‘American Ninja Warrior’ Spinoff Set At Esquire Network For 2016

Building on the success of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, Esquire Network has ordered eight episodes of spinoff Team Ninja Warrior for a 2016 premiere. Announced earlier this year as part of the NBCU Cable net’s 2015 development slate, Team Ninja Warrior will be filmed in Long Beach from October 21-23. NFL analyst and ex-player Akbar Gbajabiamila and comedian Matt Iseman will host the series, which is produced by A. Smith & Co.’s Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, the production team behind American Ninja Warrior.

Each one-hour episode of Team Ninja Warrior features top competitors from past seasons of American Ninja Warrior in a newly designed dual course that incorporates speed, agility, skill and strategy. Two dozen squads of three will compete in a team-to-team race against the clock and one another. The teams with the fastest cumulative times in each episode will advance to the finale, where team will be crowned Team Ninja Warrior champions.

Team Ninja Warrior is executive-produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions’ founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed (Hell’s Kitchen, Unsung, Ellen’s Design Challenge), along with Brian Richardson as executive producer.