As major network television channels continue to milk the trend of nostalgic reboots, MTV is capitalizing on the success of Jersey Shore Family Vacation by ordering four new, unscripted series.
Variety confirmed that the network responsible for making hits out of shows that place a cultural microscope on things like teen pregnancy, online dating, and spoiled 16-year-olds, has greenlit the production of four new shows. Some of these new series will allegedly take a look at youth culture in some of the more conservative pockets of the country.
The president of MTV/VH1 networks, Chris McCarthy, explained to Variety, "What’s happening in the middle of the country is so different than what’s happening on the coasts. We are always looking for interesting and authentic subcultures that gives us a look at youth culture in this country."
Two of the new shows will reportedly take place in Indiana and Kentucky, which will surely show a different demographic of Americans than what we've been accustomed to seeing on reality shows. It's likely that MTV is just concerned with overcoming the ratings slump they've been in for a while now by catering to Middle American viewers with these new shows, but it will be interesting to see how these shows are received in the wake of such divisive times.
MTV paved the way for these new shows with Jersey Shore Family Vacation. This widely hyped reboot laid the groundwork to make Thursday evenings a big night for their programming, and now they're moving ahead as planned. “We want to double down on big franchise shows and build a massive night," McCarthy said.
Part of this "massive night" will include new series Too Stupid To Die, which will be a Jackass-reminiscent romp that features Zach Holmes and his friends participating in similarly risky antics. Following Too Stupid To Die's June premiere, Made In Kentucky will follow in July. This one will focus on a group of young men and women in a rural KY town transitioning from high school to college.
The next series planned to roll out will be Staten Island 10310, which will attempt to capture the small-town feel of the small island whose culture is sometimes more reminiscent of a Southern town than a borough of New York City. Lastly, the final new title MTV has planned is Just the Tattoo Of Us. This one mixes in some reality competition elements by challenging contestants' friends and family to design tattoos that they won't be able to see until they are inked onto them forever.
MTV seems to be setting up their Thursday night take-over pretty aggressively. While the Jersey Shore reboot has been renewed for a second season, the network will proceed as planned with its new programming starting in June.
