HGTV has commissioned two series, ordering 26 episodes of "Over Your Head," in which people are saved by the show's crack team after becoming overwhelmed by their home-improvement jobs, and 13 episodes of "Guy Space," which showcases homes or rooms men create for themselves.

LMNO produces current HGTV skein "What's With That House," which spotlights strange-looking homes that stand out in their neighborhoods. Shingle also has sold the Scripps cabler's Halloween- and Christmas-themed "What's With That House" specials, in addition to one-hour "What's With That Really Expensive House."

Over at the Discovery nets, Discovery Health has snapped up pilot "Scars," which tells the stories behind people's marks, and ordered a second four-episode cycle of "National Body Challenge." Cabler also has greenlit one-hour spec "You: On a Diet," chronicling the efforts of Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen to help overweight families lose weight. And at Discovery's Military Channel, new series "My War Diary," a compilation of footage taken by military personnel in Iraq, is set to premiere Nov. 10.

Three specs are on the docket at TLC. They include "That's Gotta Hurt" (working title), featuring shocking true stories of medical science caught on tape, and "Lance Armstrong: Running for Life," which will tell the story of three people running the New York City Marathon who have overcome near-death experiences. LMNO also is producing a follow-up to its spec "101 Things Removed From the Human Body" for the cabler.

Elsewhere in the syndie biz, company has signed Spanish Chef LaLa to a development deal for a syndicated series.

LMNO, which produced “Fire Me Please” and “Wickedly Perfect” is awaiting word on a fourth-season pickup for Soap Net’s "Soap Star."

Monday, October 23, 2006

LMNO Spells Sales

Shingle on a roll with Cable Shows

By Denise Martin

LMNO Prods., the reality shop behind ”Dr. Keith Ablow” and "I Wanna Be a Soap Star," is on a roll in the cable space, selling a slate of series and specials to networks HGTV, Discovery Health, the Military Channel and TLC.

Shingle has been steadily ramping up production in the docu-reality genre. Focus on less sensational reality fare is one way the company says it's been able to stay active while the major nets traffic in formats and gameshows.

"With the glut of formats on the networks, producing original ideas for cable is one way to stay ahead of the curve," LMNO prexy-chief exec Eric Schotz said.