Richard Knapp / A&E
Gene Simmons, Shannon Tweed, Nick Simmons and Sophie Simmons in "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."
By Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter
A&E is pulling the plug on "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."
The reality effort -- which follows the Kiss bassist, his longtime partner Shannon Tweed and their two children, Nick and Sophie -- premiered in 2006 to strong ratings for the then-little-watched cable network.
Photos from THR: 20 best and worst music to movie crossovers
"For seven great seasons, Gene, Shannon, Nick and Sophie have been part of the A&E family, and we could not be more proud of the unparalleled run of?'Gene Simmons Family Jewels,' " the network said in a statement obtained exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter. "On behalf of everyone at A&E, we?d like to thank the production team at Thinkfactory Media, Gene and his amazing family for their partnership, collaboration and for opening up their lives, warts-and-all, to us throughout the years."
Added the family: "With Kiss on tour and with my other business commitments, we have decided to draw the final curtain on our show. It has been a wonderful, life-altering experience for our family, and after seven successful seasons, we feel it?s time to move on. A big thank you to A&E for allowing us to tell our story and a big thank you to our excellent producers Leslie Greif, Adam Freeman, Adam Reed and the team at Thinkfactory Media. This is not the end of our story, it's the beginning of a new chapter. With love -- Gene, Shannon, Sophie, and Nick."
Exclusive THR video: Gene Simmons' groupie woes take center stage on 'Family Jewels'
Thinkfactory's Leslie Greif said, "After having produced over 160 episodes of 'Gene Simmons Family Jewels,' all of us at Thinkfactory Media are honored to have spent the last eight years with the Simmons-Tweed family. It's rare that a show is able to connect with America, and we are proud to have partnered with A&E on this iconic family journey."
The news comes as A&E focuses on freshening its fare with new efforts in both the scripted (see Carlton Cuse's upcoming "Bates Motel") and unscripted (see breakout "Duck Dynasty") realm. In May, A&E canceled?"Dog the Bounty Hunter" after eight seasons.
The network is coming off of its best July ever, thanks to originals including "Storage Wars," "The Glades" and freshman scripted effort "Longmire." With 1.7 million viewers tuning in, A&E tied for the No. 4 entertainment cable network for the month.
What will you miss most about the show? Tell us on our Facebook page!
Related content:
More in The Clicker:
wisconsin recall doris day buffalo sabres texas news kim mulkey sarah palin today show dallas tornado video
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.