Season 5 of ‘Complex x Fuse’ Renewed

FUSE UNVEILS PREMIERE DATES, NEW PROGRAMMING, FOR PUMPED UP FALL LINEUP

Network Announces Season 5 Renewal of Breakout Series ‘Complex x Fuse,’ Expansion of Digital Documentary Series ‘Soundcheck To Stage’ and New Documentary ‘The Candidates’

‘Made From Scratch’ Guest Stars Also Announced, Including Ally Brooke, G-Eazy, A$AP Ferg, Big Boi, DaniLeigh, Dave East, Jhené Aiko, Rick Ross, Vic Mensa and Saweetie

 Fuse Media, a cross-platform entertainment media brand for the multicultural millennial and GenZ audience, announced today that the Fuse channel has set premiere dates for its new fall lineup.  Additionally, Fuse has unveiled the guest star list for new series Made From Scratch, renewed popular series Complex x Fuse for a fifth season, expanded the digital documentary series Soundcheck To Stage to linear and will premiere The Candidates, a new documentary in its Fuse Docs franchise.

In all, five new programs will premiere this fall alongside the returning Complex x Fuse.  The series include previously-announced Made From Scratch and The Read with Kid Fury and Crissle West.  The new installments under the Fuse Docs banner will be previously-announced Don’t Be Nice and new addition to the franchise, The Candidates.  And multiplatform series Soundcheck to Stage will feature rapper Rich The Kid. 

The programming premiering this fall exemplifies the company’s successful strategy of leveraging both homegrown and acquired content that was born on digital platforms, and developing it into new shows for linear television. Made From Scratch originated as a YouTube format where it has averaged 2.7 million views per episode, while Complex x Fuse curates popular content from Complex’ digital network and brings it to TV for the first time. The Read is based on a popular podcast, and a long-form episode of digital series Soundcheck to Stage is being made for TV. The digital premiere of the series featured Billie Eilish and generated more than one million views on YouTube.

“By migrating nontraditional programming to Fuse’s linear channel, we have blurred the line between ‘digital’ and ‘TV’ programming to create a diverse fall lineup,” said Fuse Media Chief Content Officer J-T Ladt. “With Complex x Fuse continuing to attract new viewers, we tested our in-house digital format Made From Scratch as a half-hour on linear. We are excited that experiment performed and Made From Scratch is making the jump to linear, alongside The Read and a Soundcheck to Stage.”

On the documentary side, the network’s Peabody and Emmy award-winning ? and Emmy, NAMIC and NAACP Image Award-nominated ? franchise, Fuse Docs returns with two new U.S. television premieres.  Spotlighting young, idealistic and diverse people who are celebrating their cultural heritage and identity, confronting issues, and overcoming prejudice, Fuse Docsdocuments their journeys and partners with organizations to help ignite a multiplatform conversation around each title.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND PREMIERE DATES 

The new and returning series airing on Fuse network this fall include:

• Soundcheck to Stage With Rich The Kid (Premieres September 2 at 11 p.m.) ? A linear episode of this digital documentary series, Soundcheck to Stage goes behind the scenes to give fans an inside look at their favorite artists pre-show rituals and intimate backstage moments. In this episode, Fuse hangs with Rich The Kid before his concert at House of Blues as a part of his official Lollapalooza Aftershow, presented by Fuse. Produced by the Fuse Content Studio.

• Complex x Fuse (10 x 60’ episodes; Premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 11 p.m.) ? Renewed for a fifth season, Complex x Fuse takes a look at the athletes and celebs eating killer food, answering burning questions and revealing the secrets behind the hottest kicks. This includes the most influential names in music, with past episodes featuring J Balvin, Lil Nas X and Juice Wrld, among others. Season 4 delivered the series’ most female (65%) and Hispanic (65%) audience to date, with a median age of 33.  Produced by Complex Networks.

• The Read with Kid Fury and Crissle West (10 x 30’ episodes ? Premieres Friday, October 11 at 11 p.m.) ? Inspired by their juggernaut podcast ? with more than 85 million listens worldwide and 1.5 million unique listens a month ? Kid Fury and Crissle host this talk/variety format that carries over their beloved segments like Hot Tops and The Read, while additionally featuring a special celebrity and/or musician guest. The duo uses their sharp, honest brand of cultural commentary and perceptive opinions to drill deep into the roots of the issues and stories affecting their millennial and Gen Z peers, from social justice and politics to dating and music culture, and everything in between. Avalon Television is producing, with Avalon’s Chloe Pisello, David Martin, Jon Thoday, and Richard Allen-Turner Executive Producing. Kid Fury, Crissle West, and Alexandra Rago are also executive producers.

• Don’t Be Nice (world TV premiere: Friday, October 11 at 11:30 p.m.) – A team of young poets from the Bowery Poetry Club have one month to compose their best work for the National Poetry Slam. Challenged by their coaches, the team must break through personal boundaries and explore issues such as family, race, relationships, sex, and bullying to create their most vulnerable and honest work yet. Directed by Max Powers.

• Made From Scratch (8 x 30’ episodes ? Premieres Tuesday, October 15 at 11 p.m.) ? The unscripted series will include guest stars Ally Brooke (in the series premiere), A$AP Ferg, G-Eazy, Big Boi, DaniLeigh, Dave East, Jhené Aiko, Rick Ross, Vic Mensa and Saweetie, cooking their favorite childhood dishes with family members who helped them rise to prominence. This appetizing new, weekly series will serve up a candid look into the lives of our favorite artists as they prepare their most-loved childhood dishes with the family who knows them best. The pilot episode of the digital version of this docu-cooking series featured Latinx rapper Young M.A and her grandmother and generated more than 4.5 million views on YouTube.   The series is being shot in kitchens from Atlanta and New Jersey to San Antonio and Los Angeles and is produced by the Fuse Content Studio.

• The Candidates (world TV premiere: Tuesday, November 5 at 8 p.m.) ? The ‘Election Simulation’ is the world’s longest running, most elaborate, and delightfully absurd civic experiment. Since 1996 one diverse New York City high school has staged a mock election with its entire student body, modeling the American electoral process in real life. In 2016, Pakistani-American Misbah stars as Hillary Clinton and Ukrainian-American Daniel stars as Donald Trump. This grand simulation holds a mirror up to society, complete with fake money, media pundits, caign ads, debates, electioneering, Super PACs, the candidates, and their spouses. Capturing the ins and outs of the political system through teenagers’ eyes, The Candidates suggests that politicians could learn from the civically-engaged optimism of younger generations. Directed by Alexandra Stergiou and Lexi Henigman.