New Syndicated Series to Be on Display at NATPE 2019

As NATPE 2019 in Miami nears, distributors have announced several new series that will be available for stations and other buyers to check out at the annual programming convention, which runs from Jan. 21-24, 2019 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach.

On Monday, MGM announced two new syndicated strips The Drama and Personal Injury Court, joining the company’s other first-run series Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court and Couples Court With the Cutlers, neither of which are fully cleared nationally and aren’t subscribed to Nielsen’s national ratings. Last week, Entertainment Studios said it was bringing The World’s Funniest Weather, that company’s 42nd series, to the show.

Personal Injury Court is led by Judge Gino Brogdon presiding over cases in which litigants allege that defendant’s hurt them via their careless actions. Brogdon uses all available evidence to determine which party is at fault in this half-hour strip.

The Drama turns to social media to help viewers answer questions about their every day problems, with the show’s hosts responding in a fun, humorous and ultimately, sympathetic way. The Drama recently aired in a test run in Los Angeles and Phoenix.

“With the recent renewals of our popular syndicated court strips Paternity Court and CouplesCourt, and now the addition of Personal Injury Court and The Drama, we are doubling down on our commitment to bring high quality daytime programming to viewers,” said Barry Poznick, president, MGM, unscripted television, in a statement.

Related: 'Paternity Court,' 'Couples Court' Will Return for Seasons 3 and 7 

Personal Injury Court comes from creator and executive producer David Armour, who also is behind Paternity Court and Couples Court. Poznick also serves as an executive producer. The show is produced by 501 East Entertainment and distributed by Orion TV Productions (Orion Television), a subsidiary of MGM. The Drama is produced by MGM Television and distributed by MGM.

The World’s Funniest Weather is a clips-based show assembled from local and international television stations, national news organizations, and home videos. Scott Satin, who also executive produces Entertainment Studios’ syndicated comedic game show, Funny You ShouldAsk, is executive producer.

Allen acquired The Weather Channel last year and this is the first series to evolve as a result of that acquisition.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.