BBC America Announces January Plans: "The Inbetweeners," "Last Restaurant Standing," "Demons," "Top Gear"
BBC America has today announced their scheduling plans for January 2010, unveiling new programming additions and the return of several series to the lineup. (Sadly, still no mention of Season Two of Ashes to Ashes, however.)The digital cabler has announced launch dates for comedy The Inbetweeners, drama Demons, and unscripted competition series Last Restaurant Standing, as well as the launch of Season Thirteen of Top Gear.
Having seen the first two seasons of comedy The Inbetweeners, from creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, I can tell you that you'll likely be bowled over as much as I was by this raucous teen comedy when it finally premieres Stateside on Monday, January 25th at 9 pm ET/PT. Two back-to-back episodes will air in its initial outing before it relocates to its regular timeslot on Wednesday evenings. (You can read my advance review of the first two seasons of The Inbetweeners here.)
Culinary competition series (and Televisionary obsession) Last Restaurant Standing returns with its third season on Tuesday, January 5th at 9 pm ET/PT as restaurateur Raymond Blanc puts a new batch of couples through their paces with the opportunity to partner with him on a new restaurant.
Missing Life on Mars' and Ashes to Ashes' Philip Glenister? You're in luck as he stars in supernatural drama Demons, which launches Saturday, January 2nd at 10 pm ET/PT. Here's how BBC America describes the series: "The battle against the dark underworld of half-lives, monsters and in-humans lie deep beneath the streets of modern-day London in the U.S. premiere of Demons. This contemporary spin on the character of Van Helsing features Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) as an average teenager, but with the arrival of his dead father’s best friend Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes), Luke’s life is about to be flipped upside down. Galvin is a straight-talking, headstrong American who has come to tell Luke his secret destiny - he’s the real-life great-great grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Luke’s destined to inherit the family mantle as a warrior in the coldest of cold wars against the supernatural entities behind every myth and legend from vampires to werewolves and all things that go bump in the night."
The full press release from BBC America, with full series descriptions and TX info, can be found below.
TOP GEAR SEASON 13 – U.S. PREMIERE
Top Gear skids, roars and explodes its way back to BBC AMERICA with a new season of man versus machine experiments, exhaustive road tests of the latest cars, weekly power tests featuring the world’s most exotic super-cars and a surprise revelation. Their adventures this season include testing the new Lambo Murcielago, a terrifying French ice race, filming their own Volkswagen commercial and in a television first, the mysterious Stig reveals his true identity. All the Top Gear faves are back including Star in a Reasonably Priced Car featuring celebrities such as Jay Leno, actress Sienna Miller, Stephen Fry and Olympic Gold sprinter Usain Bolt.
Top Gear premieres Monday, January 25, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
THE INBETWEENERS – U.S. PREMIERE
Written and created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris (Peep Show, Flight of the Conchords) and named the best new sitcom of 2008 at the British Comedy Awards, The Inbetweeners offers a painfully funny take on the squirming humiliations of teenage life. It begins with the new kid in town, Will (Simon Bird), who has unwillingly had to move, change schools and, as a result, make new friends. He soon meets Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison), who are neither that cool nor that credible. The four friends get drunk too quickly, ride roller coasters and crush on the girl next door. Simon’s the first to throw Will a line—reluctantly agreeing to show him around school. He then meets Jay, who’s constantly lying about his sexual conquests and daring feats, and Neil, who’s really just out to lunch and often the butt of cruel jokes. The four of them will together try to make it through the trials of growing up in middle-class suburbia.
The Inbetweeners premieres with back to back episodes Monday, January 25, 9:00p.m. ET/PT. All future episodes premiere on Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT
DEMONS – U.S. PREMIERE
The battle against the dark underworld of half-lives, monsters and in-humans lie deep beneath the streets of modern-day London in the U.S. premiere of Demons. This contemporary spin on the character of Van Helsing features Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) as an average teenager, but with the arrival of his dead father’s best friend Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes), Luke’s life is about to be flipped upside down. Galvin is a straight-talking, headstrong American who has come to tell Luke his secret destiny - he’s the real-life great-great grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Luke’s destined to inherit the family mantle as a warrior in the coldest of cold wars against the supernatural entities behind every myth and legend from vampires to werewolves and all things that go bump in the night.
