Spike TV is announcing a new development slate tomorrow, but released the slate to several outlets -- including TheWrap -- this afternoon.
Why they just didn't announce it to everyone at the same time is a mystery to us.
Here's what's in the works:
Unscripted series
“Weapon X”
Thom Beers, producer of Emmy Award-winning “Deadliest Catch,” sets out to rewrite history in a new hourlong series that takes a team of experts led by Richard “Mack” Machowitz, (10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs and host and producer of “Future Weapons”) and asks one question: Could some of the most brutal military battles of all time have had different outcomes if the losers had built a “Weapon X?” Each week, Mack and his team will use modern day ingenuity and inventiveness combined with the technology of the time to create game-changing weapons in history's most famous battles. Featuring one battle a week, the team will look at the ins and outs of each conflict from a historical and scientific perspective and then set their sights on building a game-changing weapon. Viewers will follow the fabrication and ultimately the testing of one of the craziest and no-doubt deadliest weapons the world has ever seen. Battles include the Alamo, the Tet Offensive, Gettysburg, Okinawa and more. Beers of Original Productions is executive producer along with Philip Segal.
“On The Rocks”
For every new bar/restaurant that succeeds, there are many that never make it past their first year. That’s where John Taffer comes in. In this new documentary series, Taffer, America’s leading restaurant and bar consultant and two-time Bar Operator of the Year Award winner, will give failing establishments one last chance to succeed. Pairing his “in-your-face” style with his patented method of management called “Taffer Dynamics,” which employs everything from undercover work to state of the art science such as eye tracking technology, monitoring of body temperature and even reading pheromone output in patrons, Taffer will focus on one establishment per week. Attacking every facet of the business including employees, menus, the physical building, music, food and drink, and even the crowd composition, he will turn failure into success-or die trying. The show is produced by 3-Ball Productions (“The Biggest Loser,” “OCD,” “Dad Camp”). Todd Nelson, JD Roth and Adam Greener are executive producers.
“Alternative History”
What if Hitler and the Nazis won World War II? What if JFK had never been assassinated? What if the South won the Civil War? What would these alternate worlds be like? “Alternative History” looks at “what if” scenarios from some of history’s most pivotal turning points and presents a completely different version based on science and fact. The series will use state of the art animation to present these alternative histories in a hyper-stylized manner. Each episode will culminate in an exploration of how the world today would look if these changes had occurred. “Alternative History” is produced by Flight 33 Productions (Emmy-nominated “Life After People,” “The Universe,” “Battle 360" and Emmy Award-winning “A Distant Shore: African Americans of D-Day”).
