Lifetime faces reality with Friday-night lineup

By Kimberly Nordyke

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Lifetime Television is launching a Friday night reality programming block in October that will include returning series "Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead" and new series "America's Psychic Challenge."

The network's president of entertainment, Susanne Daniels, made the announcement on Thursday during the Television Critics Assn.'s summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

Daniels said that the network has ordered eight episodes of "Challenge," a competition series in which amateur psychics compete against one another to become "America's No. 1 psychic."

The series will debut at 10 p.m. October 12, following the Season 2 premiere of "Lisa Williams," which features the medium and clairvoyant as she helps others by using her abilities to see and speak with the dead, at 9 p.m.

Daniels was asked by the critics about her decision to schedule three new dramas on the same night starting Sunday, with "Side Order of Life" at 8 p.m., "State of Mind" at 9 p.m. and "Army Wives" at 10 p.m.

"I felt we needed to be loud at Lifetime to let people know we were doing things differently and to come check us out," she said. "We put the marketing money behind it. Our thinking was, let's start off with a bang on one night and should we be so lucky we'll build out to two nights."

Daniels also officially announced the renewal of "Wives," which she said has been given an 18-episode order for Season 2.

In other news, Lifetime officially announced the original telefilm "Racing for Time," starring and directed by Charles S. Dutton, which premieres next year.

The network also announced the premiere dates for several programs, including the original movie "The Murder of Princess Diana," starring Jennifer Morrison, which will air in a special three-night premiere at 9 p.m. August 25, 6 p.m. August 26 and 9 p.m. August 27. It also will air at 9 p.m. August 31, the 10th anniversary of Diana's death.

The original movie "Custody," starring James Denton and Rob Morrow, also has a three-night debut at 9 p.m. September 8, at 6 p.m. September 9 and at 9 p.m. September 10.

Also debuting in the fall is the original movie "More of Me," starring Molly Shannon, and the miniseries "The Gathering," starring Peter Gallagher, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Kristin Lehmann, Jenna Boyd and Peter Fonda, which premieres in October.

In addition, the reality series "How to Look Good Naked," hosted by Carson Kressley, will premiere in January.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter