Lifetime will look to court Black women with the debut Saturday (August 17) of its romantic-themed film, Tempted by Love — part of the network’s new “Terry McMillan Presents” lineup of romance-themed films. 

The female-skewing network’s partnership with the best-selling author McMillan, whose novels How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting To Exhale became hit films, will also debut the Taye Diggs/Meagan Good-produced film Forever on August 21, according to Lifetime executives.   

Lifetime, LMN and A&E executive VP, head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant spoke to Multichannel News about the Terry McMillan Presents banner and the network’s overall outreach to Black female viewers, who represented 32% of Lifetime’s original movie audience over the past 12 months, according to Nielsen live-plus-3-day ratings. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.  

MCN: What prompted Lifetime to create a movie partnership with author Terry McMillan? 

Elaine Frontain Bryant: Terry just has a way of telling stories about women that we know will resonate with our audience. When you look at Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, we thought she would be the best partner to help us get into the Black romance movie genre. We had previously made a movie from a book of hers called A Day Late and a Dollar Short, starring Whoopi Goldberg, so we thought it was an incredible opportunity to work with her. There aren’t that many writers whose biggest books turned into big movies. It’s really fitting the romantic vibe Lifetime is trying to create.

MCN: How much input does Terry McMillian have in the creation and development of the movies under the partnership?

EFB: While these are not her original stories, we definitely collaborated with her about what movies would fit the partnership. She had to sign off on all of them to make sure that it felt correct for her and with her brand. 

MCN: You mentioned the Black romance movie genre. Why is that a focus for Lifetime? 

EFB: We know that we have a strong, passionate, Black female audience that comes to a lot of our movies. Oftentimes, those movies are thrillers, so with this franchise we're really just trying to make sure that we expand our offerings. Also, our biopics are super strong and we had some real success with our Mary J. Blige-inspired romance-themed films a year ago. When you put a Terry McMillan on the top of that, it’s just icing on the cake. We just thought it was just a perfect time to try to do this, and we're going to give this audience more of what they want from us.

MCN: Do you have a sense as to how many movies you want to create under the “Terry McMillian Presents” banner over the next year? 

EFB: We don’t have that yet. We have a few things in development and we’re hopeful, but we’re waiting to see how this goes to make more of a plan. Certainly, if this goes gangbusters, we’ll have much more rapid conversations. 

Lifetime will look to celebrate its 40th year anniversary with original series, specials and documentaries that will be undeniably and unabashedly female-focused, according to the network’s executive VP and head of programming Elaine Frontian Bryant. 

Bryant, who took over Lifetime programming duties this past summer, said the network in 2024 will build on its diverse lineup of original programming, which includes bio-movies and unscripted content as well as drama and true-crime films. She said the network’s recently announced partnership with acclaimed author Terry McMillian to produce movies from McMillian’s collection of well-known romance novels will add another element to the network’s content portfolio. 

Lifetime previously worked with McMillian — best known for her novels turned hit films How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale — on a 2014 original movie A Day Late and a Dollar Short, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Mekhi Phifer, Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Tichina Arnold and Ving Rhames.

“Lifetime offers amazing, undeniable stories told through access-driven storytelling by and about women,” Bryant told Multichannel News in an interview at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, California. “There’s not just one facet to storytelling for women, and I think at Lifetime we’re tackling them all.”

The McMillian partnership comes on the heels of the network’s announcement of a two-night original docu-series, Where is Wendy Williams?, focusing on the former talk show host’s comeback journey to reclaim her life and legacy despite facing health issues and personal turbulence, said the network. The four-and-a-half-hour series debuts February 24 and 25, the network said. 

“We want to continue to tell our stories with our own voices,” Bryant said. “We want to make sure we have authentic storytelling from a women’s point of view.”

When your most popular new show is called Live PD, you wouldn’t think there would be many viewers tuning in on a delayed basis or watching reruns.

But A&E has found that its unscripted series can be arresting, whether viewed live or not.

Seeking to reverse long-term ratings decline, earlier this year, A&E, part of A+E Networks, shifted its programming strategy, eschewing scripted dramas like Bates Motel and Longmire and sticking to unscripted and nonfiction programming.

Related: The Unscripted TV Issue >Reality TV’s Got Game

The move came at a time when more and more networks — not to mention streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video and even digital companies like Facebook, YouTube and Apple — are ramping up their original programming efforts.

