NBC Announces WWE SmackDown to Return to USA Network on September 13th

NBC Universal announced on Thursday that WWE’s SmackDown television series will be officially returning to USA Network on September 13th.

It was also announced that SmackDown will continue to air live weekly on Fridays on USA Network.

WWE’s new television deal with NBC for SmackDown was originally announced by TKO Group to go into effect starting this October but NBC’s announcement means that FOX will be ending their deal with WWE for the series two weeks earlier than expected. The reason is due to FOX will be airing College football games on their network starting this September during SmackDown’s timeslot.

Official press release:

A DYNAMIC LINEUP OF FRESH ORIGINALS, EXCLUSIVE LIVE SPORTS, RETURNING HITS AND BELOVED FRANCHISES SUPERCHARGE NBCUNIVERSAL’S CABLE PORTFOLIO ACROSS BRAVO, E!, OXYGEN TRUE CRIME, SYFY AND USA NETWORK FOR 2024-25 SEASON

Bravo Announces Unscripted Series “Making It in Manhattan,” (W/T) and Renews 15 Fan Favorites, Including “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” “The Valley,” Multiple Cities from “The Real Housewives” Franchise, “Below Deck,” “Married to Medicine” and More, With Nearly Every Series Demonstrating Year-Over-Year Viewership Growth

New Competition Series “The Anonymous” Premieres this Summer on USA Network While “WWE Smackdown” Returns to the Network on Sept. 13

A New Unscripted Series from Snoop Dogg Joins E!’s Slate Alongside Season Two of “House of Villains” and Signature Red Carpet Franchise “Live from E!” with Laverne Cox

Oxygen True Crime, the Home of High-Quality True Crime Programming, Greenlights Seven New Series and Specials with Nine Series Set to Return, Including “Cold Justice” and “Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler”

SYFY Adds New Scripted Original Series “Revival” and Season 3 of “SurrealEstate” to Its 2025 Lineup Along with the Upcoming Season 2 Premieres of “Reginald the Vampire” and “The Ark”

NEW YORK — May 9, 2024 – NBCUniversal, home of the most powerful entertainment portfolio on television, unveils a wide-ranging programming slate across Bravo, E!, USA Network, SYFY and Oxygen True Crime that includes a trio of bold new original series, exclusive live sports and returning fan favorites for the 2024-25 season.

New series highlights across the portfolio include “Making It in Manhattan” W/T (Bravo), “Revival” (SYFY) and “Untitled Cori Broadus and Snoop Dogg Project” W/T (E!). Through the end of 2024, USA Network will become the exclusive linear home of both WWE flagship programs, “WWE Monday Night RAW” and “WWE SmackDown,” which returns to the network on Sept 13. as part of a new multi-year partnership.

Additional season pick-ups of fan favorites include “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo),” multiple cities from “The Real Housewives” franchise (Bravo), “Below Deck” (Bravo), “The Valley” (Bravo), “Summer House” (Bravo), “Snapped” (Oxygen True Crime), “Cold Justice” (Oxygen True Crime) and more.

“From Bravoholics to Oxygen’s true-crime junkies and E!’s pop culture mavens to USA’s sports and WWE fans, our cable networks are home to some of the most loyal and passionate audiences across all of entertainment,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “The strength of our individual brands combined with our continued investment in distinctive original content continues to drive deep connection and engagement with viewers.”

Last year and year-to-date, Bravo and USA Network have once again secured their positions as top-five cable entertainment networks in the key 18-49 demo in prime. Bravo ranks #1 among key female demos and USA Network is ranking as one of the fastest-growing networks in the 18-49 demo among the top 20 cable entertainment networks. Nearly every Bravo show that has premiered since December 2022 has seen year-over-year growth, and 2023 ranks as Bravo’s best year ever on Peacock, the official streaming home of the network.

E! continues to dominate the pop culture conversation with “Live from E!” linear viewership up 27% for 2024. This year’s broadcast of “Live from E!: Met Gala” ranks as the network’s most-watched Met Gala coverage in 7 years and delivered 382 million engagements across all digital and social platforms.

