“Project Runway” is coming home. Andy Cohen announced the high fashion series, originally produced by The Weinstein Company, would be moving from Lifetime back to Bravo, during NBC’s upfronts presentation in New York City on Monday.
“I have some big breaking news,” the “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” host told the audience at Radio City Music Hall while talking about Bravo’s expanded home block. “I’m so excited to announce right here, right now, that ‘Project Runway’ is coming back to where it all started. That’s right, ‘Project Runway’ is coming home, everybody! It’s returning to its original home on Bravo. I am so excited! This is big news!”
Cohen then turned it over to OG “Queer Eye” stars Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia to promote their new Bravo series.
“Project Runway” returns to its original network as part of a deal between Bravo Media LLC and Lantern Entertainment LLC. The latter company earned approval from Delaware bankruptcy court on May 8 to acquire the assets of The Weinstein Company. The deal is subject to Lantern closing that acquisition.
The two companies have also agreed to develop unscripted projects for Bravo and other networks under NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.
“As we anticipate formally completing the acquisition process, the opportunity to return ‘Project Runway’ to its original home at Bravo and foster a long-term and productive partnership with NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment is an exciting first step for Lantern Entertainment,” said co-presidents Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic.
“We share Bravo’s enthusiasm to reinvigorate the series and are incredibly grateful for everyone who has had a hand in making ‘Project Runway’ the flagship franchise that it is today,” they added.
“We are beyond excited to reboot ‘Project Runway’ at the network where it all began. Leaning into the creative process in an entertaining way has always been part of Bravo’s DNA, and ‘Project Runway’ perfectly captures that,” said president of lifestyle networks at NBCUniversal cable entertainment Frances Berwick.
“This franchise will be an important cornerstone to complement Bravo’s original premium scripted and unscripted slate, and we expect it to drive the same level of fan-dom and passion as we experienced last time it was on Bravo,” Berwick added.
The series debuted on Bravo back in 2004. Host Heidi Klum and mentor Tim Gunn went with the show when the series made the move to Lifetime four years later in 2008 with the premiere of Season 6 as part of a five-year deal with The Weinstein Company. In 2016, the network announced the fashion reality show had been renewed for three more seasons.
But A+E Networks canceled its agreement in January, after only one of those seasons had aired, claiming TWC was in breach of contract in light of the sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein made public last fall, according to a filing in TWC’s bankruptcy case. The agreement, which included plans for Seasons 17 and 18 of the reality competition show as well as a licensing agreement for a potential movie, was officially terminated on January 10. A+E cited three reasons for the decision, including TWC’s failure to notify them of “claims or pending litigation that would adversely affect the agreement” and breaches of A+E’s standards of conduct.