TruTV has unveiled its 2018-19 programming slate ahead of the Turner upfront presentation next week, including renewals for “Adam Ruins Everything” and “Hack My Life,” and new projects from Ken Jeong and “Super Troopers” duo Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme.
The network has given a series order to “Tacoma FD,” which will see Heffernan and Lemme reunite as firefighters who spend most of their time tackling the less glamorous elements of the job. The new show is set to premiere with 10 episodes in 2019.
Two pilots have also been picked up, a medical advice show from “Dr. Ken” alum Ken Jeong, and an animated family comedy from comedian Jo Koy.
In addition to “Adam Ruins Everything” and “Hack My Life,” truTV has also picked up 12 additional episodes of the stand-up comedy show “Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks,” which will air in the fall.
See the complete list of premiere dates and full descriptions for the new shows below, all of which are in truTV’s own words.
New Series & Projects in Development
“Tacoma FD” (wt) – 10 Scripted Half-Hour Episodes – Series Greenlight
On the heels of the breakout theatrical release of “Super Troopers 2,” co-creators and stars Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme will be donning new uniforms in “Tacoma FD,” a new half-hour comedy set in a firehouse in the wettest city in America. Light on blazes that need extinguishing, they are fire fighters who are always ready to fight fires… but in this wet city, they find themselves tackling the less glamorous elements of the job. Leading the fire house crew are Chief Terry McConky (Heffernan) and Captain Eddie Penisi (Lemme). The series, which will go into production later this year and will debut in 2019, is co-created and executive produced by Heffernan and Lemme alongside David Miner and Greg Walter from 3 Arts Entertainment and Kyle Clark from Silverscreen Pictures.
“Untitled Ken Jeong Project” (wt) – New Unscripted Pilot
When it comes to medical questions, real life doctor turned comedian, Ken Jeong, is your first, second and funniest opinion. In this half-hour, comedic medical advice show, Jeong dispenses his expertise while also performing related comedy bits in front of a studio audience. Jeong and his team of correspondents tackle all aspects of health and wellness, from general medicine to that weird rash that’s starting to really burn. Created by Jeong, the series is produced by Hazy Mills Productions and Mission Control Media, with Jeong, Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Brett Carducci serving as executive producers. Jeong is represented by ICM and Carducci of Aligned Entertainment.
“This Functional Family” (wt) – New Animated Series in Development
At the center of a fractured, patched-up, multi-racial, dysfunctional family is comedian Jo Koy: a guy who just wants to be a good son, a better dad, a decent brother, and a solid ex-husband. Oh, and maybe get his career and dating life on track if his family would just leave him the hell alone. Drawing upon real-life experiences and characters featured in Koy’s popular stand-up tour, this half-hour animated scripted series asks: what if the most real family on television was also a pretty weird cartoon? Created by Koy and Kirk Rudell, “This Functional Family” (wt) will be produced by Stun with Koy, Rudell, Jeremy Colfer, Mark Feldstein, and Brad Roth serving as executive producers.
Returning Series and Premiere Dates
“The Carbonaro Effect” – 16 Episodes – Season Four Premieres May 17 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
Magician by trade but prankster at heart, Michael Carbonaro performs ingenious tricks on unsuspecting people, all caught on hidden camera. Whether posing as a coffee shop barista, museum curator or seemingly unremarkable store clerk, Carbonaro’s effect on people leaves fans laughing out loud with his bewildering and thrilling illusions. The series is produced by Fields Entertainment with Simon Fields and Carbonaro serving as executive producers.
“Paid Off with Michael Torpey” – 16 Episodes – Series Premieres July 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
The student loan crisis is ridiculous, so comedian Michael Torpey (“Orange is the New Black”) is solving it in the most ridiculous way possible – a comedy game show. “Paid Off with Michael Torpey” gives three lucky college grads – all saddled with student debt – the chance to test the depth of their degrees with fun, fast paced trivia questions. In the end, one lucky winner will get the chance to have their student debt paid off. The series is co-created by Torpey and Cowboy Bear Ninja, who also produces. Michael Melamedoff and Adrian Selkowitz serve as executive producers for Cowboy Bear Ninja alongside executive producers Torpey, Ethan Berlin and Leigh Hampton.
“Hack My Life” – 10 Episodes – Season Four Premieres July 10 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
In “Hack My Life,” hosts Kevin Pereira and Brooke Van Poppelen provide comedic step-by-step instructions for eye-popping shortcuts and cheats guaranteed to save today’s busy adults a lot of time, effort, and money. The series is produced by Truly Original with Glenda Hersh, Steven Weinstock, Todd Hurvitz and Shari Ortner serving as executive producers.
“Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters” – 8 Episodes – Series Premieres July 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
From the Sundance award-winning writer-director, “Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters” is a genre-hopping scripted anthology comedy series. Each standalone episode delivers a satire of the world we live in and exploits the awkwardness of its flawed characters to tell socially-relevant stories with imaginative twists. Guest stars throughout the season include Michael Ian Black, Bridget Everett, Dave Foley, Seth Green, Melissa Joan Hart, David Koechner, Danny Pudi and more. The series is produced by Left/Right with Goldthwait, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Olivia Wingate and Michele Armour serving as executive producers.
“Impractical Jokers” – New Episodes Return with Season 7 Mid-Season Premiere in Summer 2018
Earlier this year, truTV announced a significant extension of its wildly-successful “Impractical Jokers” franchise with a commitment for an eighth season of the top-rated series, plus the production on the brand’s first-ever feature-length film directed by Chris Henchy and produced by Funny Or Die. One of cable’s longest-running and top-rated original comedies, “Impractical Jokers” centers on James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto and Sal Vulcano – collectively known as The Tenderloins – four lifelong friends and comedians who compete to publicly embarrass each other with a series of hilariously outrageous hidden-camera dares and punishments. “Impractical Jokers,” which is a top-5 cable comedy among adults 18-34 and 18-49, is produced by NorthSouth Productions with Charlie DeBevoise, Pete McPartland Jr., Gatto, Murray, Quinn, and Vulcano serving as executive producers. The series will premiere new episodes from its seventh season this summer, with an eighth season slated for premiere in 2019.
“Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks” – 12 Additional Episodes – Season One Continues in Fall 2018
Prolific DJ and comedian Cipha Sounds hosts “Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks,” an inventive series that flips stand-up comedy on its head and introduces viewers to the next generation of great comedians. In each half-hour episode, Cipha welcomes a rotating cast of comedians who perform hilarious stand-up routines. In a playful reinvention of the standard stand-up format, each joke is heightened with actors bringing them to life in over-the-top visual recreations. At the end of each episode, Sounds introduces the “Joke of the Night,” with one final comedian bringing down the house with the biggest laughs of the episode. The series, which premiered on truTV earlier this year, will return this fall for an additional 12 episodes of its first season. It is produced by Rotten Science with executive producers Matthew Vaughan and Eric Abrams, along with Laff Mobb Entertainment’s Bob Sumner and Arthur Spivak.
“Adam Ruins Everything” – 10 Episodes – Season Three Premieres in Fall 2018
In “Adam Ruins Everything,” creator and host Adam Conover embarks on a comically inventive and relentlessly factual quest to reveal the hidden truths about everything we know and love. Tackling a broad range of topics in the upcoming third season, Conover delivers both fun facts and compelling information, encouraging viewers to see the world in a whole new way. Created by Conover, the series is produced by Big Breakfast, an Electus company, with Conover, Sam Reich, Jon Cohen, and Jon Wolf serving as executive producers.
“I’m Sorry” – 10 Episodes – Season Two Premieres in Late 2018
Created by and starring Andrea Savage, the half-hour scripted comedy “I’m Sorry” follows seemingly confident comedy writer, wife and mom Andrea who comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses through unexpected life situations. Delivering consistent ratings growth, social buzz and critical praise in its premiere season, the breakthrough series – which also stars Tom Everett Scott and Olive Petrucci – was 2017’s fastest growing ad-supported cable comedy. “I’m Sorry” is executive produced by Savage, Joey Slamon, A24’sRavi Nandan, Gloria Sanchez’s Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, and Lonely Island’s Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.
“Jon Glaser Loves Gear” – 10 Episodes – Season Two Premieres in Late 2018
Actor and comedian Jon Glaser (“Parks and Recreation”) still loves gear – and this one-sided love affair continues with the debut of the second season of this half-hour comedy. Season two picks up where season one left off, as Jon conquered his demons and unraveled the meaning of what gear truly meant to him. Thankfully there’s an endless amount of new gear out there for Jon to love, all while being supported by his real family, his fake family, his phone, and his ‘Spurt. The series is produced by PFFR with Vernon Chatman, John Lee, and Alyson Levy executive producing alongside Glaser, Dave Becky, Richard Korson and David Miner.
“Those Who Can’t” – 13 Episodes – Season Three Premieres in Late 2018
Later this year, truTV’s first scripted series “Those Who Can’t” returns for a third season that is more unhinged and hilarious than the last. Denver-based comedy troupe The Grawlix (Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy) return as three trouble-making teachers who, joined by librarian Maria Thayer, are more inept than the kids they teach and are out to beat the system as they struggle to survive each day on their own terms. The series is executive produced by Tracey Baird and Krysia Plonka of Thank You, Brain! Productions; Michael Rotenberg and Josh Lieberman of 3 Arts Entertainment; Richard Korson, and Andrew Weinberg, who also serves as this season’s show runner.