CMT Renews ‘I Love Kellie Pickler’ & ‘Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’, Sets Summer Premiere Dates

CMT announced the Season 12 renewal of its hit unscripted series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team and a third-season pickup of I Love Kellie Pickler as part of its summer programming slate, with premiere dates for the two unscripted series as well as for sophomore comedy Still The King.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team will premiere its 12th season on Thursday, August 3 at 10 PM as a lead-in to the season 3 premiere of I Love Kellie Pickler at 11 PM ET/PT.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which averaged 3.3 million weekly viewers last season, returns with an expanded order of 13 episodes. It will follow CMT’s new flagship series, Nashville. With the country music drama as a lead-in, “I believe Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will ultimately have highest ratings ever in its 12th season,” CMT programming chief Jayson Dinsmore said.

Nashville recently wrapped the first half of its season as the highest-rated and most-watched series in CMT history. Its midseason premiere is set for Thursday, June 1 at 9 PM, along with the digital aftershow series NashChat, which will return, hosted by Amy Brown via CMT’s social channels.

Comedy Still The King, which reached an average of 3 million weekly viewers during season one, returns for a second season on Tuesday, July 11 at 10 PM. It picks up with Vernon (Billy Ray Cyrus) fresh out of jail and determined to reclaim his position as a country music superstar.

The network is coming off a strong year, with original premieres up 51% among adults 18-49 and up 79% among women 18-49 versus one year ago. Total day ratings are up 19% with adults 18-49 and +25% with women 18-49 — its strongest performance in total day ratings in more than 2 years. Additionally, among non-news nets, CMT had the biggest total day year-over-year gains of any top 50–cable network in 1Q17 for W18–49, according to the network.

After notching its most-watched ceremony to date last year, the 2017 CMT Music Awards hosted by Nashville’s Charles Esten premieres live on Wednesday, June 7 at 8 PM. CMT Instant Jam with Brett Eldredge from Las Vegas premieres on Friday, June 16 at 10 PM. CMT Hot 20 Countdown will continue to air weekly on Saturday and Sunday at 9 AM .

In addition, CMT will premiere the first-ever ever outdoor CMT Crossroads with Grammy winners Earth Wind & Fire on Friday June 23 at 10 PM. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will be joined by Grammy and CMT Music Award-winning super group Lady Antebellum. Additional names will be announced soon.

CMT also will host the broadcast premiere of To Joey, With Love on Wednesday, June 21 at 8 PM. Filmed by the country duo and real life couple, Joey and Rory Fleek, over two and a half years, the movie documents the stirring journey of the 2010 Academy of Country Music Top New Vocal Duo.

Here is a trailer for Still the King and CMT’s complete summer schedule: