The Houston Family Chronicles: Whitney Houston’s Family Lands Reality Show
Whitney Houston’s grieving relatives have inked a 10-episode deal with Lifetime for a reality show far enough along in pre-production to have a working title: The Houston Family Chronicles.
This feels like creepy profiteering, on the part of Lifetime, based on the premise that the public wants to watch this family mourning. But perhaps there’s another motive, notes TMZ.com, like “money for the extended family” and fame-whoring.
The reality show has the support of the entire family, excluding ex-husband Bobby Brown who’s reportedly sour because he wants daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown on his upcoming reality show (sources for TMZ say that is “never going to happen” because he’s effectively estranged from his daughter and he is only reaching out to “make his show more marketable”).
And matriarch Cissy Houston is reportedly telling friends she’s hopeful The Houston Family Chronicles will help her granddaughter’s singing career, and “help with the healing process [by] keeping the family as one.”
Lifetime has confirmed the show in a press release, following the news leaking on TMZ Friday.
“Lifetime has picked up The Houston Family Chronicles (working title), an all-new docu-series that will follow the lives of the late Whitney Houston’s family; led by Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, and including Pat’s daughter Rayah, Whitney’s brother Gary, daughter Bobbi Kristina, and mother Grammy® Award-winning singer Cissy Houston.
The announcement was made today by Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks.
Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law, manager and most trusted confidant, manages the business and estate of the beloved singer and her most prized possession, her daughter Bobbi Kristina.
The series will follow Pat and her husband, Gary [who is] Whitney Houston’s brother, as they take on their greatest challenge: supporting and guiding Bobbi Kristina as she faces the world alone without the one person she relied on the most, her mother.
…Pat enlists the help of her and Whitney’s inner circle, including Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick and Gospel legend CeCe Winans, to assist her in such difficult times.
Pat Houston [said], “I have been working with Simmons Shelley over the past few years developing a project suitable for myself and our family. The unexpected passing of Whitney certainly affects the direction of the show. However, it is my hope that others will be enlightened as they watch our family heal and move forward.”
Lifetime has ordered ten hour-long episodes of The Houston Family Chronicles, which will premiere this year.
Jarrett Creative will produce. Julie Insogna-Jarrett, Seth Jarrett, Tracey Baker Simmons, Wanda Shelley and Pat Houston will serve as executive producers with Lifetime’s Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and Noah Pollack. – via Lifetime.