TBS has partnered with Tiffany Haddish to offer a weekly Friday-night package of movies with diverse and inclusive themes, the network announced during WarnerMedia's upfront presentation Wednesday. 

Friday Night Vibes, hosted by Haddish, will debut June 18 and will feature comedy, action and culturally significant films that are inclusive of diverse voices, said the network. The movie block will launch with boxing-themed action films Creed and Creed 2.

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Along with the movies, Friday Night Vibes will feature celebrity interviews and musical performances, with Haddish guiding viewers through special behind-the-scenes moments and authentic conversation. Friday Night Vibes will be executive produced by Reginald Hudlin, Phil Gurin and Byron Phillips.

In other WarnerMedia upfront news, WarnerMedia has renewed TBS’ competition series Wipeout and comedy series Chad, as well as truTV’s Fast Foodies.

• TNT will debut the fifth season of Animal Kingdom on July 11 while TBS premieres the third season of Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail on July 13.

• TruTV will debut the ninth season of Impractical Jokers on July 8, a week after the network debuts two specials based on the comedy series — Impractical Jokers Awards Show and Impractical Jokers: The Movie. The network will also premiere Backyard Bar Wars beginning July 8.

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 TBS on April 1 will resurrect popular reality competition series, Wipeout, 13 years after it first debuted on ABC. The 20-episode series, hosted by actor/WWE superstar John Cena and comedian Nicole Byer, will feature a group of teams attempting to navigate through an extreme obstacle course that will test participants’ endurance and stamina, according to the network. 

Wipeout creator, showrunner and executive producer Matt Kunitz recently talked to me about the timing of the show’s return, how this version of Wipeout differs from the original format, and what the prospects for future seasons of the competition series are. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: Why bring back Wipeout now? 

Matt Kunitz: Of all the shows that I've done in my career, this is the one that I sort of always knew was going to come back. We premiered originally in 2008, right after the recession when America was in a little bit of a slump. We came out with this silly and quite frankly, mindless show that you could just watch and forget about all the troubles in your life. It was perfect timing after the recession and it brought families together. Flash forward 13 years later, and we're coming out of a similar kind of psychological slump where Americans have been trapped in their homes dealing with COVID for the last year and are looking for different ways to be entertained. We're coming back and it's the same kind of thing --  it doesn't matter how bad your day was, when you tune in to Wipeout for an hour you can just laugh, forget about the troubles of life and just have a good time.

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PT: Today’s television environment has changed over the past 13 years since Wipeout first launched. Are you concerned about reaching those viewers who might have seen the show previously as well as drawing in new viewers in such a crowded TV environment?

MK: When we first came out there were basically four channels and now there's probably 400, so it is very different. How people watch television is also very different. Having said that, we have a robust plan to find those viewers. While we may not have 18 million people tune in for any particular episode, we will find viewers through social media, through streaming, through multiple airings of the show on TBS. So while I think that viewers will come into the show from different directions, we'll still get those viewers. We’re getting a tremendous promotional platform with the NCAA [college basketball tournament] that is going on right now, and I think that's a very similar audience. TBS has put a full court press into promoting the show, so I'm not concerned about awareness. TBS has done everything they could to set us up for success. 

PT: How does this version of Wipeout differ from its previous iteration? 

MK: When we started talking about this a year ago with [TBS, TNT and truTV EVP of unscripted] Cory Henson, she said, ‘if we're going to bring it back, it needs to be bigger, bolder and edgier than it ever was before.’ I said to her, ‘bigger and bolder generally means more money,’ and they were willing to put the money into it. The evidence of that is the star power that we’re bringing to the table in [series hosts] John Cena, Nicole Byer and Camille Kostek. It really freshens the show to have this new, comedic talent come in and give their take on it. The only thing that’s the same are the big balls, because they're so iconic -- other than that, everything's changed. It'll be a completely fresh course and it'll be a completely fresh look from the way we shoot it. Technology has advanced leaps and bounds in the way that we shoot -- we now are shooting with drones, 360-degree cameras and underwater cameras that just didn't exist back in the day. That makes it much more of an immersive experience, which for the viewer I think will be a lot more fun. This season features all teams -- so it could be a mother and a son running the course together -- and that adds a whole new dynamic. So it's going to be very fresh, but there also will be familiar elements like the big balls.

PT: There seems to be a resurgence of reality competition shows on television. Is that pandemic-driven or are there other factors involved with the genre’s growing appeal? 

MK: I think that television is cyclical so yes, we are seeing a resurgence of game shows and reality competition shows. I think that the timing of that is good for us, but I think the primary thing is that people are looking for an escape, and Wipeout is going to be the perfect escape for them. 

PT: What are the prospects for a second season of Wipeout, and what other projects are you working on? 

