Bravo Adds Fifth Night of Programming

Silly me, when I heard yesterday  that Bravo was launching a fifth night of original programming I immediately thought: "What night are they not on now?" Of course, they are on every night, they just end up repeating their more popular shows several times throughout the week in primetime.

Yesterday's press release simply announced that they'll be increasing their original programming output by 20%.

You know what this means? It means you are likely to see far fewer of those all-day series marathons as they make room for several new shows on the schedule. Too bad really, since I prefer my reality show viewing in giant multi-episode blocks. I'm like a prescription drug abuser that way - I've worked up a tolerance and just one episode of, say, Real Housewives won't cut it any more. Oh well.

That minor disappointment aside, there are a couple of newly announced Bravo shows that have me intrigued.

Already given the green light is Million Dollar Decorators which follows the work and personal lives of some of L.A.'s hottest high-end interior decorators. I'm withholding judgment on this one until we see the cast. I'd have to think it would be difficult to get true A-list talent to sign up for this. If, say, Bobby Trendy shows up I'm totally calling foul!

Designer to the stars Bobby Trendy. He's camera ready!

In development is something called Hitmakers, which is a competition series featuring undiscovered singer-songwriters. "Talented newcomers battle through a series of innovative songwriting challenges to find out who is ready for the top of the pop charts!  I'm guessing this will be the show for all those contestants who are too old to try out for American Idol.

Then there's an as yet untitled project for choreographer Mia Michaels. As you'll recall she was on So You Think You Can Dance for the first five seasons as their star choreographer and sometime guest judge.  Not entirely clear why she left so abruptly last season, but she quit right after someone else was given the third permanent seat at the judge's table. So you (and Adam Shankman) be the judge.

Mia Michaels

At any rate, Bravo is giving the platinum and pixie haired earth mama her own reality series, so we can go into the rehearsal studio and watch her absolutely terrorize the dancers, as we always imagined she did on SYTYCD.

Bravo is also finally venturing into scripted programming and has two scripted series in development.

I Am Not Myself These Days is about a "straight, married affluent power broker living in New York who leads a double life as a drag queen at night." This show is based on the memoir of the same name by Josh Kilmer-Purcell. I've read that book. I loved it. But the "Josh" who lives a double life of drag in the novel is most certainly not straight. So, bummer there.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell (pictured right) is having his memoir turned into a Bravo TV series.
So why is the TV "Josh" straight and married?

Last but not least is Room Service, which is a one-hour comedy set in a high end hotel that offers clients the exclusive services of a dream team of male escorts. Hmm. This sounds a lot like Joss Whedon's Dollhouse to me, minus the female dolls of course.

Here's hoping that at least some of the clients on Room Service are male. And hey, how brilliant would it be if they could cast Dollhouse's Victor (Enver Gjokaj) as a part of the escort dream team? I hear he already has his own sleeping pod and everything. 

Enver Gjokaj totally needs a job. Look, he can't even afford shoes!

So what do you think of Bravo's newly announced shows? Anything you're eager to check out?