Much of the ensuing stampede of original programming has been scripted dramas, leading to questions as to whether the current era of peak TV has really met a peak.

Related: A&E Sets ‘Undercover High’ Documentary Series

“We seem to be bucking the trend,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, who was named executive vice president and head of programming for A&E earlier this year. “We’re doubling down and just doing nonfiction with A&E, within our part of the AETN network. It’s working for us. And we’ve been climbing in the rankers ever since.”

MCN Original Video: One-on-One in 2 With A&E's Elaine Frontain Bryant

More Time on the Beat
Driving A&E ratings resurgence is the real-life police series Live PD. Live PD now airs live as it happens on A&E for six hour a week.

Related: A&E’s ‘Live PD’ Sets Series Ratings Record

The documentary series was the No. 1 unscripted series in 2017. It returns for season 2 on Oct. 6. A&E recently announced a 100-episode order from producer Big Fish Entertainment.

But A&E is finding that Live PD also draws a surprisingly large audience when it is not live. “Our buzziest shows in live-same-day also are the most successful in the time-shifted way, as well,” Bryant said.

And while scripted shows, with their big-name stars, get the bulk of attention, nonscripted shows attract passionate audiences as well.

“There is a direct correlation because they cut through,” Bryant said. “It’s really about the show. Good shows cut through. It’s not just about scripted.”

“Nonfiction can cut through the way scripted can. And among time-shifted or on-demand shows, 31 of the 50 highest ranked were non-scripted it just shows that that’s what people want to watch too,” she said. “For us, the ones they’re watching live, they’re also taping and watching them later too.”

Related: Finding Viewers ‘Behind Bars’

Since its launch, Live PD has been a phenomenon. Season one averaged 1.6 million total viewers in live-plus-7 viewing. The series hit a high of 2.4 million total viewers on July 15. Viewership increased 136% from launch and the series more than doubled A&E’s ratings in its time period from a year ago.

Hosted by Dan Abrams, with analysis from Tom Morris Jr., Live PD uses dashboard, fixed-rig and handheld cameras to capture the work of urban and rural police forces from around the country on typical Friday and Saturday nights.

“I think with Live PD, it’s new and fresh and exciting every single week, and that’s the draw. You don’t know what’s going to happen around any bend, any corner, and that is what taped shows cannot provide anywhere. And so even if nothing happens, there is the possibility that anything can at any moment,” Bryant said.

A&E launched Live PD with two hours a week. Then it moved it up to three hours. Now A&E’s schedule ls live with Live PD for six hours. The show has turned A&E’s low-rated Friday and Saturday nights into its most viewed evenings.

“We were doing very painful, low-rated repeats,” she said. “It’s been a real shot in the arm for us.”

Plays Well on Replay
But wait there’s more, as they say in the ads.

A&E launched a cut-down show, Live PD: Police Patrol, consisting of the highlights from the live coverage. And people tuned into that.

Airing in primetime Friday nights, it’s A&Es second-best-performing show in total viewers and adults 25 to 54 when Live PD isn’t airing. It’s performance improved 31% from its premiere to its finale.

And despite a six-day delay, nonlinear viewing of Live PD on A&E’s app and website rose 483% to 132,000 adults 25-54. That was something of a surprise. “We didn’t think they would repeat, and they are repeating,” Bryant said. “And that’s exciting. Anecdotally, I could tell you I was in Texas over Easter weekend on a beautiful Saturday. I was like, ‘Hey family, let’s go hide Easter eggs,’ and they were like, ‘No, we’ve got to watch this show.’ And I said that was last night’s episode. It’s a repeat.”

In addition to Live PD, the network has gotten boosts from other nonfiction series including Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, 60 Days In and The Murder of Laci Peterson.

A&E’s ratings have been up for six straight months through August among total viewers. In August, A&E was the No. 5 ad-supported cable network among adults 25-54, No. 6 with adults 18-49 and No. 9 with total viewers.

Several cable networks are going back to the future this fall by resurrecting high-profile, unscripted series franchises in an effort to lure back old fans as well as to bring in a new generation of viewers.

On Labor Day (Sept. 4), A&E will bring back its Emmy-winning Biography series after a five-year hiatus. The series, which aired in syndication before debuting on A&E in 1987 and ran on FYI (formerly Bio) through 2012, will again profile the lives of marquee entertainers and their impact on culture, executive VP and head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant said.

The first installment of the new series, "The Notorious Life of Biggie Smalls," chronicles the slain hip-hop pioneer.

“Bringing back the Biography brand is so important for us,” Bryant said.

RELATED: A&E 's Elaine Frontain Bryant discusses 'Biography' and the network's Emmy-nominted unscripted shows (VIDEO)
Also returning to the television stage in September is MTV’s Unplugged. The series, which first debuted in 1989, features musical acts playing their most popular songs on acoustic instruments and bows Sept. 8 with pop music star Shawn Mendes.

Later this year, Discovery Channel will offer a revival of game show Cash Cab, starring Ben Bailey, who originally drove the New York taxi that gave unwitting passengers an opportunity to win prizes during the show’s first run on the network from 2005-12.

Discovery Group president Rich Ross said the familiarity of reboots like Cash Cab gives such shows a leg up.

“When you don’t have to resell a premise, it’s much easier to break through in a crowded environment,” he said.

Cable networks are looking to breathe new life into classic reality series in an effort to get a leg up in a very crowded and competitive television environment.

Iconic reality series such as Trading Spaces (TLC), Cold Case Files (A&E), Cash Cab (Discovery Channel), Cold Justice (Oxygen), Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Netflix) and Biography (A&E) will return to the small screen later this year and into 2018, hoping to trade on their familiarity with viewers to recapture old fans and draw in new viewers, according to network officials.

“There’s a nostalgia about it,” TLC president and general manager Nancy Daniels said of Trading Spaces, the network’s popular home design and decorating series that ran from 2000-11. The network will resurrect the series next year.

“It’s a brand that people know and love,” Daniels said. “In a world where it’s so hard to break through with something new, to have something that has an automatic, built-in fan base is a gift.”

Indeed, the reality genre is joining its scripted brethren in creating updated versions of classic shows. Decades-old sitcoms such as One Day at a Time and Full House have been resurrected into more contemporary versions by Netflix, while movies such as Lethal Weapon and Westworld were turned into successful scripted series this past fall by Fox and HBO, respectively.

Discovery Channel Group president Rich Ross said bringing back a well-known franchise like Discovery’s unscripted game show series Cash Cab — which will return to the network later this year after a five-year hiatus — provides a network with a built-in marketing advantage that other new shows don’t give it.

“There is no doubt that familiarity gives you a leg up in a crowded universe, and when you don’t have to resell a premise its much easier,” he said. “It’s a simple premise, but seemingly timeless.”

Other networks are bringing back shows that resonate with some of TV’s hottest programming-genre trends. A&E this past February relaunched its documentary series Cold Case Files after an 11-year hiatus, amid the growing popularity of true crime programming within the TV marketplace.

Advancements in crime-solving technology — along with good, old-fashioned detective work — have created new interest in the series, Elaine Frontain Bryant, A&E executive vice president and head of programming, said.

“Good ideas are good ideas, and when they can be revamped in new ways and come back as fresh, it can work again,” she said. “The show had been off for several years, but given this renewed interest in crime programming, we thought this was the perfect time to bring it back.”

The surge in popularity for home improvement-themed content in recent years was the catalyst for TLC’s decision to resurrect Trading Spaces, according to Daniels.

“The home and property shows are huge and everybody has their favorites,” she said. “We absolutely think there’s still a rabid consumption of property shows, and with Trading Spaces we can draw in those viewers that are nostalgic about the show as well as new viewers.”

TLC is just starting the process and has not made any decisions on the reboot, Daniels said, including who will host the reality series. She did not rule out bringing back the original Trading Spaces cast, including host Paige Davis.

“There’s such an affinity for it, and it just felt like the time was right,” Daniels said.

Unwitting victims kidnapped off the street and brutally murdered. Serial killers scattering body parts across miles of swampland. Desperate searches by law-enforcement officials in a race against time to find a missing person.

At first blush, these terrible incidents seem incomprehensible to the typical TV viewer. Yet millions tune in almost every night to one of several networks that depict such stories — part of the popular genre of true-crime programming.

Such networks as Investigation Discovery (ID) — which devotes its entire programming lineup to true-crime content — as well as Lifetime, Oxygen, TV One, HLN and A&E are betting that depictions and re-enactments of disturbing and mysterious tales of real-life murder and mayhem will continue to captivate viewers who can’t seem to look away from the tragedies explored in genre-based series, documentaries and specials.

The true-crime genre has particular appeal to women viewers, who generally favor mysteries with dramatic storylines but also see their greatest fears reflected in the TV genre’s harrowing tales of murder and violence, most often featuring stories of crimes against women.

