After several months spent in litigation limbo, the long-delayed sixth season of reality competition Project Runway will see the light of day this summer on Lifetime.
Originally scheduled to make the network jump in January of this year, Project Runway got caught up in a tangled “mine-no-MINE” legal battle when producers the Weinstein Co. sold the hit Bravo show to Lifetime without giving parent company NBC Universal a chance at a counter-offer, resulting in a breach of contract accusation. Then Lifetime countersued, the show was delayed, Fashion Week happened without anyone knowing the competing designers’ identities, and fans were left wondering if that ridiculous cat-throwing incident would be the ignoble end of the Project Runway legacy. But it looks like the Weinstein Co. has coughed up enough money to NBCU for the right to move the show, resulting in congratulatory press releases all around. From NBCU:
NBC Universal, The Weinstein Company and Lifetime have resolved their disputes. The Weinstein Company will pay NBCU for the right to move Project Runway to Lifetime. All of the parties are pleased with the outcome. Harvey Weinstein added, "I want to personally congratulate Jeff Zucker and NBCU on their success in the litigation and thank Jeff for resolving this in a professional manner. We look forward to working together on our ongoing projects.”
Lifetime president Andrea Wong also got in on the rah-rah press-release action, making sure to note the prestigious company PR will be among at its new home:
I couldn't be more excited that Lifetime will bring its viewers an amazing, all-new season of Project Runway this summer. As the highest-rated cable network for women, Lifetime is the perfect home for this outstanding program as well as its companion series Models of the Runway. All of us at Lifetime are thrilled to move forward with Heidi, Tim, Nina, Michael, The Weinstein Company and the entire Project Runway team. We are proud to add these shows to our growing slate of original programming, including the hit series Army Wives, the all-new upcoming series Drop Dead Diva and our top-rated original movies.
The season has already been taped in its entirety, so expect the promotional machine to start going full speed ahead any day now.