Lifetime - Television For Former Cartoon Network Execs

The last place I'd expect the chief architect of the reinvention of Nickelodeon (which occurred 20 years ago this month) and the creator of Cartoon Network to be is the women's network Lifetime, but that's exactly where Betty Cohen is resting her head. She became the new head of the network a couple of months ago, and she's bringing in Suzette Daniels, the woman who helped organize the Kids' WB block and brought in numerous shows that became synonymous with The WB like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, and Smallville, is joining Ms. Cohen, who was sanctimoniously fired from the network she created to the current regime which has seen primetime viewership plunge over a period of four years straight (wonder if that has to do with Saturday morning reruns like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, One Piece, Mucha Lucha, and others stagnating the nights).

Considering that Oxygen (a network co-owned by the former Nickelodeon exec that matters Geraldine Laybourne, Oprah Winfrey, and, ironically, Lifetime Television) has been chewing at Lifetime's heels by airing shows that guys would want to watch, it's no wonder Lifetime hired a programming genius like Ms. Cohen hoping she'll work the same magic for them that she has for her previous two networks.

Comments

E.A. said…
I heard that Oxygen has a couple of animated series in development. I’m interested in seeing exactly what those are.

They can’t be any worse than The Boondocks, for Cartoon Network (which recently had its airdate pushed back to November).

Don’t know if you’ll agree with this next point, but Kids’ WB is slowly turning into QVC for kids (I submit Xiaolin Showdown, a soulless animated series with no character development whatsoever, as Exhibit “A”) and that’s downright depressing. They’re beginning to behave like 4Kids, and soon 95% of their programming will be acquired from overseas, redubbed (crappily) and thrown on air in all of its half-done, choppy glory.

I actually have (high?) hopes for the newest G.I. Joe animated program set to air sometime this fall, Sigma 6, on the Fox Box Merchandise channel. I’ll watch the pilot--I have set my expectations to a new low in preparation for what I expect to be an aggressive assault against original, quality animation.
9/13/2005 04:30:00 AM
E.A. said…
Go away, spammers!
10/08/2005 05:00:00 PM
Ellen Yu said…
Oh my gosh poor Jeff. Quickly get word verfication!

I lost all hope for tv animation. Action this and action that...my gosh what ever happened to a great story that doesn't involve blowing up crap.
10/13/2005 01:51:00 PM
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