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[08/28/19 - 11:13 AM]
Nickelodeon Greenlights Unscripted Holiday Series "Top Elf"; Orders Full Series Pickup of "The Substitute"
"Top Elf," which begins production in September on five one-hour episodes, features kid contestants with extraordinary building and design skills competing for the coveted title of Top Elf.

[via press release from Nickelodeon]

NICKELODEON GREENLIGHTS UNSCRIPTED HOLIDAY SERIES "TOP ELF"; ORDERS FULL SERIES PICKUP OF "THE SUBSTITUTE"

Holiday-Themed Competition Show Top Elf Premieres December; Series Debut of The Substitute Premieres October

BURBANK, Calif. - Aug. 28, 2019 - Nickelodeon has greenlit a new high-stakes competition series, Top Elf, and ordered a full series pickup of The Substitute, it was announced today by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content. Top Elf, which begins production in September on five one-hour episodes, features kid contestants with extraordinary building and design skills competing for the coveted title of Top Elf.

Hidden camera prank show The Substitute has been picked up for a full 10-episode series order, following the strong performance of two specials which aired earlier this year. Production on The Substitute is underway, with the series premiere airing this October.

Said Bagshaw, "Giving our audience a range of unscripted content in different formats is one of our top priorities. Top Elf is an irresistible opportunity to celebrate the holidays with a uniquely comedic approach to a high-stakes competition. Our first new format from this division earned high marks from our audience, so we're very pleased to order The Substitute for a full series."

In Top Elf, Santa has invited seven civilian "Elf-testants" to the North Pole in a competition that tests their skills in a series of holiday-themed challenges. Demonstrating the true spirit of the holidays, the Elf-testants compete to have their wish lists granted--not for themselves, but for someone in their community.

The Substitute features stars who are transformed by a team of Hollywood special effects artists to go undercover as professionals in various fields, surprising unsuspecting kids in schools, camps and other locations. During the reveal at the end of the day, each organization receives a $25,000 donation. The Substitute's first special debuted in April with guest star Jace Norman (Henry Danger), and the second special premiered in May, guest starring multitalented comedian Lilly Singh.

Top Elf is created by Mike Duffy and Tim Duffy of Ugly Brother Studios, who will executive produce the series along with Jimmy Fox at Main Event Media, an All3Media America company. Bob Schermerhorn (Project Runway All Stars, America's Next Top Model) and Lisa Fletcher (The Titan Games) are executive producers, with Fletcher also serving as the showrunner. Nickelodeon's Vice Presidents of Unscripted Content Paul J Medford and Mandel Ilagan also serve as executive producers. Michael Pearlman (Chopped, Project Runway All Stars) will direct the series.

The Substitute is produced by Industrial Media's The Intellectual Property Corporation. Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Todd Hurvitz (Punk'd), serve as executive producers, with Hurvitz also serving as the showrunner. Jessica Brown, Nickelodeon's executive in charge of production and Vice President of Current Series, also serves as an executive producer.

Production of The Substitute and Top Elf for Nickelodeon is overseen by Rob Bagshaw, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content.

About Ugly Brother Studios

Ugly Brother Studios is the Emmy-winning production company founded by twin brothers Mike Duffy and Tim Duffy. Ugly Brother creates and produces premium content themed around comedy, music, food and family including Ron Funches: Giggle Fit, The Funny Dance Show and the multi-Emmy-winning and James Beard Award-nominated Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse, among others.

About All3Media America

All3Media America is the U.S. arm of global independent television, film and digital production group All3Media. With teams in Los Angeles and New York, All3Media America's portfolio companies are responsible for hits that include the Emmy Award-winning Undercover Boss for CBS, the Emmy Award-winning United Shades of America for CNN, Chrisley Knows Best for USA, 24 Hours to Hell and Back with Gordon Ramsay for FOX, the Emmy Award-winning Cash Cab for Discovery, Worst Cooks in America for Food Network and Betrayed for Investigation Discovery. All3Media's unique federal structure, a model followed in both the U.S. and U.K., encourages the creative and strategic independence of its growing roster of production companies. Today comprised of 30 global production companies and counting, All3Media is one of the largest production houses in the world. All3Media is owned jointly between Discovery Communications and Liberty Global.

About Main Event Media

Main Event Media, an All3Media America company, is an Emmy-winning production company based in Los Angeles. Founded by producer Jimmy Fox, the company creates content across multiple genres including scripted, documentary, reality and original podcast production. Main Event is known for the multi-time Emmy-winning CNN series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell and Investigation Discovery's Breaking Homicide. Additional works include the E! drama series The Arrangement, Snapchat's original series While Black, multiple specials for Discovery Channel's Shark Week, Amazon Prime's docuseries Inside Jokes, the comedy series Hollywood Darlings for POP Network, Is OJ Innocent: The Missing Evidence for Investigation Discovery, It Was Him: The Many Murders of Ed Edwards for Paramount Network and Make Me a Millionaire Inventor for CNBC. Main Event has been recognized for its work garnering TCA, NAACP and International Documentary Association (IDA) nominations.

