As Turner trots out Samantha Bee and CNN anchors at its upfront presentation, things get political
The Turner networks upfront presentation Wednesday in New York was supposed to be about its new programming slate. But politics, not surprisingly, took center stage.
True, the 90-minute presentation at the Theater at Madison Square Garden highlighted the many facets of Turner’s portfolio – which includes TBS, TNT, CNN, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, HLN, truTV and Turner Sports—leaving little time for a breath.
But with talent on hand, such as Samantha Bee and Anderson Cooper, the sales talk also ventured beyond the usual industry jargon of “unique domestic views” and “fan engagement.”
Bee, whose weekly TBS talker “Full Frontal” has emerged as a standout in the political late night comedy arena, hit the stage minutes into the presentation and sarcastically recalled the good ol’ days of last year’s event.
“Remember last May when we were all worried that Swamp Reagan — I’m sorry, I meant Ted Cruz — might capture the Republican nomination?” Bee said. “And now our former FBI director has destroyed two presidencies in just under six months and the House vote to repeal Obamacare was only two weeks ago—you know what, you know what? I’m going to stop myself.”
She explained: “I swore a blood oath to TBS that I would try to be as nonpartisan as possible this morning.”
A reel with audio from several politicians—including President Trump—questioning the legitimacy of the press served as an introduction for the appearances of various CNN news personalities.
“Now more than ever, our mission is clear: to find the truth, check the facts, report the story and hold people of power accountable,” said Cooper, anchor of “Anderson Cooper 360” .
Jake Tapper, anchor of “The Lead,” was more blunt. “Politicians lie, he said. “They have staffs and allies who lie and spin and sometimes try to confuse the public on what’s real and what’s fake. The press needs to be there and be worthy of the amendment that protects our work.”
Ultimately, the presentation was still a plea to advertisers touting the appeal of Turner networks’ accomplishments. Also emphasized was the serious reboot of its flagship entertainment brands—TBS and TNT—spearheaded by Turner Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Kevin Reilly.
“The truth is, we’re in the process of not a refresh, but a top-to-bottom rebuild of two networks that were doing pretty damn well already,” Reilly said. “And we’ve been moving as though our lives depended on it because in this environment we’re in today, if you’re not ahead of the wave, you’re dead in the water.”
The programming announcements included:
--TBS inking a new four-year deal with Conan O’Brien to renew his late-night show through 2022 and extending the Team Coco brand into digital content, podcasting, gaming, pay TV and live events.
--TBS greenlighting three new series, including a workplace comedy, “Miracle Workers,” starring Daniel Radcliffe (the “Harry Potter” franchise) and Owen Wilson (“Wedding Crashers”) and executive produced by Lorne Michaels (“Saturday Night Live”). Filmmaker Ridley Scott (“Alien: Covenant”) to develop a night of original science-fiction programming for TNT.
--Super Deluxe, Turner’s digital content venture having its own 90-minute late-night block on TBS.
--CNN adding five new original series to its slate in 2018, including “American Heiress: The Patty Hearst Story” and “1968: The Year That Changed America.”
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