News

Exclusive: Carson Kressley is getting his own series on Own: Oprah Winfrey Network. Kressley, who is already set to co-host Your Own Show: Oprah's Search For the Next TV Star, which will premiere on Own at its January launch, will also topline Carson-Nation, a makeover series, which will begin production next month for a March premiere. Carson-Nation, from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition creator/ executive producer Tom Forman and Relativity Real, will feature Kressley traveling around the country "to makeover America one town at time and to make peoples lives better." Executive producing the series with Forman is David Metzler. Kressley, repped by Icm and Untitled, shot to prominence as the breakout star of Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He recently headlined Lifetime's How To Look Good Naked and co-hosted ABC's True Beauty.

  RDF Media USA CEO Chris Coelen is leaving the company after four years.

The news was announced internally Thursday morning.

Coelen's exit comes as a surprise since he helped build Rdf's U.S. outpost into a formidable supplier for the past four years.

He had significantly expanded operations with a string of hires of senior executives over the past year, most recently leading ITV entertainment executive Natalka Znak, the co-creator and executive producer of ITV1 reality hits "Hell's Kitchen" and "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" whose appointment as executive vp at RDF USA was announced Thursday morning, hours before Coelen's resignation.

Under Coelen, RDF Media USA, the company behind ABC's veteran "Wife Swap," has produced such reality series as "Secret Millionaire" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics" for Fox, "Find My Family" for ABC, as well as cable shows "Addicted to Beauty," "How to Look Good Naked" and...

Category: Drama

Coming home

Denise's (Catherine Bell) son Jeremy (Richard Bryant) returns to Fort Marshall for the first time since his ex-girlfriend Amanda's death. Joan (Wendy Davis) and Roland (Sterling K. Brown) learn the sex of their baby. Roxy (Sally Pressman) is preparing to reopen the Hump Bar but with a new name-Betty's Bar and Grill. Chase and Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) attend a BBQ with the other Delta Force families.

Army Wives

Sunday, 10 p.m.

Lifetime is taking it off for a second season.

The network has renewed How to Look Good Naked with eight new episodes beginning in July. The series also is expanding to an hourlong format.

"This heartwarming series succeeds because it shows women they should accept -- and even flaunt -- their healthy bodies, whatever shape or type they are, without resorting to plastic surgery or extreme diets," Lifetime entertainment president Susanne Daniels said. "The new one-hour format allows us to mix things up each week with more in-depth backstories, home visits, unique rotating experts and surprise reveals."

The reality series averaged 1.1 million total viewers during its first season, according to Nielsen Media Research. Naked, again hosted by Carson Kressley (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), is produced by RDF USA (Wife Swap) and Maverick TV and Axiel Entertainment for Lifetime Television.

"Expanding to the one-hour format allows us to take the show in some wild, unpredictable directions," said Greg Goldman, executive producer of the show and executive vp development and current at RDF USA.

How to Look Good Naked looks pretty good in Lifetime's view.

Naked, an unscripted series in which Carson Kressley teaches women of all sizes to love their bodies, became the female-targeted network's most-watched reality series premiere ever in the key adult demographics of 18-49 (868,000 viewers) and 18-34 (449,000) as well as among women 18-34 (344,000).

Overall, Naked averaged 1.8 million total viewers in its debut at 9 p.m. Friday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

By comparison, Lifetime's now-defunct unscripted series Cheerleader Nation -- which, like Naked, received a big promotional push -- debuted to 1.6 million viewers on a Sunday (March 12, 2006) and drew only 779,000 viewers when it moved to Fridays after three airings. Naked also improved on Nation's premiere numbers in 18-49 (858,000), 18-34 (403,000) and women 18-34 (291,000).

Following Naked were the premieres of the matchmaking series Matched in Manhattan (9:30 p.m.) and the party-planning programs Top This Party: Orange County (10 p.m.) and Top This Party: Las Vegas (10:30 p.m.). None of the three matched Naked's numbers, but Lifetime said they all improved on the network's women 18-34 performance by at least double-digit percentages compared with the same time periods a year ago.

Lifetime Television is expanding its reality lineup with a new series about a matchmaker and another that follows elite party planners.

The two series -- Matt Titus: Matchmaker and the tentatively titled It's My Party -- will join Lifetime's upcoming reality show How to Look Good Naked in January as part of the "second season" of the network's new Friday night reality block.

Party follows those people who plan extravagant, excessive parties and events for extremely wealthy clients. Half of the series' 14 episodes will center on Brian Dobbin and his "volatile" chef as they plan events in Orange County, while the other seven will be shot in Las Vegas around another event planner.

Matchmaker, which will have an initial seven-episode run, stars relationship expert Matt Titus, who matches both straight and gay singles in New York.

Both new series, along with the Carson Kressley-hosted Naked, debut Jan. 4. Naked will air at 9 p.m., followed by Matchmaker at 9:30 p.m., Party at 10 p.m. and the Vegas edition at 10:30 p.m.