Network Reveals Premieres of New Seasons of Seven Returning Original Series, Plus the Debut of Hit Series Wipeout

TruTV – which is coming off another record-setting quarter in reaching young adults – has lined up an extensive programming slate for the end of 2011 that includes three new series, seven returning hits and the network’s biggest series acquisition ever.

The new series Bear Swamp Recovery, about a larger-than-life family-owned repo business, is set to debut Aug. 22, followed by the Sept. 14 premiere of Hulk Hogan’s MCW, which will take viewers behind the scenes of a new professional wrestling league. truTV’s third new series of the fall and winter, the hidden-camera prank series Impractical Jokers, will arrive in December.

On Sept. 2, truTV adds its biggest series acquisition, the popular competition show Wipeout. Seven of truTV’s original series are also set to return, including the hits Hardcore Pawn, Lizard Lick Towing, Full Throttle Saloon and Black Gold.

truTV just scored its most-watched second quarter ever in primetime delivery of three key demos: adults 18-49, men 18-34 and men 18-49. The network, which is growing in popularity with younger viewers, increased its delivery of adults 18-34 by 11% and men 18-34 by 7% in the second quarter.

The following is a rundown of truTV’s new and returning series for 2011:

New Original Series
Bear Swamp Recovery – New series premiering Monday, Aug. 22, with back-to-back episodes at 10 and 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Bear Swamp, where the business is big but the family is even bigger, follows PJ Vinch, who runs a booming New Jersey repo company with the help of his senior-with-an-attitude father and his teen son. With a repo order in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, these bulky Sicilians never hesitate to take jobs other companies can’t handle, from massive construction equipment to luxury yachts at the Jersey shore to an entire fleet of racecars. They always get the goods, and they never miss a meal. Bear Swamp Recovery comes to truTV from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.

Hulk Hogan’s MCW – New series premieres Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Hulk Hogan, one of the legendary stars of pro wrestling, believes you need to start small if you want to win big. Now he’s lending his expertise to the new Micro Championship Wrestling, where he gives little wrestlers advice on recruiting, training and mentoring. It’s all with the goal of getting the MCW off the ground and into the arena. Hulk Hogan’s MCW comes to truTV from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.

Impractical Jokers – New series coming in December
Since they were kids, Sal, Murr, Q and Joe have dared one another to do the most ridiculous, humiliating public pranks imaginable. Now, to find out who’s best under pressure, they’ll compete in unbelievably awkward social experiments – all recorded on camera. The loser must do the most mortifying challenge ever. Impractical Jokers comes to truTV from NorthSouth Productions.

New Acquired Series
Wipeout – Acquired series to air Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning Sept. 2
truTV has acquired exclusive, off-network cable rights to air this exciting series in which contestants face wildly outrageous barriers, from Big Balls to complex contraptions, for the chance at winning a cash prize. Wipeout, which is also shown in numerous international versions around the globe, ranks among the world’s top-rated game shows. The series was recently voted by Entertainment Weekly’s readers as “Reality TV’s Guiltiest Pleasure.”

Returning Series
Lizard Lick Towing – Season 1 returns Monday, Aug. 22, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT); Season 2 coming in November
Las Vegas Jailhouse – Season 4 launches Sunday, Sept. 4, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Operation Repo – Season 9 launches Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Police POV – Season 2 launches in November
Hardcore Pawn – Season 5 coming in November
Black Gold – Season 4 coming in November
Full Throttle Saloon – Season 3 coming in November

TNT has summoned Franklin & Bash back to the stand for a second season of the hit legal drama starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. Currently airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), Franklin & Bash ranks as one of basic cable’s top new series of the summer. Franklin & Bash is produced by Four Sycamore Productions, Left Coast Productions and FanFare Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television, with Jamie Tarses, Kevin Falls and Bill Chais serving as executive producers. TNT has ordered 10 episodes for the second season.

“This summer, Franklin & Bash has broken out as a hugely entertaining series with great characters, sharp writing and a terrific cast,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming, for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. “We’re thrilled that the show has drawn such a remarkably strong following and look forward to bringing it back next summer.”

