Five New Series Highlight truTV s Upfront Slate

truTV, the Turner network that has made a U-turn to a comedy-reality format, says it has greenlit five new series for next season.

The announcement comes before Turner's upfront presentation next week.

The network said it will launch Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks later this year. The show is designed to provide a new take on stand-up comedy shows.

The four other new truTV shows are At Home with Amy Sedaris, the comedic anthology series Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters, the scripted comedy I'm Sorry from Andrea Savage, and the recently-announced live call-in talk show The Chris Gethard Show.

truTV, aimed at young viewers who avoid commercials, was also among the first networks to announce it would give viewers more content by cutting back on ad time. Last year the network said it drastically reduced its spot load across its prime premiere schedule. The result was not only a surge in networks across the landscape adopting this new practice but also a significant increase in recall of advertisers' messages and a meaningful sales lift that increased actual dollars spent by consumers.

truTV remains committed to this initiative and in 2018 will substantially increase its limited-commercial load inventory to 15% across its total prime schedule.

Here are the new truTV series and specials debuting in 2017-18, as described by the network:

At Home with Amy Sedaris - 10 Episodes - Series Premieres in Fall 2017

Comedy icon Amy Sedaris applies her sincere yet distinctive brand of silliness to this one-of-a-kind mash up of hospitality, variety, and talk show formats. Through her imaginative characters and unique point of view, the series will showcase Sedaris' diverse but necessary homemaking skills, tackling important topics like gift giving, cooking for one, making love, entertaining for peanuts, and murder-cide, among others. Each episode will fuse Sedaris' humor and talents as a crafter, chef, baker, and hostess. truTV has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of the series, which goes into production this summer. The series is produced by PFFR with Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Alyson Levy, John Lee, and Vernon Chatman executive producing.

Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters - 8 Episodes - Series Premieres in Early 2018

This genre-hopping, scripted anthology comedy series will bring viewers twisted morality tales from the darkly witty mind of creator and four-time Sundance Award-winning writer and director Bobcat Goldthwait. Each episode will tell a different story in a different genre - including 1970s-era science fiction, psychological thriller, romantic comedy, and reality - and will satirize our social norms and exploit the awkwardness of its flawed characters. The series, which goes into production this summer, is produced by Left/Right with Goldthwait, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, and Olivia Wingate serving as executive producers.

I'm Sorry - 10 Episodes - Series Premieres on Wednesday, July 12 at 10pm ET/PT

Created by comedian and actress Andrea Savage (Veep, Episodes), the series follows seemingly confident, together comedy writer, wife, and mom Andrea (played by Savage), who comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses through unexpected life situations. Joining Savage in the first season are series regulars Tom Everett Scott (Southland) as Andrea's more straitlaced husband Mike and newcomer Olive Petrucci as Andrea and Mike's inquisitive daughter Amelia. The series is produced by Savage, Joey Slamon, Gloria Sanchez's Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay and Kablamo's Jason Zaro, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Billy Rosenberg.

Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks - 12 Episodes - Series Premieres in Fall 2017

Launched as part of truTV's short form comedy series Rachel Dratch's Late Night Snack, DJ and comedian Cipha Sounds is flipping comedy on its head as the host of Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks, a new half-hour series where the next generation of comedians bring their hilarious personal stories to life with a playful reinvention of standup. The series, which will launch this fall, is produced by American Chainsaws Entertainment with Royal Malloy, Colt Straub, Duke Straub, and Mark Therrien serving as executive producers and Laff Mobb Entertainment with Bob Sumner, Arthur Spivak, Carlos Koustas, and Jamal Dedeaux executive producing.

The Chris Gethard Show - 16 Episodes - Live Series Premieres on Wednesday, August 2 at 11pm ET

This summer, The Chris Gethard Show makes the jump to truTV and, for the first time on national cable - and a first for truTV - it will be broadcast live. In this hour-long call-in talk show, Gethard attempts to ring-lead a panel of comedian friends and oddballs, along with a live studio audience, who participate in games, tackle bizarre stunts, and react to the controlled chaos around them. It's a totally immersive, interactive experience for all. The series, which will broadcast live from New York City, will premiere on truTV Wednesday, August 2 at 11pm ET. It is produced by Funny Or Die with Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Owen Burke, Chris Gethard, JD Amato, Anna Wenger, and AGI Entertainment Media & Management's Brian Stern serving as executive producers.

New truTV Pilots & Projects in Development:

Untitled Liza Treyger Project (wt) - Scripted Pilot

Recently seen in Louis CKs Horace & Pete as well as her own half-hour stand up special, Liza Treyger executive produces and stars in this single camera, scripted pilot set in Chicago. Utilizing Treygers strong point of view, this character-driven project revolves around Liza and her dysfunctional friends who together form their own (somewhat) functional framily. Written by Treyger and Prescott Tolk, the project is produced by Avalon Television with Treyger, Sam Saifer, Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, David

LINK:	http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/five-new-series-highlig...
	See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines