CBS Officiates 'Arranged Marriage' Reality Show

Zap2It.com | February 3, 2009

Jennifer Bresnan, Sr. VP Alternative Programming for CBS

'The Fish Tank' and 'House Rules' received pilot orders

With the divorce rate climbing in the U.S., CBS thinks it's time to try a different approach to marriage.

The network has ordered the reality series "Arranged Marriage" that will follow four singles who will embark on married life on the say-so of their friends and families, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The series revolves around the marital journey of four adults between the ages of 25-45, who have thus far been unsuccessful at finding a mate. Those close to the singles will select a spouse for them, and the couple will make it official by exchanging marriage vows.

The series will then follow the marriages in a documentary style. No other details have been revealed.

"Marriage" will be created by "Top Chef" and "Project Runway" producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth of Magical Elves. It's the second show that CBS' new reality chief Jennifer Bresnan has greenlighted after "Block Party," a competition show that pits neighboring families against each other.

In 2003, FOX had tried the arranged marriage formula in its controversial "Married by America." On the show, viewers voted who their singles should marry and the new couples were stuck in a hotel together to see if there was any chemistry. None of the pairings resulted in marriage.

In other CBS news, the network ordered a cast-contingent pilot for "The Fish Tank" and a pilot for "House Rules." The former is a single-camera half-hour comedy centering on a teenager who is left to his own devices five days a week at home. The latter is a political drama from "Grey's Anatomy" exec producer Mark Gordon that follows brand-new congressmen/women in Washington.