SYFY remains one of cable’s highest-reaching entertainment networks in total day across all key demos year-to-date. In 2023, Oxygen True Crime had its best year ever in Total Day and Prime cable rankings.

Below please find upcoming programming for each network. For photos and additional show information, go to http://www.nbcumv.com/.

BRAVO

As a top 5 cable entertainment brand with five of the top 10 reality shows on cable, Bravo is a premiere cultural and lifestyle destination. Home to the most passionate fanbase in television, Bravo ranks #1 in primetime loyalty with its viewers tuning into the network on more days of the year than viewers of any other network on television. All Bravo series are available to stream next day on Peacock.

New to the Bravo lineup is “Making It in Manhattan,” (W/T) an unscripted series that follows a tight-knit group of friends in New York City as they navigate the trials and triumphs of young adulthood. In development at the network is “On Safari,” (W/T) which is set in the heart of the South African Bush and explores the spectacular world of the most luxurious safari experiences, and the international group of guides who create once-in-a-lifetime moments for their adventure seeking clientele.

Bravo’s slate of returning hits include a new season of “The Valley,” its most-watched freshman series in nearly a decade, “Summer House,” which is currently having its most-watched season in the show’s eight-year history, and “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Other shows with upcoming new seasons include “Married to Medicine,” “Top Chef,” “Southern Charm,” “Southern Hospitality,” “Below Deck,” “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” “The Real Housewives of Miami,” “The Real Housewives of New York City,” “The Real Housewives of Potomac” and “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”

New programming coming to Bravo includes:

“MAKING IT IN MANHATTAN” (W/T)

In the fast-paced hustle of NYC, a tight-knit group of friends navigate the trials and triumphs of young adulthood. While some hail from the spotlight of well-known families, others have created a legacy of their own, but they all are looking to thrive in the city that never sleeps. Together they will challenge societal norms, redefine success, juggle personal and romantic relationships, and lean on each other for support in order to turn their skyline-high aspirations into reality.

“Making It in Manhattan” (w/t) is produced by 9th Degree with Michaline Babich, Shari Levine, David O’Connell, Chaz Morgan and Ariel Argus serving as executive producers.

“ON SAFARI” (W/T; IN DEVELOPMENT)

“On Safari” (w/t) is set in the heart of the South African Bush and explores the spectacular world of the most luxurious safari experiences, and the international group of guides who create once-in-a-lifetime moments for their adventure seeking clientele. While five-star service is the priority and expectation, this group of guides proves that the only thing more wild and unpredictable than the animals are the dynamics amongst each other.

“On Safari” (w/t) is produced by AMPLE Entertainment and Huntley Productions with Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Chrissy Teigen and Tracy Stevens serving as executive producers.

USA NETWORK

Building off its more than 25-year streak as a top 5 cable network, USA Network is home to some of the most iconic, larger-than-life characters and live sports on television.

This summer USA Network premieres “The Anonymous,” the highly anticipated competition series from Studio Lambert, the producers of “The Traitors.” The series is a social strategy game played in two worlds: the real world, where players interact face to face, and also the digital world, where players communicate behind a mask of anonymity known as Anonymous Mode. Here in individual private hideouts, each player is free to say whatever they want to advance their game. The question is: Can they stay anonymous or will the other players guess their identity, causing them to lose their power in the game?

Starting in September and through the end of 2024, USA Network will serve as the exclusive linear home of the WWE’s two tentpole franchises, “WWE Monday Night RAW” and “WWE SmackDown,” which returns to the network on Sept. 13 as part of a new multi-year partnership.

To celebrate, USA Network will be launching WWE Week on Sept. 9.All week long,the network will air films from the “Fast and the Furious” franchise starring Dwayne Johnson, “Blockers” starring John Cena, and the Peacock documentary “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal.”

E!

