TVSquad

VH1 and BET, both Viacom-owned channels, are splitting production costs and sharing airtime for a new series called Wifey, a drama set inside the hip-hop business. Queen Latifah is on board as a producer through her company Flavor Unit (which would also be a cool name for a restaurant, but I digress). Production on the series kicks off next month.

A pilot for the series has been ordered, and if it gets picked up for a full season the episodes will air simultaneously on both VH1 and BET, presumably to woo people interested in black culture and people interested in how comedians feel about ALF and the Rubik's Cube.

As the Hollywood Reporter points out, the obvious risk is that one network will be watched by a majority while the other one will be left high and dry. The people behind the new series also admit it's a gamble.

Three episodes of the FX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will also air on FOX in an effort to attract more viewers to the comedy series. I assume one of the viewers they want to attract would be me, since I hadn't even heard of this series until recently. The episodes, which will probably be toned down somewhat for a network audience, will air for three consecutive Sundays right after Family Guy, starting June 11. The second season will debut on FX on June 29. Danny DeVito recently signed on as a cast member. Of course, running the same show on different networks within the same media conglomerate isn't anything new, but it's not a bad way to get turned on to shows you might not normally watch.