A&E explores the mythology behind the Playboy empire as part of a new docuseries debuting January 24.

The 10-part series, Secrets of Playboy, examines life inside Playboy through interviews with Playmates, employees at all levels of the organization and other insiders, according to the network. The series delves into the complex world that Playboy founder Hugh Hefner created, and examines its far-reaching consequences on our culture’s view of power and sexuality. 

Secrets of Playboy director Alexandra Dean said the series – in development for two years – offers a different narrative about the Playboy empire and Hefner that most people don’t know and, in some instances, don’t necessarily want to hear about.

Here’s what Dean and A&E want you to know about Secrets of Playboy.

The series examines Playboy's cultural legacy through a modern day lens:  “I'm really looking for people to re-evaluate the legacy of Playboy in our culture. I think it's time for us to have another look, and I think that the way we do that is we listen to the women for the first time. The series does talk about the good stuff Playboy did, how progressive it was and how it championed women and people of color. It did liberate women in many ways to have fun with their sexuality, but it also had this dark underbelly that we as observers at the time didn't look at. We gave Playboy a pass because we wanted the mansion to be this Xanadu that we dreamed about.” 

The series raises questions about the complex life of Hugh Hefner: “You'll see a side to Hugh Hefner that he kept very well hidden; only people who were very, very intimate with him would see it. Hugh Hefner was a larger than life persona and he shaped who we thought was hot in our culture for 50 years, and he shaped what we thought was free and powerful sexuality for women. So he matters both for men and women. I think people would be really shocked at how his sexual appetites manifested, and what he found sexy. I think people would be really shocked to hear how he seemed to really feel about women.” 

Insider interviews offer a rare look into the Playboy culture: People were really, really scared to speak about Playboy. People who wanted to talk positively about Playboy were ready to talk all day, but people who wanted to talk about some of the more complicated experiences they’d had or the really bad stuff that had happened felt like they might have been in danger by doing so. I think that what people will find exciting about this series is that people who weigh in are real insiders. We talked to Hefner's main girlfriend when he was at the height of his powers in the seventies, and when he was really inventing who he would become with the multiple girlfriends and everything. She takes us back to the origin story of how Hef became Hef, and she also kind of takes us into the heart of darkness. ■   

Peacock has dropped a teaser trailer for its upcoming reality series Ex-Rated, set to debut on the streaming service Aug. 12.

The eight-episode series premise follows singles who have just broken up to face raw, candid feedback on everything from their personality to sexual prowess and relationship skills in order to find out where they went wrong and how they can improve, said Peacock. 

Read Also: NBCU Gears Up For Olympics with Opening Ceremonies Coverage 

Along with Cohen, Ex-Rated also features dating coach and relationship expert Shan Boodram. Ex-Rated is produced by BBC Studios, with Eric Pankowski serving as showrunner and executive producer.

Peacock will debut all eight episodes on Aug. 12.

CNN will debut its new original series Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World on March 17, network executives said.

The six-part series focuses on individuals around the world who are shaping the idea of modern love. CNN international correspondent Amanpour focuses on the shifting landscapes of intimacy, love and pleasure as men and women are pushing the boundaries on sexual satisfaction, consent and connection, said network officials.

Sex & Love Around the World is produced by Zero Point Zero with executive producers Anthony Bourdain, Lydia Tenaglia, Christopher Collins, Joe Caterini, Anna Chai, Amy Entelis and Lizzie Fox.

"I've long been an admirer of Christiane's brilliant work as a journalist, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her on this project,” said Bourdain in a statement. “Between Christiane's deep and broad experience as an incisive, experienced and empathetic reporter, who has worked all over the world, her genuine passion for this project and Zero Point Zero's proven ability to execute just this type of global content, Sex and Love Around the World represents some of the best of what CNN Original Series can do."

Fusion will look to expand its original programming portfolio with the launch of several documentary series and specials over the next few months.

Among the new docu-series slated for the network is The Cannabusiness Report, a four-part series revolving around the cannabis culture and industry premiering in August; The Chair, which follows the work of two first time film directors also debuting in August; My Selfie Life, a 10-episode series premiering in October in which young people film themselves living their lives; and Drug Wars: Season 2, a weekly series that chronicles the reality of international anti-narcotics operations, said network officials.

Other documentaries/specials include Miami Porn: Sex Work in the Sunshine State, premiering Sunday which follows the new entrepreneurial pornographers of Miami and how they’re changing the adult entertainment industry; Number One with a Bullet, (debuting Aug. 2) which pulls back the curtain on gun violence in hip-hop America; The Thread (Aug. 23) which exposes the impact amateur internet writers are having on journalism; The Search for Sexy (Aug. 25) in which podcaster Sandra Daugherty look at what makes someone sexy; Drone Nation (Sept. 1) which examines how drone technology is changing the way we see the world; and Top Spin (Oct. 3) which features three teenagers battling their way through the world of competitive ping pong.

Three shows that have yet to be scheduled include Tom Felton Meets the Superfans, which follows actor Tom Felton (Harry Potter) as he seeks insight into the world of superfans and celebrity; The Drug Warriors, which follows the lives of those battling the drug war on different frontline; and Can You Dig This, which takes an inside look at the urban garden movement in South L.A. said network officials.

“We know our audience has an insatiable hunger for thought provoking entertainment. Fusion is committed to showcasing stories that take our audience on journeys to worlds that they may not ordinarily be exposed to,” said Fusion chief programming officer Wade Beckett said in a statement. “We are continuing to double down on content that resonates with our diverse audience. This slate of original series, documentaries, and specials nicely complements our existing news and topical-comedy offerings.”

A&E Network will chronicle a suburban Ohio neighborhood where married couples share partners in a new reality series Neighbors With Benefits, the network announced Thursday.

The series, which debuts March 22, follows multiple married couples as they court prospective partners, said network officials. Even with a strict set of rules to prevent taking extramarital relationships too far, each couple must deal with the varying effects of living this lifestyle, both inside and outside of their marriages.

Neighbors with Benefits is produced by Haymaker TV for A&E Network.

TLC will launch its first late-night talk show in January dubbed All About Sex, the network said Friday.

The weekly, female-targeted series will feature actress Margaret Cho, media personalities Heather McDonald and Marissa Jaret Winokur, and sex expert Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry exploring issues around sex and relationships, according to  the network.

The six-episode series will debut Jan. 10, following new episode premieres of the network’s Sex Sent Me To the ER series.

All About Sex will be produced by Relativity Television and Ellen Rakieten Entertainment for TLC.  

TLC is re-evaluating the future of its hit reality series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo after a recent TMZ report that series star June Shannon is dating a convicted sex offender.

TMZ earlier this week reported that Shannon, who is the mother of 9-year old beauty pageant winner Alana “Honey Boo Boo Thompson,” is once again dating Mark McDaniel, who was convicted of molesting a child in Shannon’s family years earlier when they first dated, according to Fox News.

TLC in a statement said: "TLC is not currently in production on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. We are very concerned about this new information and are reassessing the future of the series."

The network finished airing new episodes from the series’ fourth season of the series in August 2014. The news was reported earlier, including by Variety.

Vivid Entertainment is looking to gain a linear lay of the land on The Continent next month.

The adult film company said it will launch VividTV Europe on Nov. 1, supplementing its traditional erotic fare with the highest-quality European content available.

News of the European service comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of a Vivid partnership with adult broadcaster Sex-Shop Television Inc. north of the border, where it will rebrand its Vanessa TV to VividTV Canada on Oct. 28.

Led by Tony Cochi, executive vice president worldwide distribution of VividTV, and Stephen Walter, senior vice president of business development for Canada and Europe, the new linear channel, will be available on Astra 1L 19.2° East as well as via fiber, and will complement Vivid’s extant European video on-demand distribution.  

Bill Asher, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment, said distribution deals with several major European operators will be announced shortly.

VividTV launched its 24/7 linear channel in 2013 and the company said the network quickly became the top-performing adult service in over 70 million homes across North and South America.  Vivid extended its U.S. service to Europe in April of this year. 

“In order for any channel to truly be successful it must have a local flavor and appeal to the constituency of the territory,” Asher said. “VividTV Europe is designed specifically for the European market. The channel will deliver the most popular content in Europe, both through acquisitions as well as programming from Vivid Entertainment, owner of the largest single adult studio archive.”

The porn purveyor said European viewers will see exclusive, never-before-seen footage from the Vivid Celeb line, which includes sexually explicit videos starring Kim Kardashian, Tila Tequila, Pamela Anderson, Kendra Wilkinson, Montana Fishburne, among others, plus pop icon superhero parodies, award-winning series like Brand New Faces and 100% Real Swingers and genre features.

UP TV said Tuesday that it is pulling reruns of acquired series 7th Heaven" from its programming schedule in light of media reports that series cast member Stephen Collins is the subject of a criminal investigation involving sexual contact with minors.

Collins is the target of an ongoing child molestation probe into activities that allegedly happened 40 years ago, according to CNN.com. The actor has already been let go from acting in the upcoming movie Ted 2, according to CNN.com.

Collins played a minster and father of seven children in the series, which premiered on the WB network in 1996 and ran for 11 seasons on the WB and its eventual repleacement, the CW network.

The show, which airs over 21 hours weekly on UP's schedule, was due to run in six-hour marathon block tonight. Instead, the network will run a Supernanny marathon beginning at 5 p.m.. Beginning tomorrow Touched By An Angel will run in the show's regularly-scheduled weekday noon timeslot, while The Parkers will replace the series during its 1 p.m. ot 5 p.m. time slot on Saturdays, said the network.

 "As a top family-friendly network, we are deeply concerned for the families that are potentially affected by these disturbing allegations surrounding actor Stephen Collins," said Charley Humbard, president & CEO of  UP.  "‘7th Heaven’ has been a beloved family show and a fan-favorite on our network. We have made the decision to remove the series from our schedule effective at 5 p.m. ET today.  We will continue to monitor the situation and listen carefully to our viewers."

VividTV has partnered with Canadian adult broadcaster Sex-Shop Television Inc. to rebrand Sex-Shop’s Vannesa TV adult service as VividTV beginning Oct. 28, said network officials.

VividTV, which offers both an adult-themed linear channel and an on demand service in the U.S., will offer its programming – which features hard core movies and sex tape movies from Kim Kardashian, Kendra Wilkinson, Montana Fishburne and Tila Tequila -- on the Canadian service in both French and English. Overall the channel will offer more than 50% VividTV programing and the rest will come from Vanessa TV’s library of adult programming, said Vivid.

 Sex-Shop Television chief executive officer Anne-Marie Losique will head the channel.

“Vanessa TV is without a peer in Canada as a provider of fine adult programming.  We are delighted they are taking the lead in bringing VividTV audiences throughout the country,” said Bill Asher, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment in a statement. “Because Anne-Marie knows the market so well, she’ll be able to package the best of Vanessa TV and VividTV.”