Network Orders Second Season of Hit Drama Saints & Sinners, Renews Top Comedies Mann & Wife, Family Time, In The Cut, Off The Chain
2016-17 Upfront Programming Slate Also Includes New Season of Premiere Boxing Champions: The Next Round, First News Magazine Show Ed Gordon And Exclusive Premiere of The 25th Annual Trumpet Awards
ATLANTA (April 13, 2016) – Bounce TV — the nation’s fastest-growing television network designed for African-American audiences — today unveiled its original programming plans for the 2016-17 upfront season, which includes a major expansion of original programming production that will see the network premiere new originals every week of the year starting this fall.
“With millions watching each week, Bounce TV originals have become the network’s highest-rated and most-watched programming. We are significantly increasing our investment in original production in order to meet the strong demand from our viewers and advertisers,” commented Jonathan Katz, Chief Operating Officer of Bounce TV.
Bounce TV today announced that it has:
- Ordered a second season of its new mega-hit original drama series Saints & Sinners, which is currently setting network records for viewership in its inaugural season. The next episode of season one premieres Sunday, April 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET as police scramble to follow new leads and make a discovery that may lead to solving the murder that has viewers guessing. The first season finale – which will answer the question “whodunit?” – will air April 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
- Renewed the popular sitcoms Mann & Wife (For a third season), Family Time (Season four) and In The Cut (Third season) as well as its stand-up comedy series Off The Chain (Fourth season.)
- Tapped well-respected journalist and television personality Ed Gordon to produce and host the networks’ first-ever news magazine show, Ed Gordon.
- Scheduled another season of live boxing with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series PBC – The Next Round.
- Partnered with The Trumpet Awards Foundation to present the exclusive national television premiere of The 25th Annual Trumpet Awards, an all-star event which celebrates and honors history-making entertainment, humanitarian, political and philanthropic African Americans.
“Bounce TV has become a powerful television brand with multi-generational appeal and a network that viewers trust because we entertain them in an authentic and culturally-responsible way,” commented Bounce TV Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales, Elverage Allen. “This loyal and growing audience, the expansion of our original programming, and our exclusive and unduplicated reach makes Bounce TV a 100% ‘must-buy’ for brands seeking to reach the African American consumer.”
Saints & Sinners
Saints & Sinners has set records as the #1 highest-rated and most-watched program in Bounce TV history. The enormously-popular drama centers around the pursuit of power, intertwined with greed, deception, corruption and murder – all set against the backdrop of a large southern church. The all-star cast includes Vanessa Bell Calloway, Christian Keyes, Keith Robinson, Clifton Powell, Gloria Reuben, J.D. Williams, Jasmine Burke, Afemo Omilami and Richard Lawson. The series is produced in concert with Swirl Film’s Eric Tomosunas ( Undershepard, 35 and Ticking). Bounce TV is currently premiering new season one episodes of Saints & Sinners Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET, with a primetime premiere play for the west coast at 12 Midnight ET/9:00 p.m. PT. Season two will debut in the first quarter of 2017.
Mann & Wife
Real-life husband and wife team David Mann (House of Payne, Meet The Browns) and Tamela Mann (Madea’s Big Happy Family, Sparkle) star and serve as executive producers of Mann & Wife. The half-hour situation comedy follows the second-chance sweethearts as they laugh and love their way through the ups and downs of life as a blended family, each with two children from previous marriages. In addition to the show’s popular stars, Mann & Wife features a vibrant supporting cast: Vivica A. Fox, portraying Daniel’s ex-wife; Tony Rock, playing Daniel’s partner on the police force and JoMarie Payton as Lorraine, Daniel’s overbearing mother. Series co-creator Roger Bobb ( The Rickey Smiley Show, House of Payne) serves as executive producer and director. New season two episodes of Mann & Wife are currently premiering Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT; season three will debut in the spring of 2017.
Family Time
The third season of Family Time was a ratings hit last fall and Bounce TV will reunite viewers with the Stallworth family for a fourth season. The series comedically chronicles the lives of the Stallworths who relocated to the suburbs, headed by the dad Tony Stallworth (Omar Gooding), a struggling general contractor, and his wife Lisa (Angell Conwell), an unfulfilled stay-at-home mom. The half-hour situation comedy was created by Bentley Kyle Evans ( The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin) and is produced by Evans and partner Trenten Gumbs (Love That Girl). Season four will premiere in the fourth quarter of 2016.
In The Cut
In The Cut stars Dorien Wilson (The Parkers, Dream On), Ken Lawson (The Parkers) and John Marshall Jones ( The Smart Guy). The show centers on Jay Weaver (Wilson) who owns several businesses in a strip mall and spends most of his time working in his barbershop joined by his 31-year-old illegitimate son from a short-lived fling (Lawson). Kalita Smith ( The Bernie Mac Show, The First Family) joins the cast for season two, which debuts this July. In The Cut was created by Bentley Kyle Evans and is produced by Evans and partner Trenten Gumbs, both of whom produce the Bounce TV hit original series Family Time. Season three will air in the third quarter of 2017.
Off The Chain
Bounce TV will bring its family-friendly stand-up comedy show featuring some of the most hilarious African-American comedians on the stand-up scene back for a fourth season of individual comic specials, which is scheduled to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Ed Gordon
In his stellar career, EMMY-winner Ed Gordon has interviewed Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson in his first post-murder trial interview. Gordon’s knack for landing exclusives and his no-nonsense style make him one of television’s most respected journalists. This summer, Gordon comes to Bounce TV to executive-produce and host a series of one-hour specials in which he sits down for revealing interviews with top headline makers, entertainers and pop cultural figures.
Premiere Boxing Champions – The Next Round
The popular series of live boxing events featuring the most exciting prospects in the sport and boxing’s future stars returns for season two this fall. Bounce TV, NBC Sports Group, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN and SPIKE TV are television partners for The Premier Boxing Champions series.
Trumpet Awards
In partnership with The Trumpet Awards Foundation, Bounce TV will present the exclusive national television premiere of The 25th Annual Trumpet Awards. The all-star evening celebrates the accomplishments of those who have significantly contributed to enhancing the quality of life for all; individuals and/or groups who augment the richness of this great global society by partnering with the cause of justice and equality. World premieres first quarter of 2017.
Bounce TV – the only emerging broadcast network producing original scripted series – is the fastest-growing African-American (AA) network on television. Bounce TV features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more. The network has grown to be available in more than 93.5 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African American television homes, including all of the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce TV are iconic American figures Martin Luther King, III and Ambassador Andrew Young.
Contact: Jim Weiss 770-672-6504 [email protected]
