OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that beginning in October the network will expand its successful unscripted programming block to two nights, on Fridays and Saturdays, and will debut two new series along with new seasons of its popular hits.
Friday nights will begin October 23 with two series from record-breaking filmmaker Will Packer and Lighthearted Entertainment. An all-new season of the popular dating show โReady to Loveโ hosted by Thomas โNephew Tommyโ Miles kicks off at 9 p.m. ET/PT, following sexy, grown singles looking for lasting love while quarantined together at a secluded mountain resort. Immediately following at 10 p.m. ET/PT is the new series premiere of โPut a Ring on Itโ where long time couples embark on the ultimate social experiment to discover if theyโre truly meant to beโฆby dating other people.
Saturday nights will kick off on October 31 with the seventh season premiere of โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ featuring award-winning spiritual life coach, six-time New York Times best-selling author and executive producer, Iyanla Vanzant, in a special two-hour episode from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. The following week on Saturday, November 7, the new series โBehind Every Manโ from prolific executive producer Carlos King premieres at 10 p.m. ET/PT, shining the spotlight on the women behind famous men we look up to and admire, focusing on the passions, struggles and sacrifices they have made to support the men they love.
โExpanding to two nights with our unscripted shows gives our loyal viewers even more of the programming theyโre super passionate about,โ said Tina Perry, president OWN. โOver the years, OWN has established Saturday nights as the leading destination for Black women focusing on unscripted programs in the love and relationship space and we look forward to continuing that momentum on Friday nights this fall.โ
OWN Fall Unscripted Programming Premiere Lineup:
Friday, October 23
9 p.m. ET/PT โReady to Loveโ
10 p.m. ET/PT โPut A Ring on Itโ
Saturday, October 31
9-11 p.m. ET/PT โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ
*special two-hour premiere
Saturday, November 7
10-11 p.m. ET/PT โBehind Every Manโ (follows โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ in its regular 9-10 p.m. time slot)
About the Shows:
โReady to Loveโ (season two)
Record-breaking Hollywood producer Will Packerโs popular dating series hosted by Thomas โNephew Tommyโ Miles returns with an all-new cast from Houston, Texas to explore the real-life dating interactions of sexy, successful and grown Black men and women who are each looking for lasting love and an authentic relationship. But this season, thereโs a twist. The โReady to Loveโ hopefuls have been Covid-19 tested and cleared to quarantine together at a luxury mountain resort where opportunities for both the men and women to decide who stays and who goes abound as the tables turn weekly in the search for true love.The series is produced by Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment.
โPut a Ring on Itโ (new series)
Will Packerโs newest unscripted relationship series โPut A Ring on Itโ follows three longtime couples, with help from master relationship coach Dr. Nicole LaBeach, who embark on the ultimate relationship test. From week to week the couples are pushed outside their comfort zones to confront the question theyโve been too afraid to ask: is this their happily ever after? The couples will finally find out if they are truly meant to be together by dating other people, and in so doing theyโll discover if thereโs a love connection theyโve been missing all along. Will they decide itโs time to go their separate ways, or is it finally time to put a ring on it? โPut A Ring on Itโ is produced by Will Packer Media and Lighthearted Entertainment.
โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ (season 7)
The long running, award-winning hit series stars spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant helping those who are struggling, guiding them toward a new way of living and encouraging them to do the work necessary for real change. Through emotional heart-to-heart conversations and often a dose of tough-love, Iyanla helps individuals confront unresolved issues that are causing turmoil. She coaches guests and gives them the tools to fix their own lives, seeking to break the negative patterns that are preventing true happiness. โIyanla: Fix My Lifeโ is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions.
โBehind Every Manโ (new series)
From producer Carlos King and Kingdom Reign Entertainment and hosted by โLove & Marriage: Huntsvilleโ star Melody Holt, โBehind Every Manโ celebrates the women behind famous men we look up to and admire, focusing on the passions, struggles and sacrifices they have made to support the men they love, whose lives are lived in the spotlight. Featured couples include Tammy and Kirk Franklin; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo and his wife Crystal Smith; Big Sean and his mother Myra Anderson, plus Lamar Odom and his fiancรฉ Sabrina Parr, Usher and his mother Jonnetta Patton and many more. โBehind Every Manโ is produced by Kingdom Reign Entertainment and LostNThought Productions.
About OWNโs Unscripted Programming
OWN is the #1 cable network on Saturday nights for African American women with its hit unscripted shows focusing on love and relationships. Popular series include โIyanla: Fix My Life,โ โBlack Love,โ โReady to Love,โ โLove & Marriage: Huntsville,โ โFamily or Fiancรฉ,โ โGirlfriends Check In,โ โLove Goals,โ โOWN Spotlight: Black Women OWN the Conversation,โ and the upcoming โPut a Ring on Itโ and โBehind Every Man.โ The network is expanding.