MUMBAI: It is edging towards an image overhaul. From being labeled as the blood and gore channel, it is gradually moved towards being action and adventure channel and is now aiming to carve a niche in the lifestyle segment. With five shows being commissioned for the season, AXN is ready to roll out two shows The Associates and CSI Miami, this month.
Premiering on 12 September, The Associates is a critically acclaimed legal drama, which will air every Friday at 10 pm. A Canadian production, the show that premiered on Canadian TV (CTV) in 2001 delves into the world of politics, nepotism, sexism, jealousy, betrayal and law. It is a story of five young, intelligent and ambitious lawyers who work for a big law firm, Young, Barnsworth & King Associates (YBK).
Starring Mitch Barnsworth, Amy Kassan, Benjamin Hardaway, Jonah Gleason and Robyn Parsons, the show portrays the professional and personal lives of the young and sometimes naive legal professionals.
Rumoured to have taken inspiration from the American legal show West Wing, the show has Hickey playing Robyn Parson, a Texan girl with an unpleasant past, while Benson plays Jonah Gleason, the romantic ally, an idealistic and determined lawyer. Barnes plays Benjamin Hardaway, good-looking and highly intelligent Yale University law, Raymond portrays Amy Kassan as an entrepreneur and fiercely independent lawyer with an estranged father. Hogan stars as Mitch Barnsworth, the charming prodigal great, great grandson of one of the origianl founders of YBK.
Meanwhile, the second season of CSI- CSI Miami, starring NYPD alumni David Caruso and Kim Delaney, will premiere on 17 September, every Wednesday at 10 pm. The show has garnered highest rating of any network drama premiere in the US and is the winner of 2003 People’s Choice award for the favourite television new dramatic series.
Besides two new launches, the channel also has a few events in the pipeline. First to launch is Global Adventure, which premieres on 5 September at 10 pm. Showcasing the world of extreme and adventure sports-filmmaker Warren Miller, Global Adventure is packed with the some of the best footage of skiers, snowboarders and other adrenaline pumping sports.
Next on the agenda is a lifestyle event Passengers, which will air on 10 September at 11 pm every Friday. It highlights the latest trends, events and faces to watch, right from Manhattan socialites to Italian hooligans and Mexican trance dance fans. Each week, viewers will come face to face with the youth culture around the world.
Last on the events calendar is the telecast of the World Stunt Awards on 27 September at 8 pm. Created to recognize and honour the tremendous contributions of stunt performers to modern film experience, celebrities gracing this year’s Taurus World Stunt Awards include Daredevil and Alias star Jennifer Garner, The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines star and former Honorary Award recipient Arnold Schwarznegger, The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded star Carrie Anne Moss, and The Scorpion King and X-Men 2 star Kelly Hu.
