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I'd Never Heard Of 'Billy The Exterminator,' and Then I Watched It
I rarely watch A&E. For the most part, the channel doesn't offer the kind of programming I like. I used to be a fan of 'Dog the Bounty Hunter,' one of A&E's most prominent shows, but after watching the same basic storyline every week, it became old and I moved on. Recently, I decided to give A&E another try. I did so with a show about a Louisiana-based exterminator that wears the most outrageous clothes, says the most outrageous things, and performs some of the most outrageous tasks I've ever seen on television.
His name is Billy Bretherton. And his show, 'Billy the Exterminator,' has become my newest obsession on Wednesday nights.
'Breakout Kings' Finds New Home on A&E
In a case of life imitating art, according to Entertainment Weekly new TV series 'Breakout Kings' has escaped from the clutches of Fox and has found safe haven at A&E after several harrowing weeks on the lam.'Breakout Kings,' you may recall, is a follow-up of sorts to 'Prison Break;' created by 'Prison Break' mastermind Matt Olmstead, 'Breakout Kings' flips the script by focusing on the efforts of a crack team of ex-cons and U.S. Marshals tasked with tracking down and capturing escaped prisoners. The pilot, which received significant positive buzz during the months leading up to the upfront season, was widely expected to receive a pick up from Fox, leaving many fans and industry insiders surprised when it was passed over in favor of renewing 'Lie to Me' and 'Human Target.'
Why We Watch: A&E's 'Intervention,' 'Hoarders' and Soon 'Obsessed,' Too?
In some ways, A&E has cornered the television market with reality documentary programs that deal with specific psychological ailments. You know the shows -- 'Intervention,' which deals with addictions and how they affect the individuals and the people in his/her life, and 'Hoarders,' which tackles the syndrome that has people unable to throw away objects to the extent that they are buried alive in debris. On Monday, June 28, A&E relaunches a show that's in a similar vein called 'Obsessed,' focusing on compulsive disorders.
A&E, Ryan Seacrest Partner on 'The Incurables'
Ryan Seacrest has yet another new job. The 'American Idol' host, Top 40 DJ, E! News correspondent and general definition of ubiquity has now partnered with A&E and British self-help guru Paul McKenna for a new reality show, according to Deadline. The hour-long show is tentatively called 'The Incurables,' with McKenna taking on people with seemingly incurable psychological problems or physical disorders. Deadline mentioned the shouting and facial tics of a man with Tourettes Syndrome and a woman who eats her own hair, a condition known as Tricotilla Mania.
'Breakout Kings' May Surface on A&E
The hour-long drama 'Breakout Kings' narrowly missed the cut at Fox this year when the network picked up two other dramas and kept two, 'Lie to Me' and 'Human Target.' But now, Deadline is reporting that 'Breakout' production company 20th TV is in talks to bring the show to the A&E network. The company had been shopping the pilot to broadcast and cable networks.
'Breakout Kings' would fit well with A&E's current schedule, which is loaded with crime and punishment titles like 'The First 48' and 'Dog the Bounty Hunter.' The premise of the drama is that a team of marshals and ex-convicts work together to track down escaped prisoners. There had been an early buzz for the show, based on studio testing, and it was considered a mild surprise when Fox did not pick up the show.
A&E Invests in 'Intervention' Spinoff and Celebrity Reality Series
Don't hassle the Hoff, especially when he's reaching for new heights of reality fame with his whole family in tow. According to the Live Feed, A&E just announced their upcoming programming slate for advertisers, and it seems that the Arts and Entertainment Network is forgoing the "art" in favor of a slew of new reality shows fronted by some (admittedly entertaining) celebrities.
Front and center is a new David Hasselhoff series, in which the 'Baywatch' star turned reality judge attempts to help his four daughters break into the recording industry. The as-yet untitled project has been ordered for 10 episodes in the fourth quarter. 'Strange Days with Bob Saget,' starring -- you guessed it -- Bob Saget, has been given a six-episode pickup for later this year. The series will feature the actor-comedian immersing himself in strange cultures, practices and occupations.
Cops Shut Down Steven Seagal: Lawman
Steven Seagal just can't stop sliding down the fame scale into obscurity and legal trouble. First he gets cast in a reality program as a deputy sheriff (titled 'Steven Seagal: Lawman') and then the same program gets shut down by the very police he's working for due to the star getting accused of sex trafficking.
