Ion Television will serve up its first original, non-scripted series, starring Emeril Lagasse, in March.
A one-hour weekly entry, The Emeril Lagasse Show will showcase the chef's passion for food, people, entertainment and music, beginning Sunday March 28 at 8 p.m.
With each installment, Lagasse will play host to celebrity guests, musicians and entertainers, before a live studio audience. A house band will be on set and the show also will include field pieces, shot in and around New York, where the show will be taped.
TV veteran Karen Katz and After Five Productions, which executive-produced Lagasse's long-running Food Network series, Emeril Live, will serve as executive producer of The Emeril Lagasse Show.
"We are excited to bring Emeril's 'Positively Entertaining' persona and larger-than-life superstar-chef status to Ion Television," said Ion Media Networks chairman and CEO Brandon Burgess in a statement. "His brand will be a dynamic addition to our general entertainment network and a treat for our audience."
"Emeril is a terrific talent whose passion for food coupled with his natural showmanship will attract a broad range of viewers. We're thrilled to be working with Ion Television, a network that shares our commitment to fresh ideas, quality and innovation. This new show is an important step in further extending the Emeril Lagasse brand," said Charles Koppelman, executive chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., which acquired the assets related to Mr. Lagasse's media and merchandising business in 2008.
