NBC to premiere new 'Superstars of Dance' reality series on January 4

NBC has announced Superstars of Dance, a new dance-themed reality competition series from American Idol creator Simon Fuller and former Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, will premiere on Sunday, January 4 at 9PM ET/PT.


Following its Sunday night debut, Superstars of Dance will air two-hour episodes in its regular Mondays at 8PM ET/PT time period beginning January 5.  Its finale is currently scheduled to air January 26 at 8PM ET/PT.

Superstars of Dance -- which NBC had ordered  under the title Superstar Dancers of the World earlier this month -- will pit skilled dancers of various genres from different countries against each other.

The eight countries currently scheduled to participate are Ireland, India, USA, Argentina, China, Russia, South Africa and Australia.  Each team will be comprised of two soloists, one duo and one larger group. 

Lord of the Dance star and recent Dancing with the Stars guest judge Michael Flatley will host the series, which is being produced by 19 Entertainment with Fuller and Lythgoe serving as executive producers.

What do you think about Superstars of Dance? Talk about it on Reality TV World's Superstars of Dance message boards.

Lythgoe -- who also co-created Fox's So You Think You Can Dance with Fuller -- confirmed in August that he would be stepping down as Idol's executive producer after previously serving in that role for all of the Fox mega-hit's first seven seasons.

Instead, Lythgoe said he planned on devoting his time to both So You Think You Can Dance and also "a new venture with Simon Fuller" -- which has come to fruition in Superstars of Dance.

Superstars of Dance's premiere was announced as part of an overall January 2009 programming announcement in which NBC also announced premiere dates for two other reality series: The Biggest Loser: Couples and Howie Do It, a new Howie Mandel-hosted series.

The Biggest Loser: Couples' second edition -- the reality weight-loss competition's seventh overall edition -- will premiere on Tuesday, January 6 at 8PM ET/PT while Howie Do It, a new unscripted comedy series that Mandel will both star in and produce, will debut on Friday, January 9 at 8PM ET/PT.


Noticeably absent from NBC's January 2009 primetime programming schedule is The Celebrity Apprentice's second season, which was ordered last winter and filmed this fall.  Instead, The Celebrity Apprentice's second-season premiere is expected to formally announced when NBC reveals its post-January midseason schedule.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio