WE tv is taking on the controversial world of kids beauty pageants in a new documentary reality series.
The network has ordered six one-hour episodes of “Little Miss Perfect” from NorthSouth Prods. The show follows Florida families entering their 5- to 11-year-old daughters in a beauty competition.
“There’s a real fascination with these beauty pageants,” said Steve Cheskin, senior vp programming at WE. “In parts of the South, it’s taken very seriously, and in other parts of the country, they’re looked at with near-disbelief.”
With a title that riffs on the theatrical hit “Little Miss Sunshine,” producers said the show will have a nonjudgmental stance.
“We’re taking an approach that’s completely neutral,” said Charlie DeBevoise, NorthSouth co-owner and “Perfect” executive producer. “I’m inspired by Sundance’s ‘Nimrod Nation’; I loved the way it showed its subject in a respectful and objective way and let the audience decide how to feel about it.”
WE’s reality shows tends to fit into three styles: bridal, transformational and documentary, with “Perfect” an entry in the last category. The show is expected to air sometime in the first quarter.
For NorthSouth, “Perfect” represents one of six series the company has in production at five networks.
NorthSouth also produces Speed Channel’s docusoap “Wrecked: Life in the Crash Lane,” which recently premiered to record-setting ratings for the network, and “One Way Out,” Discovery Channel’s upcoming series about a British escape artist.
“We’ve really set out to do a wide variety of genres — but all shows with really great characters,” DeBevoise said. “Those are the types of stories we’re attracted to, and then we wrap them in the packaging that’s right for them, whether it’s a hosted format, a docusoap or an elimination competition.” (partialdiff)
