Last summer, Lifetime set a sizable chunk of the internet ablaze when it announced and aired a made-for-TV movie titled The Unauthorized Saved By the Bell Story. This summer, it set the same chunk ablaze again — just as people were starting to rebuild! — when it announced The Unauthorized Full House Story, which airs this weekend. The network also has projects in development about Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. This is officially a thing, it’s part of Lifetime’s new long-term strategy, as the network explained to the New York Times.
Lifetime is trying to tack away from the “women in peril” movies that it was once known for. After several years of original scripted shows like “Army Wives” and “Drop Dead Diva,” the network scored one of the summer’s most well-reviewed new series, “UnReal.” Its “Unauthorized” movies are part of its attempt to expand viewership and skew younger by tapping nostalgia. […]
[Netflix Senior Vice President Tanya] Lopez said that the “Unauthorized” franchise is in line with Lifetime’s mission to reimagine its brand as “premium, popular and diverse.” “This falls into the popular bucket by bringing in the audience that is engaged in the pop-culture zeitgeist,” she said. “That is a bigger play for us to get a younger audience.”
There are lots of other fun facts in that story, by the way, like the fact that the former underwear model and ex-boyfriend of Miley Cyrus who is playing Uncle Jesse in the Full House movie was on set filming less than one week after getting cast, which speaks volumes about the quality of the entire production. As does whatever is going on with Uncle Joey in that picture up there. We live in remarkable times, truly.
Anyway, what all of this means, basically, is that fans of Lifetime can expect fewer low-budget movies starring Tiffani Thiessen, and more low-budget movies about Tiffani Thiessen. The Unauthorized Story of Son in Law is going to be so good.
(Via New York Times)
