Food Network to Revisit Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Guy Fieri Series to Return for Second, Third Seasons

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/3/2007 1:00:00 PM

Food Network picked up seasons two and three of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, its primetime show starring the second-season winner of reality show Next Food Network Star, Guy Fieri. Both seasons are 13 episodes each. The show is from Page Productions for Food.

Season two, currently in production, will run through the end of the month. Season three begins production after that and will run later this year.

The show -- in which Fieri visits local greasy spoons around the country -- has been a hit for Food with new episodes Mondays at 10 p.m. drawing more than 1 million total viewers, about 20% more than the network’s average in primetime, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Fieri -- whose tattooed look and approachable American fare helped him with Next Food Network Star in April 2006 -- is becoming a promising new talent for the Scripps Networks-owned cable network. His weekend daytime show, Guy’s Big Bite, was also picked up for a second season, which will begin shooting in early 2008.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fits Food’s primetime programming strategy to grow from instructional cooking shows to experiential programs about food.