Chicken Soup for the Soul

Susanne Ault -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/8/2001

Litton

You've seen the book titles at every supermarket and airport bookstore: Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Cat & Dog Lover's Soul(have we left anyone out?). Now Litton hopes that massive popularity will propel the book franchise's syndicated TV show.

"I love the book series, and it's one of the biggest book brands out there," says Litton chief Dave Morgan, who points out that the Chicken Soup editors also travel the country as corporate motivational speakers.

And with the FCC pressuring stations to add more kid-friendly programming, Morgan notes, "it's also the right time to offer Chicken Soup for the Soul."

Litton will serve up a new version of the Pax network's series, which ran for the past two seasons. On Pax, Chicken Soup starred such celebrities as Martin Sheen, Teri Garr and Jill Eikenberry bringing the books' moral lessons to life.

Morgan believes Litton's spin on Chicken Soup, a piecing together of stories that were targeted to young adults, should last longer than what ran on Pax. Litton will stir in new host Scott Whyte, known from NBC's teen sitcom City Guys, and keeping the show's original executive producer Vin Di Bona ( America's Funniest Home Videos).

"I think certain shows need a big platform to work. Pax is a young network," he explains. " Wheel of Fortune didn't last as a network show but King World made it work in access."

Show: Chicken Soup for the Soul

Studio/Distributor: Vin Di Bona Productions/Litton

Clearance: N/A

Barter: 3.5/3.5

Debut: Fall 2001