MTV Studios and Quibi are teaming up to produce remakes of “Punk’d” and “Singled Out,” Variety has learned.
Both remakes, which will be available on the Jeffrey Katzenberg-created video streaming platform, will consist of 20 new episodes, each under ten minutes in length to remain in keeping with Quibi’s short-form content format.
“Punk’d” was a hidden camera reality show which aired for a total of ten seasons and was created by Ashton Kutcher, who also served as the host. The show targeted Hollywood stars, and the reboot will make use of augmented reality to make the pranks even bolder than before. The new “Punk’d” will be produced by STXtelevision in association with MTV Studios.
“This deal builds on MTV’s strategy of reinventing our iconic shows to reach new audiences on pioneering new platforms like Quibi,” said Chris McCarthy, president of MTV. “We are excited to be working with Jeffrey, Doug and the Quibi team to reinvent ‘Punk’d’ and ‘Singled Out’ for a new generation of fans.”
“Singled Out” was a dating show which originally aired on MTV from 1995 to 1998, and was recently revamped for MTV’s YouTube channel. The reimagined version will seek to show that “anyone and everyone can find love no matter their sexual preference.”
“For the generation who grew up watching ‘Punk’d’ and ‘Singled Out’ on MTV, this represents a long overdue reboot of two well-loved shows. It’s also an opportunity to bring these enduring and classic MTV franchises to a brand new audience on our exciting new platform,” said Doug Herzog from Quibi.
The two show joins the lineup of other premium, short-form series ordered by Quibi, including projects from Jason Blum, Catherine Hardwicke, Stephen Curry,Guillermo del Toro, Antoine Fuqua, and Sam Raimi. The service also is slated to include daily news and lifestyle programming.
