CMT Announces Winter Programming Slate

Fresh off its highest-rated year since 2014, CMT today announced premiere dates and first-look teasers for several new and returning originals as part of a new Thursday night winter programming lineup. "Racing Wives," an hour-long unscripted series that offers a glimpse inside the opulent world of the wives of top race car drivers including Kurt and Kyle Busch, will premiere Thursday, January 3 at 9 pm ET/PT, along with season two of the hit docuseries "Music City," from creator of the "The Hills", at 10 pm ET/PT. The highly-anticipated return of "Wife Swap" will premiere on Thursday, February 28 at 9 pm ET/PT.

"We've created a stellar lineup of new and returning originals that are dynamic, sexy and fueled by the perfect mix of drama and comedy," said Keith Cox, President of Development and Original Programming for Paramount Network, CMT and TV Land. "Racing Wives offers a first-ever look inside the affluent and exclusive private lives of race car drivers. MUSIC CITY is fiery and boiling over with raw emotion, and Wife Swap is a huge international hit that's relevant now more than ever."

The news comes on the heels of strong growth for CMT. Fiscal year 2018 ranked as the highest-rated year since 2014 among Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49. (L+SD, CMT Total Day. CMT has notched 7 consecutive quarters of year-over-year ratings and share growth in Prime (7P-12A) among Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49. (L+SD).

A stone's throw away from the high-octane race tracks where legends RISE and sometimes fall, "Racing Wives" offers a rare glimpse inside the opulent, eye-popping mansions and private planes that regally decorate the banks of Lake Norman, North Carolina. The cast features sisters-in-law Ashley and Samantha Busch, married to Kurt and Kyle Busch, who are each balancing family life with their own ambitions. Looking to take her rightful spot in the wives' club is Whitney Ward Dillon, former cheerleader and now wife of a driver who is torn between fitting in with her fellow wives while staying true to her best friend and cheerleader ride-or-die, Mariel Lane. Also featured is Amber Balcaen, an aspiring race car driver who is new to the racing community and left everything, including her boyfriend, back home in Canada to come to North Carolina to pursue her dream. "Racing Wives" is produced by T Group with executive producers Jenny Daly, Rob Lobl, and Ben DeNoble. "Racing Wives", premieres Thursday, January 3 at 9 pm ET/PT.

The new Thursday night block will once again feature "Music City," which returns for a 10-episode second season. The hit docuseries from "The Hills" creator Adam DiVello follows a group of young adults entering the next chapter of their lives while chasing dream of success, fame and romance in Nashville. Season two will feature a shocking break up, a wedding, a cutthroat MISS USA competition, unexpected friendships and new explosive rivalries. Returning are fledgling musician Kerry, and his wife, Rachyl, personal trainer Jackson, and his cousin, pageant queen Alexandra, as well as musicians Jessica and Alisa, who are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their love lives. New faces this season include Rachyl and Kerry's old friend Jeremiah, Kerry's new manager Tori, and Jackson's childhood friend Stephen, who helps him navigate his relationships with girlfriend Baylee and Alexandra. Also entering the mix this season is Molly, Alexandra's friend and instigator who voices a strong and loud opinion on everything and everyone she encounters. "Music City" is produced by Done and Done Productions in association with Lionsgate. Adam DiVello serves as creator and executive producer, along with executive producers Kris Lindquist and Andrew Perry. "Music City" premieres Thursday, January 3 at 10 pm ET/PT. Watch a preview clip here.

"Wife Swap," the greatest and most successful televised social experiment of our time, will join the Thursday night lineup in February. The beloved series is back at just the right time, as the country feels more DIVIDED than ever. Each episode of the CMT revival of the ABC hit docuseries (2004-2010) will feature two families from different walks of life who switch spouses and slowly learn to embrace their differences in order to come together. The one-hour, 10-episode series spotlights families from different geographical and social backgrounds that swap spouses; showcasing hot-button issues like politics, classism, gender and race with the end goal of finding common ground. During each switch, the new spouses must at first adhere to exactly the same rules and lifestyle of the spouses being replaced, only to later establish their own rules. At the end, the two couples meet for the first time, where they discuss what they learned from the swap and what changes and new rules will remain once they return home. "Wife Swap" is produced by Banijay Studios NORTH AMERICA with David Goldberg, Caroline Baumgard, Ted Iredell, Perry Dance, and John Platt as executive producers. "Wife Swap" premieres on Thursday, February 28 at 10 pm ET/PT.

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