The Bravest
Susanne Ault -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/8/2001
A TV show featuring firefighters racing into a burning building sounds exciting, but how about a TV show that features images captured from cameras strapped to firefighter's helmets? Hearst Entertainment is betting on the latter concept as an irresistible hook for its new weekly half-hour show The Bravest, which features the true adventures of the country's firefighters.
The show's tag line, "They run into buildings as other people run out," might say it all. Says Rob Corona, Hearst Entertainment's senior vice president of domestic sales, "What's not to like? These people are heroes."
The show hasn't set a production start date, but Corona already has seen some inspirational stories, like a recent harrowing incident in Atlanta when a crane operator was plucked off a flaming building by helicopter. Beyond chronicling rescues, The Bravest will also go inside firehouses and delve into firefighter culture (sharing meals, sliding down poles, etc.) Each episode will follow a different city's fire department.
"You'll see what they see, and it will be scary and eerie," adds Corona. "You'll never know what's in store."
He points out that part of the reason for going forward with the show was to tap into the success of Cops, the long-running Fox series following the police.
"Reality is a genre that is very, very hot right now, no pun intended," says Corona. There will be 44 original half-hours available that can be also run as 22 hours.
Show: The Bravest
Studio/Distributor: National Video/Hearst Entertainment
Clearance: N/A
Barter: 7/7
Debut: Fall 2001
