Onion 360º

Arts, Briefly

Fake Newspaper to Get Real TV Show

Compiled by Dave Itzkoff
Published: March 22, 2010

The Onion, the satirical news organization that broke the fake story that the smoke monster from “Lost” would receive its own spinoff series and cheekily reported that television critics who praised “The Wire” had never seen the show, is itself headed to the small screen. On Monday the Independent Film Channel announced that it was developing a television series based on The Onion, the humorous weekly newspaper and Web site (theonion.com), as part of a comedy-heavy slate of new programming. The Onion series, called “Onion News Network,” will bring the deadpan sensibility of the Web site’s popular video clips to a show in the vein of authentic news programs like CNN’s “Situation Room” or “Anderson Cooper 360.” “It just seems to us, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are already doing such great comedy out there, without a whole lot of competition,” said Will Graham, an executive producer of “Onion News Network.” “We thought it was about time that someone really gave them a run for their money.” The IFC series is planned for a 2011 debut.

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November 22, 2006 | ISSUE 42•47

Afghan Warlord Takes Anderson Cooper As 43rd Wife