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Upfronts 06: MTV Turns Up Music with New Slate

22/04/2016

Sweet/Vicious

Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2016

MTV, looking to restore its buzz with young viewers, introduced more than a dozen new shows including a live music performance series.

At its upfront event Thursday in New York, MTV said it was working on projects with Mark Burnett, Zac Efron, Drew Barrymore, Dwayne Johnson, Pitbull and John Legend.

It also said it was bringing back familiar titles including Cribs, which will originate on MTV's Snapchat channel, and Unplugged. Another series originating on the MTV Snapchat Discover channel is Pants Off, a series on sex and relationship hosted by Laci Green of MTV Braless.

Related: Atkins Looks to Bring Buzz Back at MTV

We're on a mission to reignite MTV with everything that makes it one of the world's most iconic brands - its soul of music, its love of pop culture, and its unexpected, groundbreaking creative, said Sean Atkins, the new president of MTV. What we share today is just the beginning, but it's a strong first step in the journey and shows how aggressively we are moving to energize the extraordinary promise of this great brand.

MTV's new primetime music series is called Wonderland and will debut in the fall. The network hasn't picked a day of the week yet for the series, which would be MTV's first live music performance series in 20 years.

Related: The Top 10 Marketers on MTV

In the musical vein, Burnett is working on a music competition series and the network is developing a documentary series called Year One, which will draw on the network's archival footage to explore the breakthrough year in a superstar's career.

Other projects include: Sweet/Vicious, a dark one-hour dramedy about odd couple vigilantes avenging sexual assault victims on a college campus; The Outsiders (working title), a docuseries following families living on the fringes of society; Acting Out, a new format in which stand-up routines are reenacted; Mary + Jane, a comedy about enterprising weed dealers navigating L.A. hipster culture; MTV's The Investigation (working title), a reality series in which Ryan Ferguson, who spent ten years wrongly imprisoned, digs into cases of the wrongfully convicted; Stranded With a Million Bucks, a reality competition that employs drone camera technology to follow contestants fighting brutal conditions on a remote island with only one possession: a suitcase full of a million dollars.

Related: Viewers Love' MTV and BET

Atkins says all of these shows turn genres on their head, giving MTV the unexpected edge its viewers expect.

Here is a full list of the shows on MTV's slate:

Acting Out

An outrageous comedy series in which the most irreverent established and up-and-coming comedians of today have their best stand-up routines acted out. We'll see hilarious reenactments of the best bits, bringing new life to your favorite moments from stand up history. Produced by A Smith & Co. Productions ( Hell's Kitchen, American Ninja Warrior ).

The Almost Impossible Game Show

A hilarious half-hour comedic game show in which contestants complete physical challenges ranging from the absurd to the outlandish to beat the game and win cash prizes. Riding tiny bikes over a mud pit, putting on oversized pants while running full-speed on a giant treadmill and grating a heaping block of cheese onto a plate of nachos by using a grater attached to their derri res are just a few of the outrageous challenges the contestants will face. The Almost Impossible Game Show is based on a popular UK format by the same name, produced by Endemol Shine UK company Initial for ITV2.

MTV is producing with Endemol Shine. Executive producers include Rob Smith and Georgie Hurford-Jones for Endemol Shine North America; Matt Odgers and Scott Teti for Left Hook Media.

Going Off (working title)

In dance capital North Hollywood, Choreographer Tricia Miranda (Beyonc , Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, Demi Lovato, Iggy Azalea) holds a master class where the best young dancers in the world come to see how they stack up against the rest. In every episode, one winner will be crowned and win a high stakes opportunity to book a professional job and take the next step on their path to greatness. Dave Sirulnick is Executive Producer for Radical Media. Directed by Austin Peters for Radical Media.

Loosely Exactly Nicole

Nicole Byer is living the Hollywood dream. Well, Hollywood adjacent - the deep valley to be precise and it's not so much a dream but a struggle. In this hilarious half-hour comedy, we'll watch as Nicole, exuding her special brand of confidence and irreverence, demonstrates the hilarious missteps of what it means to be out on your own for the first time. She'll deal with humiliating auditions, unpaid electric bills, friendship ups and downs, and the battlefield that is Tinder as she slowly but surely finds her voice as a comedian. Christine Zander is Showrunner/Executive Producer. Avi Gilbert (3 Arts) and Christian Lander are Executive Producers.

Mary + Jane

Paige and Jordan may be weed dealers, but in their eyes they are entrepreneurs. Their dope delivery app is quickly gaining popularity with foodies, celebrities and - the most particular and crucial consumer - hipsters. This half-hour comedy takes a hilarious look at two girls living in LA: desperate to succeed, find a little romance, and keep their clients happy and high - all with the least amount of effort possible. Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont ( Can't Hardly Wait ) serve as Executive Producers. Television 360 ( Game of Thrones ) is Executive Producer.

MTV's The Investigation (working title)

Love, lust, murder, mystery, suspense...all the makings of a great dramatic story. The catch? It's not a fictional story. It's real life. This serialized documentary series follows the journey of all
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