For those unaware, a recently-hired female assistant who was also a former model accused Seagal of, to say the least, inappropriate behavior. Check the original article for lurid details. Even worse, Seagal's former assistant before the recent hire was hired out of Russia and he was doing pretty much the same things to her (hence the "sex trafficking" accusation). This further proves my theory that it is a bad idea to answer any Craigslist ad (yes, it was a Craigslist ad).
At least this is a good set-up for the inevitable sequel reality television show: 'Steven Seagal, Inmate.'
'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Issues a Warning (VIDEO)
Just because Duane 'Dog' Chapman bursts into your house and grabs someone else, that doesn't mean you're in the clear. Oh no, not by a long shot."Harboring a fugitive? They'll come to get you next," he assures the folks on 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' (Wed., 10PM ET on A&E). And Dog knows what he's talking about, so you'd better listen up!
Watch the video after the jump.
MTA Puts the Brakes on Subway Series
Looks like New York City will have to rely on its 'Housewives' to keep it in the reality TV spotlight -- for now, anyway.According to the New York Times, the Manhattan Transit Authority (MTA) announced Monday that its plans for a series set in the country's largest subway system had come to a halt.
The untitled show, which began shooting in February and was to have lived on A&E, would have focused on the daily tribulations of train conductors and station agents as they grappled with mechanical and personnel issues, but, due to increasing financial difficulties, officials were forced to throw the brakes.
A&E Lightens Up With New Summer Series 'Sugarloaf'
A&E is shifting gears with its latest foray into scripted television. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the network has picked up 'Sugarloaf' for a 13-episode run. The show stars Matt Pasmore (pictured), and is named after the Florida resort town where Passmore's character -- a homicide detective -- winds up after he's wrongfully accused of sleeping with his captain's wife. Once he arrives, he realizes, of course, that things are much more complicated than he initially expected.
Of the series, A&E Senior Vice President of Drama Programming Tana Nugent Jamieson said, "It takes a typical gritty police procedural but has fun with the main character against the blue-sky backdrop of rural Florida. It's pure entertainment."
A&E Wants More Steven Seagal's 'Lawman'
Are your favorite TV police officers not squinting enough? Then tune that TV on over to A&E! A&E has renewed their popular reality series (there's two phrases I thought I would never use in the same sentence: "A&E" and "popular reality series") 'Steven Seagal: Lawman' for another season.
The network has submitted a 16-episode order for the show's new season, just three more than the first season. The network has also been more than pleased with its 2.1 million average reviewer rating, more than half of which is from the coveted 18 to 34 year old demographic. Just imagine. If the show gets popular enough, it might become an actual movie. Finally! Seagal will have a chance to do some real acting.
A&E Renews 'Steven Seagal: Lawman'
Steven Seagal will return to A&E to offer up another dose of his reality. The network has renewed the docudrama 'Steven Seagal: Lawman' for a 16-episode second season, three more episodes than the initial outing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The program will again feature the real-life deputy and his Sheriff's Office colleagues protecting the people of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, Louisiana. This time the production filmed during Mardi Gras. No word yet on whether his martial-arts skills helped keep the peace during the revelry.
'Kirstie Alley's Big Life' to Premiere March 21
Kirstie Alley is preparing to make her small-screen comeback in a big way when her new show, 'Kirstie Alley's Big Life' premieres on March 21st. According to EW.com, Alley's new reality show is set to bow with back-to-back episodes when it hits cable network A&E at 10PM ET at the end of next month. According to a press release from the network, the show will "chronicle the extraordinary life of Golden Globe and two-time Emmy winner Kirstie Alley from her journey with her weight loss program to her life as a single mother trying to raise two normal teenagers in the Hollywood spotlight."
'Steven Seagal Lawman' Sets Ratings Record for A&E
A&E had a really good week.Three days after the season 2 opener for the dysfunction-based reality show 'Hoarders' set an all-time premiere ratings mark for the channel, the real-life-celebrity-sideline-based 'Steven Seagal Lawman' broke it.
Focused on Seagal's work helping out the cops in Louisiana's Jefferson Parish, the series premiere of 'Lawman' averaged 3.5 million viewers during the 10PM hour on Thursday. Meanwhile, its 2.0 rating in the all-important adults 18-49 demographic edged out 'Hoarders,' which had days earlier set a new mark for A&E in the demo.
The Jacksons on 'Today': We're a "Normal Family" (VIDEO)
Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson appeared on 'Today' this morning in support of both their new A&E series, 'The Jack5ons,' and their new record.During interview, the brothers of the late Michael Jackson spoke with Matt Lauer on how they are just a "normal family."
Watch the video from Daily Drama below.
Watch the video from Daily Drama after the jump.
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