Just last year, cable and broadcast networks aired five projects about the 1996 death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey and three projects on the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson. LMN, NBC and ABC this year aired shows about the life and crimes of cult leader and murderer Charles Manson.

And more projects are on the docket:

• Women-targeted lifestyle channel Oxygen will offer a reboot of the Dick Wolf-produced series Cold Justice as part of its late 2017 rebrand into a crime destination network targeting millennial women.

• NBC is gearing up for a new entry in the Law & Order franchise focused on the sensational 1993 murder trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez. Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) will star in the eight-episode Law & Order: True Crime — The Menendez Murders.

• Lifetime will also delve into the Menendez brothers’ murder of their parents as part of an original movie, which will star Courtney Love as Lyle and Erik’s mother.

• A&E, which last month resurrected its iconic series Cold Case Files, will tackle the 1990s murders of rap stars Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur in separate episodes of its reimagined Biography franchise, which returns later this year after a five-year hiatus.

• ID will comb through the child-murder trial of Casey Anthony in April with limited series Casey Anthony: An American Murder.

• Discovery Channel and HLN will feature shows surrounding 1990s "Unabomber" suspect Theodore Kaczynski

TV executives cited several factors for true crime’s TV resurgence, including the current crowded TV environment, with more than 450 scripted series on offer, and a confusing political and news arena where real vs. alternative facts are the subject of debate. Viewers are fixated on both current real-life crimes and incidents from the recent past that remain unsolved or invoke more questions than answers.

WIDE-RANGING APPEAL
“There’s a certain kind of sensationalism that in some ways, as a genre, appeals to both educated and barely educated men and women equally,” said Steven Weinstock, co-president and co-CEO of production company Truly Original, which produces ID’s non-scripted series Vanity Fair Confidential. “There’s a certain kind of touchstone that true crime hits, because in a narrative form, it’s very effective in creating a puzzle that forces an engagement in the process by the viewer.”

Added A&E executive vice president and head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant, “I think people love a good mystery, and because there is so much chaos in the world, I think people just love to settle down and watch with the satisfaction of knowing that problems can be solved.”

The genre isn’t exactly new to cable: Unscripted reality shows such as Oxygen’s Snapped and A&E’s Cold Case Files and The First 48, as well as newsmagazine shows such as NBC’s Dateline, have chronicled real-life murderers and unsolved mysteries for decades. Interest in the genre seems to have peaked in recent months, though, with the launch of high-profile series that have captured viewers’ imaginations.

Projects like HBO’s 2015 docuseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which followed the Manhattan real-estate heir who was considered a person of interest in several murders; and Netflix’s gripping Making a Murderer, which shadowed the Wisconsin murder trial of Steven Avery, have breathed additional life into the genre.

Truly Original’s Weinstock said the sensational nature of the real-life crimes depicted in those shows appeals to the basic human desire to be safe, and to viewers’ sense of voyeurism with regard to violent incidents and actions that would otherwise invoke fear and emotional stress.

‘SOCIAL REALISM’
“Part of the appeal of true crime is a kind of social realism,” Weinstock said. “True crime can describe events that are risqué, deviant or even mundane that [viewers] wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”

Also, true-crime shows allow viewers to play the role of couch detective as they try to finger the perpetrators before the actual killer is revealed — or of judge and jury when they already know who did it.

Supercharging the genre were three recent programs on the 1995 O.J. Simpson “Trial of the Century”: ESPN’s five-part docuseries O.J.: Made in America, which last month won an Oscar for best documentary; FX’s limited scripted series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, which won five Primetime Emmy Awards; and ID’s Is O.J. Innocent? The Missing Evidence, which explored new theories and never-before-seen evidence regarding the trial.

Series such as Is O.J. Innocent? introduced well-known crime stories to younger audiences who may not have known much about the trial’s details, and allowed those viewers to make up their own minds about the verdict, said Henry Schlieff, president of the Discovery Communications network group that includes ID.

“In the case of O.J., if you go with the murder trial verdict, the killer was never found, so we give them a chance to decide what happened for themselves based on the evidence presented,” Schleiff said.

True-crime shows haven’t reached the lofty ratings level of top scripted shows such as AMC’s The Walking Dead, or even popular reality shows like Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta or Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush, both of which average more than 2 million viewers per episode. But true-crime aficionados are a loyal, passionate audience representing a cross-section of viewers, network officials said.

