Fox Reality Channel has given the green light to its first original series.
The News Corp.-owned channel, which subsists largely on reruns of old shows like Joe Millionaire, has ordered eight hour-long episodes of Solitary, which subjects its contestants to all sorts of tough conditions, ranging from solitary confinement to sleep deprivation. It is expected to premiere in the first quarter of next year.
David Lyle, chief operating officer and general manager of Fox Reality, is hoping his first original effort helps establish the channel's identity.
"We were looking for a show that kind of jumped out and maybe (goes) into territory that isn't being covered in other reality shows," he said.
Lyle hopes to add several more original series to Fox Reality's schedule in 2006.
Fox Reality, which is available in 18 million homes, does produce original shows and specials, including Reality Remix, which cover the reality genre, but Solitary represents the channel's first stand-alone effort.
And this is one of the big reasons why I by tv shows on DVD these days.....
I've never even heard of this channel. I hate reality tv, unless it's on Discovery or TLC, so I don't think that I will be combing the channels looking for this...
[sarcasm]Oh! Great! That's a must watch.[/sarcasm]