Friday, August 15, 2008

Spike TV Picks Up Original, Non-Scripted Series '1000 Ways To Die'

Spike TV has ordered ten 30-minute episodes of "1000 Ways to Die," the visually shocking series that explores the many different and bizarre ways one can meet their maker. The series is executive produced by Thom Beers, the same creative mind who brought viewers the critically-acclaimed hits "Deadliest Catch," "Ice Road Truckers" and "Ax Men," and is scheduled to premiere in Fall 2008.

"1000 Ways to Die" showcases some of the most outrageously true stories about those who succumbed to the grim reaper in the most unorthodox styles. Each case takes you through a fast-paced full reenactment interlaced with dramatic witness testimonials, fun historical tidbits, scientific expert explanations and vibrant CGI effects reminiscent of classic comic books. Playing off the commonly misconceived notion, "that could never happen to me," "1000 Ways to Die" works to dispel that myth in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, highlighting the comedic irony in all the crazy ways people can get themselves killed.

Originally a two-part special, the May premiere of "1000 Ways to Die" performed well in its timeslot, averaging a robust 0.9 rating in M18-34 and an average audience of 1.0 million viewers. Compared to the ratings in the timeslot the previous year, "1,000 Ways to Die" was up +133% among M18-49 +104% in M18-34.

Some of the more outlandish cases this season include death from eating a jalapeno pepper, a simple scrape-turned-flesh-eating virus and a case of a man trapped in an avalanche with plenty of food and water, only to succumb to methane poisoning from too much of his own gas.

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