Planet Green Charges Into 2011 with Two Premiere Series this January

-- CONVICTION KITCHEN Season Two Premieres Friday, January 14, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT), and the World-Premiere Docu-Series BOOMTOWN Debuts Saturday, January 29, at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) --


(Pasadena, Ca.) This month, Planet Green-Discovery Communications’ home for “what’s next”-will unveil two signature series featuring the unique, engrossing storytelling and unforgettable characters that have become hallmarks of the network.

Headlining the network’s schedule in January is the second season of the sizzling restaurant series, CONVICTION KITCHEN, premiering January 14 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT). Season two again finds acclaimed executive chef, Marc Thuet, and his wife and business partner, Biana Zorich, putting their reputations on the line in the world of fine dining. The couple is given the seemingly impossible challenge of opening a high-end Vancouver restaurant in two weeks-aided only by a crew consisting entirely of inexperienced ex-cons. Thuet, who has had his own struggles with drugs and alcohol, is incredibly passionate about helping these former criminals and addicts overcome their demons and start new lives. However, this latest venture will push Thuet and Zorich-as well as their new staff-to the limit.

The effect of sudden wealth on ordinary people will be on full display on January 29 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT), when Planet Green premieres the gripping docu-series BOOMTOWN. The tiny town of Parshall, N.D., is isolated, windswept and frigid, like most northwestern American communities. The economy of this small community, like that of many other similar towns across America, has been in steep decline for many years-but recently, something amazing happened. Below the wheat fields, the grocery store and the high school football field, surveyors discovered vast quantities of thick, unrefined crude oil. BOOMTOWN tells the tale of this struggling American town in the midst of a profound reversal of fortune-where some townspeople become instant millionaires and others are left out in the cold.

“Planet Green is thrilled to present CONVICTION KITCHEN and BOOMTOWN-two signature series coming to the network this month,” said Laura Michalchyshyn, president and general manager of Planet Green. “Our goal at Planet Green is to provoke and challenge our audience while we entertain them, and I believe that’s exactly what we achieve with both of these series. This programming introduces the viewer to complex, authentic personalities in actual high-stakes situations. It’s addictive television.”

CONVICTION KITCHEN is an eight-part series produced for Planet Green by Cineflix (Dinners 2) Inc. Simon Lloyd and Gerard Barry are executive producers for Cineflix. Executive producer for Planet Green is Lynn Sadofsky.

BOOMTOWN is a five-episode series produced for Planet Green by Left/Right. Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, Rachel Libert, Josh Braun and Susannah Ludwig are executive producers; Rachel Libert is director. Lynn Sadofsky is executive producer for Planet Green.

About Planet Green
Planet Green is the multiplatform media destination for people looking for something new. Launched on June 4, 2008, Planet Green is following the evolving conversation about sustainability and is the entertainment brand that champions the visionaries who move our world forward in small and large ways. Planet Green and its two robust Web sites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer unique, insightful and inspiring content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green’s original programming, digital tools and content will entertain, educate and activate.