Demons premieres Saturday, January 2, 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
LAST RESTAURANT STANDING SEASON 3 – U.S. PREMIERE
World-renowned chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc with his industry experts Sarah Willingham and David Moore return to BBC AMERICA with another season of Last Restaurant Standing in which nine couples battle it out for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open a restaurant with him. But in the current economic climate, Blanc is searching for a couple who proves they can tough it out in the harsh realities of working in the restaurant trade. The couple must have strong ideas, impeccable cooking skills and strong partnerships to win the ultimate prize. From their first meeting with Blanc the couples are in at the deep end facing a series of increasingly tough challenges like pitching their restaurant ideas, running a famous UK chain restaurant, making dishes to sell at a farmer’s market and even serving afternoon tea for 100 guests, to test the creativity and practical skills they need to get keys to their own restaurants. But getting the keys is only a start. Tough times on the high street means Raymond Blanc is not in the market for dreamers, and the pressure is on to show him they have what it takes to survive.
Last Restaurant Standing premieres Tuesday, January 5, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT
FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS – U.S. PREMIERE
Friday night’s are back with a new season of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross, one of the BBC’s best known personalities, continues blending humor and pop culture every week with America and Britain’s brightest A-list celebrities and musical performances. Last season, Jonathan welcomed Ricky Gervais, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Gerard Butler, Shakira and Jay Z as well as musical legends Barry Manilow and Barbara Streisand and this season continues the excitement with exclusive interviews and guest musical performances.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross premieres Friday, January 22, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT
MOVIES
THE BIRDS – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Alfred Hitchcock's most popular film, The Birds, is a powerful, terrifying study of paranoia and hysteria in the wake of unexplained chaos. A beautiful, strong-willed socialite (Tippi Hedren) travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a guy (Rod Taylor) she’s only just met. Once there, however, bizarre things start happening and the birds start behaving strangely.
The Birds premieres Sunday, January 3, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
PYSCHO – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Nominated for four Academy Awards, Psycho, made people think twice before stepping into the shower and Psycho remains one of the most shocking and frightening movies of all time. Anthony Perkins delivers a chilling performance as the nervous but amiable proprietor of the Bates Motel whose trouble with his mother and obsession with a beautiful guest leads to murder. Janet Leigh earned an Oscar nomination for her supporting role as the ill-fated traveler.
Psycho premieres Sunday, January 10, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
VERTIGO – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Silver screen legend James Stewart with Barbara Bel Geddes team with the Master of Suspense to play a detective who falls in love with a tortured, beautiful woman (Kim Novak) he is hired to follow. The detective lapses into obsession and desperation against the backdrop of a haunting San Francisco.
Vertigo premieres Sunday, January 17, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
REAR WINDOW – BBC AMERICA PREMIERE
Academy Award winning screen legends James Stewart and Grace Kelly star in the story about an injured photojournalist confined to his tiny, sweltering courtyard apartment with nothing to do but look out on his unsuspecting neighbors through the film's titular portal. It's all harmless voyeuristic fun until during one hot, restless night he thinks he witnesses a man murder his wife. Grace Kelly plays the fashionista girlfriend who helps him solve the crime.
Rear Window premieres Sunday, January 24, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
STUNTS
KITCHEN NIGHTMARES SUNDAY
Gordon Ramsay heats up the kitchen both sides of the pond by helping struggling ventures all on the brink of collapse. Kitchen Nightmares Sunday features the newest shows with five back-to-back episodes.
Kitchen Nightmares Sunday airs Sunday, January 3, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT
DEMONIC SUNDAY
Catch up on the first three episodes of Demons as Luke (Christian Cooke) and Rupert (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes) battle good and evil with monsters, vampires and all creatures that go bump in the night.
Demonic Sunday airs Sunday, January 17, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT
GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING TOP GEAR MARATHON
Gear up for a new season of Top Gear and relive the adventures and laugh-out-loud moments
from seasons past. Top Gear Marathon is just in time for the new season of Top Gear which
premieres the very next night.
Top Gear Marathon airs Sunday, January 24, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m. PT
ALFRED HITCHCOCK MOVIE MARATHON
Enjoy a Sunday marathon of Alfred Hitchcock’s most thrilling and terrifying films, including Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds, starting first thing Sunday morning and continuing deep into the night.
Alfred Hithcock Movie Marathon airs all day Sunday, January 31
BBC WORLD NEWS AMERICA - NEW YEAR’S DAY SCHEDULE
Please note that BBC World News and BBC World News America will not air Friday, January 1.
ONGOING PREMIERES
Other series that continue to premiere new episodes in January include:
Tuesdays: Britain’s Missing Top Model
Wednesdays: Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
Fridays: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Saturdays: The Graham Norton Show
BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 65 million homes.
Comments
There's so much better on-going stuff BBC America could put on: what about Spooks and Waking the Dead?
Jace when are you hearing Inbetweeners third season will be ready?
Spooks would be a great addition, as would Waking the Dead. Or even old episodes of New Tricks or Silent Witness. Or how about QI?? So much good TV to choose from - so I'm not sure why they went with Demons.