Licensing deals for cable aren’t usually front page headline kind of stuff, and this instance isn’t really a rule breaker in that area. But a deal just put together by Turner Networks and Lions Gate sort of makes one scratch his head as to how future programming is going to shape up. Variety has a piece detailing that The House of Ted and Lions Gate have just put together an accord where TNT and TBS will get first cracks at a couple of Tyler Perry’s more recent er, endeavors – including the latest Madea film – and a trio of Jason Statham’s newest movies, including the Crank sequel, which isn’t even out yet.
The movies covered in the deal are Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes To Jail, Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys, Tyler Perry’s Transporter 3, Tyler Perry’s The Bank Job and Tyler Perry’s Crank 2: High Voltage. This will effectively give the Turner Networks catbird seating on most of Perry’s theatrical films, including all but one of the Madea outings, as well as his two current TV series, Meet The Browns and House of Payne. Sometime in 2011 the promo for the night’s programming might take shape on TBS in the following fashion: “Right after the 23 Days of Bond, settle back for a night of action and laughs as Madea and Chev Chelios team up to juice your rear end all the way to the big house. Madea Goes To Jail followed by Crank 2: High Voltage.” Or “Diary of a Mad Black Woman followed by Transporter 3.” Love to see the programming boys try to butt those two audiences together.
Anyway, other properties included in the Turner / Lions Gate licensing deals include Disaster Movie (that and Madea Goes To Jail automatically make up a Friday night “Must Miss TV” block) and My Best Friend’s Girl. So just a heads up a couple years beforehand to set your DVRs…if the damn things aren’t obsolete by then.