Some genre-specific shows have slashed through the cornucopia of TV content to generate big ratings. Lifetime’s Nov. 5 original movie Who Killed JonBenet? drew 1.5 million viewers, among the network’s highestperforming movies of last year.

Overall, ID set a network primetime ratings record in February, averaging more than 1.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. It finished February as the most watched network on a total-day basis (Nielsen live-plus-3) among women 25-54.

Thirteen of ID’s primetime shows averaged more than 1 million viewers in February on a Nielsen live-plus-3- day basis, including shows with such provocative titles as Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, Murder Chose Me and Evil Lives Here.

“We do a lot of research, and people anecdotally are saying that that they’ve had enough of scripted drama and love to see these true crime stories play out,” Schleiff said. “The true-crime genre has never been hotter, so we love our position.”

Oxygen also will look to slay female viewers when it rebrands. The network, which already features the longest-running series in the genre with the 14-yera-old Snapped, will build on its true-crime lineup when it revamps later this year with the relaunch of former TNT series Cold Justice.

Oxygen’s shift in focus will mean removing hits with broader appeal, such as Bad Girls Club, with hopes that true crime will draw younger and older women to the network. The crime stories entertain while offering viewers a cautionary tale, executive vice president of programming and development Rod Aissa said.

“We hear in focus groups all the time that a lot of this true crime is identifiable for women: Be careful where you go; be careful dating online; make sure people know where you are,” Aissa said. “It’s very tangible for our audience.”

Since it launched in 2016, Oxygen’s “Crime Time” weekend block of true-crime programming has posted a 22% increase in viewing by women 25-54 and a 42% increase in total viewers compared with 2015, according to Oxygen.

In October, the network expanded the block to include Fridays and Mondays.

HOLDING OUT FOR HEROES
Along with unsuspecting victims, true crime programming also depicts heroes in the detectives who do the dirty work to find killers or missing persons, A&E’s Frontain Bryant said — and that also resonates with viewers. That’s one of the reasons the network decided to bring back Cold Case Files after more than a decade’s hiatus.

The 10-episode series, which reopens criminal cases that have gone unsolved for years, debuted Feb. 27.

“I think this is also a time when people need to look for heroes — the people who will not let it go until they solve the case,” she said.

Despite the spree of new shows, ID’s Schleiff isn’t concerned about true-crime oversaturation.

“We love the fact that others are finally coming into our space,” Schleiff said. “It heightens the interest in the category.”

A&E  on Oct. 28 will shine a light on the work of police officers in a new and provocative series that is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

The eight-episode Live PD series will provide live and unfiltered coverage of police officers over a two-hour period as they patrol several of the country’s urban and rural cities. The series comes as the country continues its debate over policing tactics in light of several recent and controversial shootings of unarmed black men.

Series host Dan Abrams and Dallas Police Detectives Rich Emberlin and Kevin Jackson will guide viewers as the show simultaneously follows live the actions of police officers in six different cites via dash cams and handheld cameras. While there will be a "slight" delay in the live telecast, A&E says viewers will be able to take an inside look at each live incident that occurs during the telecast.

 I recently spoke to A&E executive vice president and head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant about what the network hopes to accomplish with the series.

Here’s what Bryant and A&E want you to know about Live PD.

Live PD is reality programming in its truest form: “This is bold and innovative. We have six police departments from six different and diverse cities around the country – diverse in region and demographics -- coming together to do a live show. We’re embedded with the police departments to give a view of what’s going on in America regarding police and crime. The series is trying to help us understand what’s really going on out there. There’s a conversation about ethics and policing and we’re kind of opening our world to it.”

It seeks to provide a neutral look at policing: “We’re aware of the potential for controversy. The reason that we’re doing it is so people can see for themselves.  I think anything can happen. We can see a police officer's reactions to a situation and that reaction can be totally perfect, or, in that moment, maybe make a mistake. We’re there really just shining an omniscient light as they patrol our country."

A&E hopes the show prompts further dialogue on the issue: "A&E is one of the only networks that really want to join a conversation or start a conversation about what’s happening in America. This shows a play-by-play of what’s going on in America and what’s being discussed everyday on the news. We’re doing the series in an NFL Red Zone style – we have a studio with six different cities, and we will go in where the action is happening. What I want to accomplish is to join the conversation by saying ‘OK America, this is what everyone is talking about … let’s see six typical American cities on a Friday night.'"