Upfronts 2013: TruTV Slates Three New Series, Seven Pilots

Renews 'Upload With Shaquille O'Neal,' 'Guinness World Records Gone Wild'

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/17/2013 1:41:11 PM

Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2013

TruTV announced Wednesday three new series and seven pilots slated for development, aimed at what the network calls the "funseeker" demographic.

The network describes "funseekers" as those "who look for comedic reality shows that are exciting to watch and prefer humor that is suspenseful, edgy and irreverent." By the end of the year, truTV plans to devote 50% of its schedule to "funseekers"-targeted programming.

The three new series are Panic Button, Big Sam's Kentucky Auction (working title) and Cash Dome Pawn.

Panic Button is a haunted-house style competition show from Eleven Television; the network ordered 12 half-hour episodes. Big Sam's Kentucky Auction, which was ordered for six episodes, follows the family-run Sammie's Auction house in Corbin, Ky. The series is from ITV Studios America in ITV Studios America in association with Leepson Bounds Entertainment. From Endemol's 51 Minds Entertainment, Cash Dome Pawn will be the net's third series centered on a pawn shop. This one focuses on the Cash Dome shop in Cutler Bay, Fla.

TruTV also slated pilots from FremantleMedia NA (Turbulence) and Impractical Jokers producers NorthSouth Productions (Laugh Truck - wt). Other pilots include Payback With Trevor Moore (wt), Cold Hard Catch, Barnstormes (wt), The Big Poll with John Henson (wt) and Mind Games (wt).

The network will also launch a redesigned website, which it touts as the cable industry's first network website built with responsive design architecture.

TruTV also announced renewals of two of its new series, Upload With Shaquille O'Neal and Guinness World Records Gone Wild. Upload was given a six-episode order and Guinness World Records was renewed for an additional 10 episodes. Those join previously announced renewals of Impractical Jokers and Hardcore Pawn: Chicago.