their clashes took on a symbolic significance as the storm clouds of war gathered in Europe.

Another legendary athlete, Jim Thorpe, will be the subject of another upcoming History Channel documentary, “Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning.”

In addition to the unnamed Tyler Perry projects, Lifetime also announced a documentary about the musical Judd family -- the late Naomi Judd, who committed suicide in 2022, and her two daughters, Wynonna and Ashley.

The four-hour documentary, “The Judd Family: Truth Be Told,” “examines Naomi Judd’s complicated bond with her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley, that both tied them together and drove them apart,” says a description from Lifetime. The doc is slated to air over Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-11.

Coming to A&E in the coming year are the second seasons of “WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats)” and “WWE’s Greatest Moments,” plus the return of “Storage Wars” now with one-hour episodes.

A+E also announced its continued commitment to lifestyle programming with more than 100 hours of original content for Home.Made.Nation, the company’s multiplatform lifestyle programming block airing across A&E and FYI.