08.02.10
Season 1 Episode 109 Premieres Tonight at 10pm ET/PT: “It’s All About the Hamiltons”
MTV has greenlit season two of its original comedy series “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” building on the network’s growing slate of scripted programming, which includes recently announced greenlights for “Skins” and “Teen Wolf.” The second season of “Hard Times” underscores MTV’s broader programming strategy to leverage the success of its reality franchises to develop and nurture a range of new scripted series for the network’s millennial audience.
“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” is a half-hour, single camera, scripted, coming-of-age comedy that follows the awkward life of RJ Berger, a late-blooming loser struggling to navigate the minefield of being fifteen, and provides a new and twisted take on classic teenage milestones. MTV has ordered 12 episodes for Season 2. The season finale for the first season airs on August 23. Episode 109, “It’s All About the Hamiltons,” airs tonight at 10pm ET/PT.
“We are 100% committed to scripted programming, and our current reality hits like ‘Teen Mom’, ‘If You Really Knew Me’, and, of course, ‘Jersey Shore’, provide an incredibly solid foundation for us to launch scripted series and let them gain traction,” said Tony DiSanto, president of programming for MTV. “That’s key, because whereas reality tends to burn bright and fast, scripted series take time to grow. Plus we have been so heavily branded as a reality network it will take a beat for our viewers to embrace
this new diverse slate on the channel. That’s why we are so thrilled by the response to
‘The Hard Times of RJ Berger.’ After a sneak peek post the Movie Awards, the show has had solid week to week growth in its regular Monday night slot, as well as strong repeat numbers. We are thrilled to announce Season 2 coming soon to MTV!”
“The Hard Times of RJ Berger” continues to build in viewership with a 31% increase among P12-34 in the past four weeks. *
THE HARD TIMES OF RJ BERGER
Episode 109: “It’s All About the Hamiltons”:
When a hungover RJ gets caught taking aspirin in the Principal’s office, he gets sent to detention, where he befriends a tough thug named Hamilton. As RJ enjoys the protection and power of Hamilton’s intimidating crew, his friend Lily tries out for the cheerleading squad in hopes of winning RJ’s attention.
Sneak Peek: http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/547034/ep-9-sneak-peek.jhtml#id=1644795
Images: http://mtvpress.com/gallery/the_hard_times_of_rj_berger/
Series Description:
The Hard Times of RJ Berger portrays the hilariously-hellish lives of a deeply unpopular 15 year-old named RJ Berger (Paul Iacono) and his scheming, sex-obsessed best friend, Miles Jenner (Jareb Dauplaise). For RJ, other than pining after the girl of his dreams, Jenny Swanson (Amber Lancaster), receiving daily beatings from the meanest jock in school, Max Owens (Jayson Blair), and evading the stalker-ish advances of Lily Miran (Kara Taitz), there really isn’t much excitement in his life. That is, until his anatomical gift is accidentally exposed to the entire school. In a single moment, RJ goes from anonymous to infamous, and for the first time in his life, he feels a tiny sliver of confidence. A coming-of-age comedy about a high school sophomore, the series is a part “The Wonder Years” and part “Superbad.”
Each episode incorporates a stylized animation sequence, identifying the show with pop culture and video games. The series was created by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith.
*Source: NMR. L+SD 000s. 7/25/10 or as dated. % increase = 7/25/10 vs 7/5/10.
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