“Open your eyes and get ready for the biggest surprise of your life. The Venice Beach Freak Show is right here! You will see the strangest creatures on Earth, the living wonders of the world; the most amazing people on the planet”
FOX UK has acquired the rights to both seasons of unscripted reality series Freak Show from Endemol, in a deal negotiated by Toby Etheridge for FOX and Gisela Asimus-Minnbergh for Endemol.
Season one is 8 x 30 minutes and stars former music producer Todd Ray, following his dream to own and operate a freak show on the famed Venice Beach boardwalk.Bringing together all things bizarre and unique, including two-headed animals, strange artefacts and human wonders, Freak Show features a plethora of one-of a kind performers and death defying stunts, all the while delving deeper into the personal lives of these fascinating entertainers. The series is an Endemol USA production for AMC and will premiere on Wednesday 26th November at 10pm First on FOX. FOX viewers can get a sneak-peak of the upcoming series as a special preview airs straight after the launch of twisted horror anthology American Horror Story: Freak Show tonight (21st October).
Toby Etheridge, Head of Programming and Scheduling, FIC UK, commented: “We’re thrilled to be back in business with Endemol on this AMC unscripted gem, which will perfectly complement our Autumn line-up on FOX.”
Cathy Payne, Chief Executive of Endemol Worldwide Distribution adds: “Freak Show is a fascinating look into the real lives of an amazing group of entertainers portraying characters that never cease to capture our imagination.”
Todd traded in the glamour of his high-powered music career and dedicated his life to the pursuit of the amazing and insane. He opened the Venice Beach Freak Show - his goal: to become a modern day PT Barnum and surpass ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ as the premiere destination for the strange and unusual.
With a family to support and everything on the line, Todd's under constant pressure to come up with new, mind-blowing attractions every week. Whether he’s recruiting amazing talent like Brittany and Abby (Siamese twins whose two heads share one body), procuring a “one-of-a-kind” human Cyclops, or dreaming up a stunt of shooting Larry the Wolf Boy out of a cannon over the Venice Beach Boardwalk...Todd is forced to push his ambitions higher and higher to keep tourists flowing through the freak show's doors.
With unprecedented access to this hidden world, get to know the people behind the wonder. Freak Show is a celebration of what makes people different and unique. Todd and his troupe of performers are actively trying to re-define the work freak as a positive. All of the performers have an undying loyalty for Todd Ray - the man who brought them all together with an exuberant admiration for their marvellous traits and genuine reverence for the human wonders that they are.
Each episode will present a new series of challenges and obstacles for Todd to overcome, as he dreams up the wildest ideas imaginable and obsessively seeks out the most extreme specimens and performers in existence, no matter what it costs or where they’re located. We’ll explore this extended family of freaks and delve into the human stories that make them each relatable.
Don’t miss the real FREAK SHOW, Wednesday 26th November at 10pm First on FOX.