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Freeform

Entertainment

Thoughts on Project Runway moving to Disney’s Freeform from Bravo next year 

by Sports Benches

Earlier this week, Freeform finally made a major update as it’s nothing to do with their original scripted slate which ran out earlier this year. However, they’ve added yet another reality TV show having kept Project Runway alive from Bravo thanks to a deal struck with Spyglass Media Group (who owns the show’s studio property).

We don’t know when this will be next on air going into Season 21 sometime in 2025 but what we do know that its judges and host will look brand new, so none of them from the Bravo and even Lifetime versions will pop up on Freeform. So does the contestants itself where aspiring fashion designers (both male and female including the fashion models) will also be teen-oriented that will fit best on a cable channel that already has a teen and female dominated audience. 

No surprise there when Freeform is trying to fill up some air time trying to be like the USA Network (although USA recently picked up 1-2 new scripted shows though), but also a surprise too for those who have been watching Project Runway for so long.

Yes, the continued Project Runway show will also show up on Disney + and Hulu which is an also a plus when it comes to on-demand content. But the question still remains as to whether or not if Freeform will last that long as a cable channel when the Bravo (two stints) and the Lifetime versions usually last more than a few years? They’re happy with the seasonal marathon specials like 31 Days of Halloween right now & 25 Days of Christmas as well as the 1-2 weekly syndicated blocks while still having to carry a “lifetime” contract with the 700 Club since Freeform is currently homeowner on a property The 700 Club has built that goes back to the 70s-90s.

But seeing how ABC Signature was morphed into 20th Televlsion at the start of this month with streaming also still on the rise, it would still be no surprise if Disney shuts down or sells off Freeform while paying off 700 the $$$ they want.

Maybe Lifetime should’ve come back in the first place since they’re part of the Disney family thanks to A & E Networks and Hearst, but you never know though as maybe FX or FXX would be the perfect cable channel for all things reality and entertainment, as Project Runway would be a great match for them if Freeform is gone within the next 12 months – keep a close eye on this one.

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Entertainment

Thoughts on Freeform’s future as a basic cable channel with a bunch of new reality TV rather than scripted content along the way

by Sports Benches

Lots of unscripted stuff coming Freeform’s way over the last 12 months with two new ones being added this week, while some in their current original scripted library, Good Trouble has just finished its book after five seasons & 88 episodes on air & Grown-ish’s 2nd half of the sixth and final season will resume on Wednesdays from the 27th March to May 22nd. Where to go to from here after this? Having reversed their plans to have While You Were Breeding on the air late last year despite having a finished production of all 10 episodes. 

All we know so far over the last two years is that they shot a pilot called AZNBBRL, a teenage drama following three Asian-American girls with a desire to follow their own way rather than their parents. But we haven’t heard much since then & it looks like that won’t be going forward & lots of people would have moved on by now since Freeform went with a different direction over time, which led to the reverse cancellation of While You Were Breeding. Freeform also added just two in-development projects throughout last year. One was Knife’s Edge (a horror drama where a Mother & Daughter is against vampires based on a book) just before the Strikes began in April & another most recent back in November was RUSH (a High School drama from Israel called The Station about their lives as first responders). Again, not much progress for both since then with no direction being finalised for Freeform’s original scripted programming over the next few months.

A few weeks ago, Craig Enrich who is the president of Disney Television Group & looks after Disney’s family of networks, said that Freeform won’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. He didn’t say much about what they will do about scripted stuff going forward but he did point out about the success of having reality content amongst a female focused audience & that the syndicated repeats & movie event nights are also here to stay. So there you have it, despite people cutting the cord in recent years, reality TV, repeats and movies has kept Freeform alive today until things go south & they find no other way to keep that channel going at some point in the near future. I guess RUSH & Knife’s Edge would still play a role onto the pilot stage & hope things will work out since there’s not much to offer on the comedy side, but it looks like it would be a thing of the past if Freeform think it would cost too much $$$ to chuck in a bunch of new scripted content like it used to be.

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Entertainment

Thoughts on The Spiderwick Chronicles getting a new home at The Roku Channel with hope of While You Were Breeding also landing a lifeline elsewhere from Freeform

by Sports Benches

Well, we found one recently unaired cancelled Disney + show ahead of its premiere that saw them land a new home at The Roku Channel (streaming service) a days ago, which is called The Spiderwick Chronicles. We will now see eight instead of the originally planned six episodes going into early next year, having finished filming during the production beforehand. 

If you’d like to know a bit about the plot, it’s based on a children’s fantasy novel around the Grace’s family discovery after they’ve moved into their ancestral home (Estate). That’s great news to hear & also even better to watch all eight episodes for free too thanks to Roku where it would’ve been gone behind a paywall if that show wasn’t cancelled on Disney +. Plus, we will expect to watch it on Paramount + here in Australia since they’re the International distributor, even though Disney’s 20th Television is listed as the co-producers of the show.

All we can hope now is for While You Were Breeding, a comedy drama travel show, to get a new home too after they were given the chop recently by Freeform – despite finishing all ten episodes in production beforehand. Yes, that show was also set behind a paywall but I would love to see it on Roku or a similar paid streaming service too, especially when this year’s film strikes have changed Freeform’s way over time before they were left out of it. As said, unaired pilots or even unaired scripted programming rarely get a 2nd chance. But this can be done if appropriate & we’d like to see While You Were Breeding on the air on a different streaming service of any kind with the help of Freeform via their studios arm sooner rather than later.

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Entertainment

Thoughts on Freeform’s backflip of While You Were Breeding where they will now not be on the air despite completing all ten episodes

by Sports Benches

Image by Freepik

At the same time two days ago when ABC cancelled Home Economics after three seasons, its sister cable channel Freeform has decided not to put While You Were Breeding on the air at all next year despite finishing all ten episodes just before the five month strike began earlier in May. If the strike didn’t happen, the show would’ve started airing last month, but then the unexpected strike saw its August premiere being postponed to sometime 2024 & now it’s in the trash bin instead.

It’s an hour-long comedy show about one person’s journey (30-year-old woman named Kacey), who explores the world alone from LA that reflects her true self, which is based on a book memoir What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by writer/producer Kristin Newman. Although one can only hope that Freeform Studios will find another home for them & air these 10 episodes. Yes, these pilot lifelines don’t come out much, especially when ABC backflipped Avalon from its straight to series order nearly a year ago after they saw the pilot episode. However, considering that the writers strike is now over, a streamer or another TV network should take this opportunity & show how scripted TV is done for all on the air.

We would’ve loved to see Freeform kept its promises to the show’s creator and its cast & crew, but sadly it’s not about the show as they no longer fit the network’s programming strategy with thanks to the strike being re-worked over time. Instead, they chose to put a few reality TV programming shows on the air this year with more to come, which is the direction they’re going alongside weekly repeated & season programming marathons. It also seems Freeform would retain just a handful of original scripted programming while adding a few brand new quality ones soon just like ABC & it would be no surprise if Freeform would be sold alone/shut down at some stage since viewers are tuning in more on their devices rather than cable.

Grown-ish is currently in its sixth and final season while The Good Summer should stick around a bit longer as we wait & see if both Praise Petey & Cruel Summer will stay on for another season alongside the new scripted pickups in a few weeks time.

For now, please support Kristin by buying/reading her book to know all about what the TV adaptation would look like which is available on Amazon here while we hope it would be on the air elsewhere sooner rather than later.

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