As one of the most iconic and recognizable brands in pop-culture programming, E! remains a top destination for viewers. New to the network is “Untitled Cori Broadus and Snoop Dogg Project,” (W/T), an intimate three-part docuseries that features Cori Broadus, the daughter of cultural icon Snoop Dogg, and her fiancé, Wayne Deuce, as they navigate life, love and their upcoming nuptials. The brand’s returning slate includes season two of “House of Villains,” E!’s most-watched freshman series since 2020, the entertainment news series “E! News,” hosted by Justin Sylvester and Keltie Knight, and its signature red carpet franchise, “Live from E!,” hosted by Laverne Cox.

The “E! News” brand is the leading multi-platform publisher delivering breaking entertainment news and pop culture coverage 24/7 across linear, digital and social media. E! boasts one of the top entertainment news websites with E! Online and a larger-than-life presence on social media with more than 80 million followers and growing across platforms. In Q1 of 2024, E! Online garnered more than 450 million page views alone, and in March 2024, the E! News YouTube channel achieved its highest month on record, reaching more than 42 million views.

New programming coming to E! includes:

“UNTITLED CORI BROADUS AND SNOOP DOGG PROJECT” (W/T) (PREMIERES WINTER 2024)

This intimate three-part docuseries features Cori Broadus, the daughter of cultural icon Snoop Dogg, and her fiancé, Wayne Deuce, as they navigate life, love and their upcoming nuptials. Between growing relationship tensions, Cori’s private struggles with lupus, and public backlash against their union, the couple is forced to make some tough decisions. With so much at stake, a life-threatening health event in Cori’s life changes everything as Cori, Wayne, Snoop and the entire Broadus family find themselves at a crossroads.

“Untitled Cori Broadus and Snoop Dogg Project” (w/t) is produced by Death Row Pictures and 101 Studios. Snoop Dogg, Shante Broadus, Sara Ramaker, David Glasser and Alexander Lipsitz serve as executive producers. Eliot Goldberg is overseeing the series for 101 Studios.

SYFY

SYFY continues to redefine genre programming for fans, ranking as one of cable’s top 10 highest-reaching networks across all key demos in total day year-to-date.

New to the network’s slate is “Revival,” a scripted original series based on the “Revival” comic book series centered around one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin when the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the “revived” appear and act just like they once were.

Breakout hitscripted series “Reginald the Vampire, starring Jacob Batalon, returns for its season two premiere on May 8 followed this summer by season two of “The Ark.” In 2025, “Revival” will be joined by season three of fan-favorite scripted series “SurrealEstate.”

New programming coming to SYFY includes:

“REVIVAL” (PREMIERES 2025)

On one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin, the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the “revived” appear and act just like they once were. when local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.

“Revival” is produced by Blue Ice Pictures. Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Samantha Levine, Daniel March, Luke Boyce and Aaron Koontz serve as executive producers.

OXYGEN TRUE CRIME

Oxygen True Crime, which just celebrated its best year ever in Total Day and Prime cable rankings, is adding 7 new series and specials to its roster with 9 series returning to the schedule.

New upcoming programming includes “Dateline: The Smoking Gun” (WT), in which murder investigations are dangerously close to going cold until law enforcement uncover clues that ultimately lead to justice;  “Philly Homicide” (WT), covering some of the Philadelphia’s most disturbing murders; “A Plan to Kill” (WT), which examines the meticulous planning of unfathomable slayings; and “The Girl on the Milk Carton” (WT), which explores the harrowing investigation of a young girl’s vanishing. A full list of new programming coming to the network is below.

Five additional series will return over the course of the year following the spring 2024 premieres of new series “Deadly Waters with Captain Lee” and “Sins of the South.” A fifth season of “Accident, Suicide or Murder” also premieres this spring. Returning with all-new seasons in summer 2024 are fan-favorite hits “Snapped,” which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, “Snapped: Behind Bars,” “Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins” and “Real Murders of Atlanta.” 

“Cold Justice,” “Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler,” “New York Homicide” and “Fatal Family Feuds” will return to the network in 2025.

