During the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation, Chairman and Chief Content Officer US Networks, Kathleen Finch announced Food Network’s new star-powered series joining a packed lineup of premieres for the year ahead. From epic culinary battles between the best of the best to new and returning stars sure to make the lineup shine, Food Network’s programming is primed to deliver more of what audiences love. First up among the new series, two projects from mega-star Selena Gomez. Fresh off her hit Emmy-nominated HBO Max series, Selena + Chef, Selena joins Food Network later this year with a new celebration-focused series just in time for the holidays. Gomez will also soon begin working on a new series for 2024 that will have her meeting up with some of the best chefs in the country in a quest to cook their most popular dishes when she visits their kitchens. Both projects will be produced by July Moon Productions and The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television for Food Network.
Added Finch, “The holidays are always huge for Food Network, reaching nearly 60M P2+ viewers, and having Selena kicking off the nearly 100 hours of new and returning holiday programming will certainly make this coming season one to celebrate.”
The Elf on the Shelf® is an iconic, time-honored tradition and hallmark of the holidays in households across the globe. In partnership with The Lumistella Company, Food Network announced The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown WT, a Christmas-themed sweets showdown joining its must-see holiday lineup later this year. The new series will be set in a whimsical holiday wonderland and will feature The Elf on the Shelf’s Scout Elves challenging some of the best sweets makers from across the country to create the most magical and unexpected holiday creations ever seen. The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown WT is produced by Objective Media Group and All3 Media America for Food Network.
Food Network’s holiday programming will also feature returning fan-favorite series in Q4 including Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship and Holiday Wars.
“As the leader for food programming, besting ourselves year after year is no easy feat, but the upcoming lineup turns up the star power with new and returning faces and is packed with exciting competitions, magical holiday creations and culinary adventures for the whole family,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery.
From Guy Fieri, fans can look forward to more of the monster culinary competition Tournament of Champions, the sudden-death, bracket-style competition that keeps competitors on their toes and the audience on the edge of their seat. The recently wrapped fourth outing was the best cycle yet with more than 11 million viewers tuning in, making it the network’s highest-rated series to date this year; a new season will premiere in early 2024. Tournament of Champions is produced by Knuckle Sandwich and Lando Entertainment for Food Network.
Also on the docket from Fieri is an all-new competition travelogue, Best Bite in Town, where Guy will appoint some of his chef friends to hit the road to visit different cities each week, competing to find the very best bite in town. Best Bite in Town is produced by Knuckle Sandwich and Citizen Pictures for Food Network.
Viewers can also look forward to more of the popular ‘in the kitchen’ series which premiere weekly on Saturday and Sunday, providing recipe inspiration and cooking camaraderie from Food Network stars delivered straight to fans’ own kitchens. New episodes set to premiere include The Pioneer Woman with Ree Drummond, Be My Guest with Ina Garten, The Kitchen with co-hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian, and a new face to the weekend lineup, Franco Noriega. A world-class chef and restaurateur, Franco loves to entertain. Inspired by his Peruvian and Italian roots and his love of international travel, Franco dishes up simple, colorful, crowd-pleasing plates for everyone to enjoy in the all-new Hot Dish with Franco, slated to premiere this Fall. Hot Dish with Franco is produced by Big Fish Entertainment for Food Network.
Amidst the more than 80 hours of premieres coming this summer, Food Network’s lineup will also feature returning favorites including a new season of Outchef’d with Eddie Jackson on June 15th; timely seasonal competition Beachside Brawl hosted by Antonia Lofaso and the return of The Great Food Truck Race led by Tyler Florence on June 18th. July will offer double the heat when BBQ Brawl returns featuring a match-up between Bobby Flay, Sunny Anderson and Anne Burrell and the Michael Symon-hosted BBQ USA starts a new season, both titles premiere on July 10th. Fan-favorite Worst Cooks in America returns on August 6th and more premieres to be announced in the weeks ahead.
