After dipping its toe in the original series waters with comedies like Working Class, CMT announced Tuesday it will now add made-for-TV movies to its mix.
The country music network plans to focus on romantic comedies and music-based films. Up first: the tentatively-titled To the Mat and Reel Love, slated for release this summer.
The former, which stars 24’s Ricky Schroder and Legally Blonde: The Musical’s’ Laura Bell Bundy, centers on a a laid-back ex-wrestler who is trying to keep his family’s down-and-out southern wrestling school above water with the help of an uptight New York consultant.
Reel Love, which stars country star LeAnn Rimes, is about a successful, big city girl who returns to her small town roots after a family emergency only to find friends and romance.
Both will be produced by Entertainment One Television.
“We’ve had great ratings success programming with acquired theatrical romantic comedies, so it is only natural for us to create original stories that are tailor made for the CMT audience,” said Mary Beth Cunin, senior vp of programming strategy, in a statement.
Unlike previous effort CMT Films, which produced and distributed films like Broken Bridges, Beer For My Horses and Dale from 2005 to 2010, CMT Original movies will be targeting the small screen as its first window of release.
