As part of the big realignment of the Viacom cable networks announced by new CEO Bob Bakish early this year, with the channels divided into flagship and reinforcing and a mandate for closer cooperation, there has been a great deal of movement of shows from one network to another.
Scripted series had been gravitating towards the soon-to-be launched Paramount Network (currently Spike), earmarked as Viacom’s flagship scripted channel, and BET, also a flagship brand.
So far, new comedy series American Woman and Heathers have gone from TV Land, where they had been developed and picked up to pilots and series, to the Paramount Network where they will be part of its inaugural slate. And fantasy drama The Shannara Chronicles, which debuted in 2016 on MTV and was the network’s highest rated and most watched scripted series of the year, will be relocating to Spike/Paramount Network starting with its second season, debuting this fall. The move was explained with the show’s audience being more mature and male skewing than MTV’s target demographic.
Meanwhile, two VH1 drama series, the hip-hop-themed The Breaks and cheerleading/sports-focused Hit the Floor, are heading to BET for their upcoming second and fourth season, respectively.
The departures leave MTV and VH1 with one scripted series each, though both channels have vowed to re-build their scripted brands with a new creative focus.
On the unscripted side, Logo’s signature series, RuPaul’s Drag Race, relocated to larger sibling VH1 with its ninth season, and The Dude Perfect Show moved from CMT to Nickelodeon after a solid first season on the country music-themed channel due to its young male skew.
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