Ryan Seacrest Is No. 1 on THR's Reality Power List
Since the inception of the juggernaut Kardashian franchise (which recently launched two more spinoffs: Kourtney & Kim Take New York and Khloe & Lamar) and the continued success of the Girls Next Door offshoots Holly's World and Kendra, Lisa Berger has moved the network from idle star-watcher to pioneering starmaker. "Reality is the core of our network," says the Los Angeles-based mother of two, who plans to further develop the genre on E! this year. "Our success in exploring these amazing characters has grown the network." From the Kardashian sisters' infamous at-home bikini wax to uncovering the source of the mysterious noise in Kendra's basement (her hot-pink vibrator), viewers can't seem to get enough. With a sixth season of Keeping up With the Kardashians in the works, Berger (who, given the success of her shows, jumped ahead 18 spots this year on the Reality Power List) plans to expand the network's reality programming, including the addition of a dance competition series, The Dance Scene, in April. But Berger believes developing the right characters will remain their primary focus: "We bring to the table larger than life characters that provide viewers with some wish fulfillment, what they hope will happen in their lives. But at the end of the day, they're real and flawed, just like us."
