tries its hand at original shows
Debuts bio series 'Mugshots' and 'Hollywood'
By Andrew Wallenstein
Coming off television's comeback of the year, Court TV should glide into 2000 on the strength of some new programs, including "Mugshots" (Monday-Thursday, 7-8 p.m. ET, beginning this week) and "Hollywood & Crime" (Fridays, 7-8 p.m. ET, beginning tomorrow night).
Last year was the year the legal network made a major programming shift and saw almost immediate results.
Ditching its courtroom-camera mission for a broader focus on shows with legal themes, Court TV ratings skyrocketed 422 percent from 1998 to a solid 0.4 primetime tally.
November was particularly stunning, seeing a 500 percent jump over the same month in 1998. A channel cannot live by O.J. Simpson alone.
What it did take was the addition of Court TV President Henry Schleiff, who was bumped up to chairman last month. His best move had to be bringing reruns of the NBC crime drama "Homicide: Life on the Street" and Fox video voyeur "COPS" to primetime, quintupling the audience for this quarter over the same period last year.
But the current plan is to move away from off-network fare to originals, a smart move to build the network brand.
Court TV is playing it safe here: "Mugshots" is a predictably shameless knockoff of cable's hottest franchise, A&E's "Biography."
No network should be without one, as VH1 ("Behind the Music"), E! ("The E! True Hollywood Story") and Lifetime ("Intimate Profile") can corroborate.
"Mugshots" simply applies the bio format to crime with zero innovation. The premiere episode on Waco wacko David Koresh could just as easily run on A&E, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting. Interviews include Koresh's brother and mother, who divulge new details on the cult leader's troubled childhood.
Court TV, which is currently seen in 40 million households, should have tried something like "Mugshots" years ago, given how the crime business is filled with compelling personalities. Future episodes chronicle the life and crimes of Tonya Harding, Sam Sheppard and Robert Silveria. Thirteen episodes are currently in the can.
"Hollywood" is pretty much the same concept as "Mugshots."
The subject matter trades gristle for Tinseltown glitz, focusing on the legal troubles of the rich and famous. Each installment has a theme like "Family Affair," which tracks the tragic family squabbles of Marlon Brando, Phil Hartman and Marvin Gaye.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Allen, Dennis Rodman are among the celebrities profiled in future episodes.
Both "Mugshots" and "Hollywood" are arriving on the tail end of cable's biography craze, but this type of documentary is a durable performer even after exhaustive reruns. In the 7 p.m. slot, they are anchoring what is turning out to be a primetime powerhouse, with "COPS" at 8 p.m., "Homicide" at 9 p.m. and the original series "Crime Stories" rounding out weeknights at 10 p.m. "Stories" is also kicking off its second season in January.
Other improvements made in January are the addition of the critically lauded CBS series "Wiseguy," which were stripped at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. beginning Jan. 8.
Two days later an afternoon hour-long talk show featuring former Fox News Channel personality Catherine Crier began and has roped in A-list guests like Jerry Springer, Susan Sarandon and Sen. Orrin Hatch.
With the new injections to daytime and late night, expect Court TV's total day ratings to continue to rise. Last year, they shot up 200 percent over 1998.
In 2000, Court TV will spend an estimated $24.8 million on programming, according to Paul Kagan Associates.
Among the projects expected is a primetime special, "Sworn Enemies," that could pan out as a series. The program involves law-enforcement officials obsessed with a single case.
-Andrew Wallenstein cover television programming for Media Life.