In Franklin & Bash, Gosselaar and Meyer star as two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who cause a seismic culture clash when they join a legendary, button-down law firm. Malcolm McDowell plays Stanton Infeld, a Renaissance man and the patriarch of the law firm. Also starring are Dana Davis, Kumail Nanjiani, Reed Diamond and Garcelle Beauvais.

Since premiering on June 1, Franklin & Bash has drawn 3.9 million viewers in Live + 7, ranking it among basic cable’s Top 5 new series for the summer-to-date. The series is averaging an outstanding 1.8 million adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Franklin & Bash scores a significant number of viewers through time-shifted viewing, including a boost of well over 50% among key adult demos.

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Lucille Ball, Marlon Brando, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Humphrey Bogart and Shirley MacLaine among Stars Celebrated During Turner Classic Movies’ Ninth Annual SUMMER UNDER THE STARS

Month-Long Celebration of Hollywood’s Brightest Stars Showcases a Different Actor or Actress Each Day

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE 2011 SCHEDULE

TCM’s ultimate movie star showcase – SUMMER UNDER THE STARS – is back for its ninth year, as the network pays tribute to 31 different stars, with an entire day’s lineup dedicated to each of them. This year’s extraordinary roster includes cinematic giants like Marlon Brando (Aug. 1), Bette Davis (Aug. 3), John Garfield (Aug. 5), Shirley MacLaine (Aug. 10), Claudette Colbert (Aug. 12), James Stewart (Aug. 13), Humphrey Bogart (Aug. 17), Debbie Reynolds (Aug. 19), Montgomery Clift (Aug. 20), Cary Grant (Aug. 21), Joan Crawford (Aug. 22), Burt Lancaster (Aug. 25), Carole Lombard (Aug. 28) and Marlene Dietrich (Aug. 31). As a special spotlight during this year’s SUMMER UNDER THE STARS, TCM will celebrate the life and career of the incomparable Lucille Ball on Aug. 6, marking the 100th anniversary of her birth.

This year, more than half of TCM’s SUMMER UNDER THE STARS roster is made up of actors and actresses featured in the showcase for the very first time. The 17 newcomers to the programming festival include Paulette Goddard (Aug. 2), Ronald Colman (Aug. 4), Charles Laughton (Aug. 7), Orson Welles (Aug. 8), Ann Dvorak (Aug. 9), Ben Johnson (Aug. 11), Ralph Bellamy (Aug. 14), Lon Chaney (Aug. 15), Joanne Woodward (Aug. 16), Jean Gabin (Aug. 18), Conrad Veidt (Aug. 23), Joan Blondell (Aug. 24), Peter Lawford (Aug. 26), Linda Darnell (Aug. 27), Anne Francis (Aug. 29) and Howard Keel (Aug. 30).

SUMMER UNDER THE STARS also features 44 films making their first appearances on TCM, including the rarely screened Trent’s Last Case (1952 – Aug. 8), starring Orson Welles; a silent version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist (1922 – Aug. 15), with Jackie Coogan in the title role and Lon Chaney as Fagin; the William Faulkner adaptation The Sound and the Fury (1959 – Aug. 16), starring Joanne Woodward; the German expressionistic thriller The Hands of Orlac (1925 – Aug. 24), starring Conrad Veidt; and Luchino Visconti’s lavish drama The Leopard (1963 – Aug. 25), starring Burt Lancaster.

TCM’s popular franchises THE ESSENTIALS, co-hosted by TCM’s Robert Osborne and Emmy®-winning actor Alec Baldwin, and THE ESSENTIALS JR., hosted by Bill Hader, will continue throughout SUMMER UNDER THE STARS.

Saturdays at 8 p.m. (ET), THE ESSENTIALS offerings include Stage Door (1937 – Aug. 6), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962 – Aug. 13), A Place in the Sun (1951 – Aug. 20) and the TCM premiere of A Letter to Three Wives (1948 – Aug. 27).

Sundays at 8 p.m. (ET), THE ESSENTIALS JR. will feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 – Aug. 7), His Girl Friday (1940 – Aug. 14), Gunga Din (1939 – Aug. 21) and My Man Godfrey (1936 – Aug. 28).