E! Entertainment (DStv 124) is reviving and rebooting its iconic docu-series, E! True Hollywood Story, and will be trying again to establish a late night talk show, this time with Busy Philipps entitled Busy Tonight.
In a statement E! says is will relaunch a revamped E! True Hollywood Story this year, "with a fresh approach and new episodes that dive deep into the most compelling personalities and stories that are shaping headlines".
The E! True Hollywood Story launched in 1996 as an hour-long TV special examining the murder of the actress and model Rebecca Schaeffer.
It proved so popular that E! turned it into a series, giving viewers a broad overview of the rise and fall and rise of actors, celebrities and models, iconic TV shows, as well as Hollywood scandals.
The show ran for almost a decade until 2006, giving viewers a look-back, back-window view on everything from the drama behind the scenes at Melrose Place to the tragic lives of Hollywood's child stars and what happened to them like Lindsay Lohan and Macauley Culkin, and singers like the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
Amy Introcaso-Davis, the executive vice president of production and development at E! says E! True Hollywood Story is "a beloved franchise that has never been more timely and relevant" and that the revamped series will take a "modern approach" to bringing viewers up to date with facts and stories about Hollywood topics they don't know.
"Each self-contained documentary will explore a topic, headline, or person that became the ground zero for a revolution, change or shift in culture, told by the people who were on the front lines of the story," says E! - a clear indication that something like Hollywood's #MeToo movement about sexual abuse and sexual harassment will very likely be one of the new episodes.
E! True Hollywood Story is produced by Wilshire Studios.
Besides E! True Hollywood Story, E! is also making a third attempt to establish a late night talk show after the failures of Hello Ross with Ross Mathews and Chelsea Handler's Chelsea Lately, this time with Busy Philipps who will be doing Busy Tonight.
Busy Tonight will feature comedic commentary, interviews, and segments that go behind her most popular Instagram stories. "Unfiltered, in-the-know and always entertaining, Busy will give us her unique and hilarious point of view on literally everything," says E!.
"E! is a pop culture network that is for and about women, and these series hit the mark when it comes to fun, aspirational content and engaging storytelling for our audience," says Amy Introcaso-Davis.
