Brad Abramson: Last News

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE‘s new competition series officially has a premiere date at A&E. “WWE LFG,” short for “Legends & Future Greats,” will launch on Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE and A&E are expanding their programming partnership with the addition of two new shows in addition to new episodes of “WWE Rivals.” First up, there is “WWE LFG” (short for “Legends & Future Greats”). The competition series will follow rising talent in pro wrestling as they vie for a WWE contract. Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Shawn Michaels will both appear in the series alongside coaches The Undertaker, Booker T, Mickie James, and Bubba Ray Dudley.

A&E & WWE are strengthening their partnership with two new series and a new season of hit docuseries WWE Rivals.

A&E is expanding its “Secrets Of” franchise with two new docuseries — Secrets of the Hells Angels and Houses of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The behind-the-scenes world of professional wrestling was infamously closed off to the public for decades, frustrating fans who craved a glimpse of what their favorite performers were really likeoutside the ring.That all changed with the internet and social media. And now, the industry is peeling back the mystique further via a slew of docuseries about pro wrestling’s biggest stars and aspiring grapplers.WWE has a slate of four shows with A&E, including “WWE Rivals” and “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Meanwhile, Vice TV is releasing Season 4 of the series “Dark Side of the Ring” on May 30. Also in the mix, Apple TV+ recently aired the docuseries “Monster Factory,” named after the famed pro wrestling school in New Jersey where it takes place, and TBS began airing the All Elite Wrestling show “AEW: All Access” in March.Evan Husney, co-creator and executive producer of “Dark Side of the Ring,” says the pro wrestling doc boom is finally happening because the WWE “controlled the narrative for so long.” Only now are fans getting to see things from other perspectives.“[WWE] controlled all the documentaries that were being put out,” he says. “When we came along with our first season, it was the first time on television in a while that you had seen a sort of journalistic approach and different looks at behind-the-scenes stories and controversies on that large of a scale.”Also driving the wrestling docuseries explosion: nostalgia.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Lifetime and A+E Networks released the first trailer for “TLC Forever,” a two-hour documentary detailing the rise and enduring legacy of the girl group. In the trailer, remaining members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas — Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died after a car accident in 2002 — reflect on their meteoric rise to become the bestselling girl group in America at the time. Having sold over 85 million records worldwide, the group soared to success, scored nine top 10 hits and winning over 35 major awards including the video of the year Award for “Waterfalls.” But amid the success came in-group fighting and obstacles that included external attacks, bankruptcy and illness. “How are we meant to fight against the world if we’re fighting internally?” the duo asks in the trailer.

Kevin Hart is behind the two-part documentary event “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution,” set to premiere on the A&E Network on Wednesday, June 29 at 9 p.m.The documentary, produced by Hart’s Hartbeat and Time Studios, explores the progression of Black comedy across time, tracing how comedians have used pointed humor to articulate the Black experience in America and expose, challenge and ridicule society’s injustices. From Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley of the civil rights movement to modern-day comedians and creators like Key & Peele, Issa Rae, Amber Ruffin and Tiffany Haddish, the four-hour documentary celebrates the history and under-appreciated legacy that Black comedians had in driving social change across the 20th and 21st centuries.

Mick Jagger and Questlove are exec producing a four-part docuseries about I Got You (I Feel Good) star James Brown for A&E.

By Peter White