TNT Greenlights Two Unscripted Series

Heading into its upfront presentation next week, TNT has greenlighted two new unscripted series: the police procedural docu-drama Boston Blue, executive produced by Blue Bloods co-star and Boston native Donnie Wahlberg, and competition series 72 Hours, from the executive producer of Extreme Makeover and The Moment Of Truth. TNT has ordered eight episodes of each series to launch next year. They join recently picked up new TNT drama series Monday Mornings as well as the network’s first ever reality-competition series, the upcoming The Great Escape. TNT’s sibling TBS also picked up two new series yesterday, alternative comedies Deon Cole’s Black Box and Who Gets the Last Laugh? Here are details about TNT’s newly picked up shows:

Boston Blue follows the men and women of the Boston Police Department’s exclusive and highly decorated Gang Unit. Their unit’s name doesn’t begin to describe the breadth of crimes these detectives, investigators, patrol officers and special victims officers deal with on a daily basis. They are the go-to unit for many large-scale crimes in Boston. Boston Blue comes to TNT from Jarrett Creative Group (Celebrity Ghost Stories), with Julie Insogna-Jarrett and Seth Jarrett serving as executive producers along with Donnie Wahlberg and his Donnie D. Productions.

72 Hours is an action-packed, white-knuckle competition series that drops competing teams from a helicopter into the wilderness. The competitors are then given only three days and a GPS tracking device to find a hidden suitcase full of cash. Along the way, they must hike across treacherous terrain and battle the elements to locate the cash before their rival teams. 72 Hours comes to TNT from Lighthearted Entertainment (Extreme Makeover), with Howard Schultz (The Moment of Truth) and Rob LaPlante (The Apprentice) serving as executive producers.  Jeff Spangler serves as co-executive producer.

“Boston Blue and 72 Hours are excellent fits for two of TNT’s most important audience segments,” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “With Boston Blue, we’re looking to grab viewers who come to TNT for such blockbuster originals as The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. And with 72 Hours, we’re going after fans of TNT’s action-packed dramas, like Falling Skies and Leverage. We’re very excited about moving further into the realm of unscripted dramas with these outstanding additions to the TNT lineup.”

TNT, which is in the midst of expanding its original series lineup to a year-round model, will showcase nine original series this summer, more than any time in the network’s history. The lineup includes TNT’s first-ever reality-competition series, The Great Escape, from the producers of The Amazing Race. For next year, TNT recently greenlit the powerful medical drama Monday Mornings, from award-winning executive producer David E. Kelley and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, on whose book the series is based.