AMC is hoping TV’s love affair with football will extend to its latest unscripted order — and bringing a bankable reality star along for the ride.
The cable network, which continues to make inroads into reality, has ordered 10 episodes of a new unscripted series following the inaugural season of arena football team the Los Angeles KISS. The show will include team owners and namesakes, KISS frontmen Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
Simmons, of course, is no stranger to a camera crew. The bass guitarist starred on his own reality show, A&E’s ?Gene Simmons Family Jewels?, for seven seasons.
“We are thrilled to partner with AMC in bringing our show to the viewing public,” said bandmate and business partner Stanley. “Anyone who knows Gene and I knows we have never played by the rules. This opportunity to see the making of our team of rebels, the LA KISS, from behind the scenes will once again show everyone that we play to win.”
In addition to the duo and other members of the team, the show will also feature longtime KISS manager Doc McGhee.
“We look forward to capturing all the trials and tribulations of launching a sports franchise in a great sports city like Los Angeles,” AMC senior vp unscripted programming Eliot Goldberg. “These are incredibly dedicated athletes, coaches and management who want to win, and the fact that the team has rock and roll royalty in the owners box just adds another great dimension to the series.”
Still untitled, the one-hour series is produced by Thinkfactory Media (Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Hatfields & McCoys) and will launch summer 2014. Executive producers include Adam Freeman, Adam Reed and Leslie Greif. Goldberg, Marco Bresaz and Andrea Beckerman will oversee for AMC.
February sees the launch of AMC’s latest reality foray, Game of Arms. Small Town Security, Comic Book Men, Freakshow and The Pitch are among its other unscripted offerings — though the network remains best known for its dramas.
Source: THR.com, 2/7/14