Corporate Press Release Theater: CW's Outsourced Sunday

One more bit of post-upfront fall-schedule news: The CW has announced its Sunday-night lineup, which it contracted out to studio Media Rights Capital. On tap, dirty jobs, family comedy—and a whole lot of product integration:

May 27, 2008 (Burbank, CA) Media Rights Capital and The CW are ready to roll-out their Sunday night primetime programming block for the upcoming fall 2008-09 broadcast television season. The strategic alliance between the two companies will launch with a one-hour narrative reality show, one half-hour family comedy and two one-hour long dramas. The Sunday night block will begin at 6:30 p.m., taking advantage of the traditional family viewing night and expanding the reach of the evolving network. The announcement was made today by MRC co-CEO's Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu and Keith Samples, President, Television, Media Rights Capital, along with CW President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff and COO John Maatta.

The programs scheduled to premiere in September, 2008 are:

6:30-7:30 IN HARM'S WAY – A reality show that looks at lives of people doing dangerous jobs. Executive Producer is Craig Piligian (“Dirty Jobs,” “American Chopper,” “Survivor”).

7:30 - 8:00 SURVIVING SUBURBIA – Half-hour comedy about a family and their new neighbors. Kevin Abbott is Executive Producer (“Roseanne,” “Grace Under Fire,” “Reba,” “My Name is Earl”).

8:00-9:00 VALENTINE, INC. – One-hour drama/comedy about an agency that finds lost loves, true loves and mends broken hearts. Kevin Murphy is Executive Producer (“Reaper,” “Desperate Housewives”).

9:00-10:00 EASY MONEY – One-hour drama about a family that runs a high-interest loan business. Executive Producers are Andy Schneider and Diane Frolov (“Northern Exposure,” “The Chris Isaak Show,” “The Sopranos”).

All of the shows will begin production, pilot-free, by mid-June. MRC and The CW sales team will begin meeting with advertisers and agencies this week. Consistent with the MRC integrated business model, all five showrunners will participate in the initial meetings to present their creative points of view and hear advertiser needs from the on-set of the creative process.

“Our approach...is simple: when you put talented people like our artist partners and the advertising folks together in a room, they come up with smart and creative solutions to problems. We want them integrated and talking from the beginning,” explained Satchu and Wiczyk.

So at least one thing about the fall season will be "smart and creative"—the sponsorship. Oh, to be one of the lucky producers getting to "hear advertiser needs from the on-set of the creative process"! (We need the main character to be eating Pringles in this scene! Be smart and creative about it!)