New programming coming to Oxygen includes:

“THE GIRL ON THE MILK CARTON” (W/T) – PREMIERES SUMMER 2024 

Five days before Christmas 1984, 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews went missing from her own living room in the small town of Greeley, Colo. In an attempt to find her, Jonelle was given the tragic distinction as one of the first missing children whose face appeared on a milk carton. Sadly, the publicity did not bring her home. Nearly 35 years after her disappearance, her remains were found more than 20 miles away from her home. In a bizarre twist, a true-crime fanatic and gubernatorial candidate who obsessed with Jonelle’s disappearance for three decades, became the main suspect. Master manipulator and aspiring politician Steve Pankey had inserted himself into this case by volunteering details about Jonelle’s murder, but only in exchange for a deal. Pankey’s ex-wife, a key witness in the case against him, bravely comes forward to exclusively share her experience of living with a deluded fantasist and sadistic murderer and reveals the crucial evidence that led to his prosecution.

“Girl on the Milk Carton” (W/T) is produced by Wild Dream Films.

“DATELINE: THE SMOKING GUN” (W/T) – PREMIERES FALL 2024

“Dateline: The Smoking Gun” is a hunt for clues with detectives on a relentless pursuit for the one piece of evidence that ultimately cracks the case. Each investigation is packed with twists as police painstakingly chase down false leads, wrong suspects, and dead ends to finally uncover the smoking gun and arrive at justice.

“Dateline: The Smoking Gun” (W/T) is produced by NBC News.

“THE ALISSA TURNEY PROJECT” (W/T) – PREMIERES FALL 2024

Sarah Turney became a viral sensation when she posted suspicions on social media that her dad killed her sister, Alissa. Now Sarah gives unprecedented access to the continuation of her story, including a recently unearthed trove of home videos, as she re-examines her and Alissa’s childhood and makes chilling discoveries, breaking through years of manipulation to reconstruct the truth of the past and be free of her father’s influence.

“The Alissa Turney Project” (W/T) is produced by the Oscar and Emmy award-winning team at Story Syndicate.

“SERIAL KILLER CAPITAL: LOS ANGELES” (W/T) – PREMIERES FALL 2024

From 1984 to 2007, nearly 50 women are assaulted and murdered in a small area of Los Angeles. After first hunting a serial killer dubbed the Southside Slayer, investigators ultimately discover that they’re chasing not one but four brutal murderers.

“Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles” (W/T) is produced by Jupiter Entertainment.

“PHILLY HOMICIDE” (W/T) – PREMIERES FALL 2024

“Philly Homicide” (W/T) delves into the twists and turns of the most harrowing murders committed in one of the country’s most historic regions, as told by Philadelphia’s toughest homicide detectives.

“Philly Homicide” (W/T) is produced by Bright Spot Content, an All3 Media Company.

“A PLAN TO KILL” (W/T) – PREMIERES FALL 2024

“A Plan to Kill” (W/T) is a true-crime series that examines the story of sadistic and meticulous killers who plan their victims’ murders for weeks, months or even years. Each stand-alone episode is brought to life through a tapestry of firsthand interviews with investigators and those close to the victim. Over the course of the hour, we’ll follow detectives on a winding investigation. They’ll work through dead ends, red herrings and misdirects planted by the killer to throw them off … all in their quest to identify the guilty party and bring them to justice.

“A Plan to Kill” (W/T) is produced by the Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television.

“LADY OF THE DUNES” (W/T) – PREMIERES WINTER 2025

Some true-crime cases stand apart. In a genre with no shortage of gruesome murders, dogged detectives and surprising villains, few mysteries rise to the level of legendary status and lasting cultural intrigue — haunting generations of investigators, inspiring untold citizen sleuths, surprising even those who have followed it closely for decades. Among the most famous unsolved homicides of all time, the Lady of the Dunes is one of those rare, enduring sagas. And finally, we can tell her full story.

“Lady of the Dunes” (w/t) is produced by Left/Right.