TNT will bring pro wrestling to Saturday nights with the launch of AEW: Collision while TBS will add more comedy with a reimagining of the classic series The Joe Schmo Show, Warner Bros. Discovery said Wednesday during its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York .
The two-hour AEW: Collision live series will join Friday series AEW: Rampage on TNT’s lineup, featuring such AEW wrestlers as Miro, Samoa Joe, Thunder Rose, Powerhouse Hobbs and Andrade El Idolo, according to TNT. Two other weekly AEW series, AEW: Dynamite and reality-themed series AEW: All-Access currently air on TBS.
“We’re doubling down on wrestling with AEW: Collision which gives fans two more hours every week,” Turner Networks, ID and HLN linear and streaming president Jason Sarlanis said in a statement. “AEW’s roster of talent has expanded so quickly that we felt it needed another night to bring our audience the epic rivalries, unforgettable matches and stars they love to watch. Adding Collision to our programming mix on TNT will allow us to satisfy the massive demand we’ve felt from our hardcore fanbase and be the ultimate complement to AEW: Dynamite on TBS.”
In other WB Discovery programming news, TBS will look to amp up its comedy lineup with a new version of the former Spike TV series The Joe Schmo Show.
The series, hosted by Cat Deeley, will debut in 2024 and follow the premise of the original series by making a regular guy believe that he’s competing on a reality show, but in reality all the participants are a cast of improv comedians, said the network. The series ran on Spike TV, now Paramount Network, for three seasons beginning in 2003.
“When The Joe Schmo Show launched 20 years ago, it was ahead of its time,” Sarlanis said. “In rebooting this classic for a modern, savvy audience, it gives us the opportunity to comment on the often absurd and hilarious tropes of reality television in ways our viewers will love.”
The Joe Schmo Show will be produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Fly on the Wall, with original series creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.