About The Intellectual Property Corporation

The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) is an Emmy-winning IP creation and production studio based in Van Nuys, California. Founded in 2016, IPC develops and produces a wide range of television, film, documentary, and interactive mobile content. The company currently has series in production or development with a wide range of US broadcast, cable networks, and streamers including "Free Meek" for Amazon and the company's first scripted project, "Dirty Thirty", for HBO. In 2017, the company was awarded an Emmy and in 2018 a Producers Guild Award for its series "Leah Remini: Scientology & the Aftermath" which was nominated for another Emmy this year. IPC was acquired by Industrial Media in 2018.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 40th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).





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· SUBSTITUTE, THE (NICKELODEON)
· TOP ELF (NICKELODEON)





[08/11/26 - 07:16 AM]
Netflix's "A Different World" Reveals Brandy Theme Song
Today, Netflix announced that Grammy Award winner, Brandy Norwood, is bringing her voice to the theme song for "A Different World," releasing September 24, only on Netflix.

[08/11/26 - 06:57 AM]
Disney+ Revs Up as the Global Streaming Home of Formula E
Spanning 21 rounds across 13 events in some of the most iconic cities around the world, the upcoming season kicks off on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and with stops in Austin, Miami, Monaco and Mexico City, culminating in the final round on July 25, 2027, in Tokyo.

[08/11/26 - 06:46 AM]
Video: "Gentle Monster" - Official Teaser - Netflix
When a police raid shatters her life, concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) must protect her son and confront how little she knows her husband after he is accused of an unspeakable crime in this tense thriller about trust and survival.

[08/11/26 - 06:31 AM]
First Look: Netflix's "The Body" Premieres on November 11
The upcoming eight-episode series is created by Quinn Shephard and follows a group of badly behaved Catholic school girls who begin having prophetic visions that set off mass hysteria in their town after a dance-team initiation goes wrong.

[08/11/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV Debuts Trailer for New Thriller "Last Seen" Starring Patrick Brammall
"Last Seen" will make its global debut on Wednesday, September 9 with two episodes, followed by a new episode every Wednesday until October 7, 2026.

[08/11/26 - 05:03 AM]
ESPN and ABC Unveil American Express NBA Tip-Off and NBA Christmas Day Presented by State Farm Broadcast Schedules for the 2026-27 Regular Season
ESPN tips off its 2026-27 NBA regular season coverage on Wednesday, October 21, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, along with newly acquired LaMelo Ball, visit the Miami Heat and two-time Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who makes his Heat debut.

[08/11/26 - 04:49 AM]
Jalen Brunson and Defending NBA Champion New York Knicks, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum, and Cade Cunningham Headline First-Ever American Express NBA Tip-Off Tripleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on NBC and Peacock
This will be the first time that a network has ever broadcast three NBA Tip-Off games.

[08/10/26 - 05:00 PM]
She's Really Good! Demi Lovato Makes Surprise Cameo as Mitchie Torres in "Camp Rock 3" Cameo
Lovato returns to the beloved franchise as both an executive producer and will make a cameo in the new film.

[08/10/26 - 01:46 PM]
Damon Wayans Reunites with "In Living Color" Castmate David Alan Grier on the Season Three Premiere of NBC's "St. Denis Medical"
Wayans will guest star in the role of Dr. Highland, a charming but pompous new doctor at St. Denis.

[08/10/26 - 01:30 PM]
"Big Brother" Celebrates Historic 1,000th Primetime Episode with Surprise Guests, Fan Votes and the Summer's Biggest Twist
The historic night will feature surprise appearances from former Houseguests determined by interactive fan votes and kick off the biggest twist of the summer.

[08/10/26 - 12:16 PM]
Grammy Award-Winning Singer and Actress Brandy Norwood Returns to Lifetime to Star in and Executive Produce Sequel to Holiday Movie, "Christmas Everyday"
Norwood reprises her role as Francine "Fancy" Ballantine, which garnered her an NAACP award nomination, alongside real-life daughter Sy'rai Smith who stars as Fancy's younger sister, Belle; Debbi Morgan as their mother, Evelyn; and Robert C. Riley as Fancy's fiancé, Jaylen.

[08/10/26 - 12:01 PM]
NBC to Air Sept. 10 "Law & Order: SVU" Marathon Featuring Best of Mariska Hargitay
The episodes will feature Hargitay's Emmy-winning performance (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series) as well as two of her nominated performances.

[08/10/26 - 10:37 AM]
Discovery's Shark Week Delivers Best Ratings in Seven Years
Primetime telecasts averaged a 0.77 L3 rating among Adults 25-54, marking the largest year-over-year increase in 13 years and the first year of ratings growth since 2023.

[08/10/26 - 10:01 AM]
Apple TV Reteams with Alfonso Cuaron on New Series "Ascension"
Inspired by the novel "Last Days" by Adam Nevill, "Ascension" is a one-hour psychological horror thriller following Rose, a relentless documentary filmmaker and recently divorced mother who is brilliant at uncovering others' truths but struggling to resolve her own.

[08/10/26 - 10:00 AM]
New Interactive Game "Public Eye" from Wolf Games Now Available in Peacock's Mobile App
Players are Officer Logan Dine, a patrol cop secretly investigating his uncle's murder in the crime-ridden streets of Caldera City.