MK: We're absolutely in discussions about a second season. Ratings will be the ultimate decider on whether there's a season two and we should know that in the next two weeks, but we've actually started casting already for season two and we are actively starting to design the season two course. While Wipeout has kept me busy, I'm also in a long-term deal with Lionsgate, and we're continuing to develop a slate of content. At the beginning of the quarantine we were fortunate to have sold three shows -- one to HBO Max and two to Fox -- that were in active development. I can’t really say exactly what those shows are yet because they haven't been announced, but I'm keeping busy. While Wipeout is incredibly important it is just part of my focus at this point.

Wipeout, a reboot of an extreme obstacle course series hosted by John Cena and Nicole Byer, starts on TBS April 1. Camille Kostek is the field host. 

Cena is a professional wrestler and actor. Byer is a comedian and actress who hosts baking competition series Nailed It! on Netflix. Kostek is a model. 

TBS has ordered 20 episodes. 

Wipeout ran on ABC for seven seasons. The TBS series is “newly re-imagined,” said the network, taking viewers “on a white-knuckle ride, featuring new course elements that will push contestants’ athleticism, endurance and determination to even greater extremes as they fight to win the grand cash prize.” 

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Endemol Shine North America produces the series with Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre, Shyam Balsé and Kevin Wehrenberg the executive producers. Matt Kunitz, creator of the original series, is exec producer and showrunner.

HBO Max closes out the month of March this week with its premiere of Godzilla vs Kong while TBS' debut of classic competition show Wipeout springs in April.

HBO Max's March 31 of Godzilla vs Kong continues the streaming service's premiere of marquee Warner Bros.-produced films debuting day and date with theaters. The movie is the fourth installment of the monster franchise following 2014's Godzilla, 2017's Kong: Skull Island and 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters. 

TBS on April 1 will premiere its competition series Wipeout, a reboot of the reality competition series that aired from 2008-2014 on ABC. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of March 29 to April 4 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

March 30 -- The Last Cruise (documentary) -- HBO

March 31 -- Back (returning series) -- IFC

April 1 -- The Challenge: All Stars (reality competition) -- Paramount Plus

April 1 -- Creepshow (returning series) -- Shudder

April 1 -- Made For Love (comedy) -- HBO Max

April 1 -- The Great Pottery Throw Down (competition) -- HBO Max

April 2 -- Concrete Cowboy (drama) -- Netflix

April 2 -- Hysterical (documentary) -- FX

April 4 -- Gangs of London (returning series) -- AMC

April 4 -- Birdgirl (animation) -- Adult Swim

The CW, TBS and TNT are giving each others’ new series an extra airing. On April 2, The CW will air the premiere episode of TBS series Wipeout, which premieres the day before on the cable network. 

On April 11, TNT will air the pilot of drama Kung Fu, a series that premieres on The CW April 7. 

Wipeout is an extreme obstacle course series. John Cena hosts alongside Nicole Byer. 

Kung Fu is centered on a Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen, who drops out of college and goes on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. She returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents at the mercy of a powerful Triad. 

Kung Fu stars Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, Kheng Hua Tan as Mei-Li Shen, Shannon Dang as Althea Shen, Eddie Liu as Henry Yan, Gavin Stenhouse as Evan Hartley and Vanessa Kai as Pei-Ling Zhang.

The CW is a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS. TNT and TBS are part of WarnerMedia. 

Last week, The CW announced it was partnering with HBO Max on the comedy Wellington Paranormal. 

HBO Max is part of WarnerMedia. 

TBS has ordered 20 episodes of a reimagined revival of Wipeout, the obstacle course series best known for having competitors stumble over a set of big red balls.

The series was a big hit in 2008 for ABC and stayed on the air for seven seasons.

“I cannot think of a better tent pole program than Wipeout as we take our unscripted programming to the next level under Corie Henson, executive VP and head of unscripted programming for TBS, TNT and truTV," said Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president, TNT, TBS, and truTV. “This is a big show for the whole family and we have some big ideas to infuse real drama and new twists into the fun.”

Endemol Shine North America will produce the series with Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre, Shyam Balsé and Kevin Wehrenberg serving as executive producers. Matt Kunitz, creator of the original series, will serve as executive producer and showrunner.

“In my many years of producing, Wipeout remains my all-time favorite,” said Matt Kunitz, creator/showrunner/executive producer of the series. “I am thrilled that it is returning more competitive than ever, while continuing to provide hilarious wipeouts. Wipeout is a rare show loved by both kids and adults, a true co-viewing experience. With a strong focus on comedy, there is no better network for Wipeout’s return than TBS.”

TBS said the series will feature new format twists and elements that will push contestants to even greater extremes, all while delivering the epic fails viewers crave. Each game will consist of three rounds with a three-stage, obstacle course that presents multiple strategy and decision points designed to further challenge the stamina of the competitors. Returning to the game are iconic big red balls, the network said.

TBS is part of AT&T.

For consideration to be a contestant on Wipeout, apply online: www.wipeoutcasting.com.