E! has renewed a pair of reality series and a weekly talk show for second-season runs.
The NBCU-owned service today announced that it is bringing back reality shows Total Divas and Eric & Jessie: Game On, as well as talker Hello Ross. The sophomore seasons of all three are expected to premiere early next year.
Total Divas, which continues its rookie season Sundays through Dec. 15 at 10 p.m., has been E!’s top new series in 2013, averaging 1.4 million viewers per episode, while pinning strong performances among nearly all key demos. Produced by WWE and Bunim-Murray, the series pulls back the curtain on WWE, providing viewers with a look at the lives of the grappling circuit’s divas, both inside and outside the ring, including the Bella Twins: Nikki and Brie (pictured) and their romantic relationships with WWErs John Cena and Daniel Bryan.
Eric & Jessie: Game On gives fans a look at recently married couple country/pop singer Jessie James and Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker as they juggle their high-profile careers, family and friends. Produced by Shed Media U.S., the second campaign will follow the couple as they prepare for the arrival of a baby girl and a potential Super Bowl run for the Broncos. Eric & Jessie finished its first season on Nov. 3 and proved to be one of the network’s top new original series among women and persons 18 to 34, with 362,000 and 446,000 of those watchers, respectively.
Concluding its initial season on Friday, Nov. 29 at 10 p.m., Hello Ross is a weekly half-hour talkers from best-selling author Ross Mathews who has welcomed Kris Jenner, NeNe Leakes, Joe Manganiello, Leah Remini, Lance Bass, Norman Reedus, Gloria Estefan and Kelly Osbourne, among others, since its Sept. 6 debut. Produced by Borderline Amazing, the interactive series offers fans the opportunity to debate buzzworthy topics and celebrity scoops, in addition to joining Mathews as he hits the streets with fans for a variety of pop culture adventures. The show has averaged 451,000 viewers to date.
“We are excited to bring back this diverse trio of successful series for second seasons,” said Jeff Olde, executive vice president, programming and development at E!, in announcing the orders. “Each of these series feature compelling personalities that offer unique stories and points of view from the world of pop culture. It’s exciting to have this strong line-up of returning series in addition to our other popular core franchises to help propel us into 2014.”
Source: Multichannel News, 11/25/13