After conquering primetime, Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer have their sights on prime beef. (Not to mention chicken, pork and everything else.) The actors are partnering to launch their own barbecue label, AC Barbeque, and will document their quest to perfect the skill of the grill via the new A&E Network series “Kings of BBQ.”
The series, which is still being developed under that working title, will follow the pals as they travel the country looking for advice and techniques from barbeque experts. A&E announced the greenlight of the 10-episode unscripted series on Wednesday as part of a flurry of news tied to its upfront meetings with advertisers.
“Anthony and I are very excited to take our audience into the savory, smokehouse-filled, finger licking world of barbeque all across the United States,” Cedric The Entertainer said in a statement. Added Anderson: ““The launch of AC Barbeque has been a lifelong dream for Cedric and I and we cannot wait to learn more about the craft and share our journey.”
Propagate is producing “Kings of BBQ” along with Bird Bear and Just a Kid From Compton. Anderson (“Black-ish”) and Cedric (“The Neighborhood”) have been pals for years and also both grew up with a passion for barbeque.
Here’s the logline: “In each one-hour episode, ‘Kings of BBQ’ will follow Cedric and Anthony as they meet with barbeque chefs, pitmasters and everyday experts who share their knowledge and secrets of the trade, highlighting Black Excellence in the industry along the way. From backyards to BBQ pits, the duo will go behind the scenes to master barbeque in all its glory and create a business of their own that honors its legacy and flavors. Along the way, celebrity friends and family will join in on the fun and help share how different cultures and experiences have influenced the delicious cooking technique.”
Executive producers for Propagate are Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Drew Buckley, Linh Le, and Rebecca Graham Forde. Executive producers for Bird Bear are Cedric The Entertainer and Eric Rhone. Executive producer for Just a Kid From Compton is Anthony Anderson. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Holcman serve as executive producers for A&E Network. Artists First’s E. Brian Dobbins is also an EP.
Also at A&E, the network has ordered five “Biography” specials examining hard rockers including Alice Cooper, Bret Michaels, Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, Sammy Hagar, and Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach. The episodes will air in late 2023 and feature new interviews with the artists.
Banger Films is producing in association with Category 6 Media. Co-directors are Sam Dunn and Marc Ricciardelli. Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen are executive producers for Banger Films, Stephen Mintz is an executive producer for Category 6 Media, and executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson. Rick Krim is also an executive producer.
Meanwhile, just days after her long-running syndicated talk show was canceled, Rachael Ray is expanding her partnership with A+E Networks. As part of A&E’s “Home.Made.Nation” programming block, Ray will launch new series including “Rachael Ray Meals in Minutes” (working title).
Also in that space, A+E Networks’ partnership with Buddy Valastro will include new food travel series “Legends of the Fork,” the reality entry “Cake Dynasty” and the competition series “Cake Toppers.” And comedian Michael Yo is behind “1,000 Ways to Dine,” which looks at unique restaurants.
Premiering July 9 at 11 a.m. ET is “Best in Chow,” featuring comedian Matt Richards as he looks for the best fair and street food. And that day at noon ET is “Deliciously Twisted Classics,” featuring Aarti Sequeira, Gina Neely, Leah Cohen and Rocco DiSpirito, among others.
And A&E has renewed “Zombie House Flipping,” which returns for season six. This season saw the expansion of the series with new teams in Tampa, FL and Dallas, TX in addition to the O.G. team in Orlando, FL. The series follows teams who transform rotting abandoned properties left for dead, or “zombie houses,” into beautifully remade homes, flipping them for top dollar. Each episode shows the inner workings of this high-stakes world full of unexpected disasters, hidden costs, and quirky personalities.
