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Emmy award-winning As the World Turns actress Eileen Fulton died on July 14, 2025, in Asheville, Nc, “after a period of declining health.” Fulton was 91 years old, according to her obituary.

A Legendary Scene-Stealer

Fulton was born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty on September 13, 1933, in Asheville, North Carolina. With just a small role as a receptionist on Nero Wolfe on Television and a supporting role in the film, Girl of the Night, Fulton burst onto the daytime scene in 1960 as the vixen, Lisa Miller, on As the World Turns.

The role was meant to be a short-term role opposite Mr. Nice Guy, Bob Hughes (played by Don Hastings). It wasn’t long before she started earning her moniker as a legendary scene-stealer. Of course, to hear Fulton tell the story it was all about her feisty delivery of the dialogue that made Lisa so interesting and turned a short-term role into a 5-decade legacy.

Jeff Jenkins made his name in unscripted television as an executive producer of E!’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” among other shows. But he’d been thinking about starting his own production company for some time before exiting his position as co-president of Bunim-Murray Productions. His desire to entertain viewers and inspire meaningful conversations with his shows pushed him to take the leap.

“We get to tell stories that, once in a while, actually can help advance our human culture in a small way,” Jenkins told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View.

That’s what he’s striving to do at Jeff Jenkins Productions, which he formed in 2018, a year after leaving Bunim-Murray, alongside 3Bmg Entertainment’s CEO Ross Weintraub and Chairman Reinout Oerlemans. 3Bmg co-produces the programming alongside Jenkins and his company, which operates out of 3Bmg’s production offices in Sherman Oaks.

“Those are...

The year was 1992. Two visionary television producers, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, embarked on an experiment to bring together seven young people of varying backgrounds, races, and places, put them in a Manhattan loft for three months, and let the cameras roll. They called it The Real World, and as the show's tagline said, it was about finding out what happens "when people stop being polite and start getting real." It was a brave sociological experiment, and it ushered in a new era of reality TV.

Kim Kardashian appears in a teaser trailer for MTV’s The Challenge Untold History. Pic credit: MTV

“What is The Challenge?” asks the show’s winningest competitor, Johnny Bananas, in a teaser trailer for a documentary series focused on the reality TV competition show.

The Challenge Untold History will examine how the popular series made reality TV history and led to the creation of other competitive shows.

In a quick teaser trailer that @thechallenge unveiled on their official Instagram on Wednesday, fans got to briefly see and hear from some of the cast members who participated in MTV’s longtime show.

Among them are former finalists, Challenge winners, and even some individuals who weren’t involved in the show but are fans.

That includes a surprising appearance from reality TV star icon and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, who may be among the show’s superfans.

Here are more details about the...

Network: CBS

Episodes: Ongoing (hour)

Seasons: Ongoing

TV show dates: July 6, 2022 -- present

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: T. J. Lavin (host)

TV show description:

A reality competition series, The Challenge: USA TV show is a spin-off of the long-running series The Challenge on MTV. Both were created by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray.

Read More…...

Paramount+ and MTV has renewed The Real World Homecoming for not just one, but two seasons. The cast of The Real World: Los Angeles is set to reunite for Season 2.

The unscripted series made its debut on Paramount+ earlier in March with The Real World: Homecoming New York, which reunited members of the original cast that appeared in the 1992 reality series from Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray.

Similarly in The Real World Homecoming Season 2, the cast mates of The Real World: Los Angeles will reconnect after decades apart to find out how the series transformed their lives since the cameras stopped rolling. They’ll discover, once again, what happens when people stop being polite… and start getting real.

The Real World Homecoming Season 2 is set to debut later this fall.

Sitarah Pendelton-Eaglin, Candida Boyette-Clemons and Nadim Amiry are executive producers for MTV Entertainment Studios. Jonathan Murray, Julie Pizzi, Erica Ross,...

“I take neither the credit nor the blame,” executive producer Jonathan Murray smiles when asked about being billed as a pioneering leader and innovator in the reality TV genre. Thanks in large part to him and his producing partner, the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, the genre has spawned hundreds of formats, series and specials, becoming a juggernaut across the television landscape. So after decades of producing some of TV’s most recognizable reality franchises, it seems fitting that this season Murray was finally able to revisit his first foray in the genre with the latest iteration of MTV’s groundbreaking observational “Real World” reality TV series, “The Real World Homecoming: New York.”

Watch our exclusive video interview with Murray above in which he shares anecdotes about the trials, tribulations and joys of working on the show while also looking back on past highlights from his celebrated career to date.

See Exclusive...

On The Real World Homecoming: New York, the original cast members of the landmark MTV series reunite in the same loft where they filmed in 1992 to reflect on how it changed their lives, and the enduring resonance of the issues it brought to light.

Created by the late Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, with George Verschoor producing and directing, The Real World was conceived as a social experiment, which would bring seven strangers from totally different backgrounds together to see if they could find common ground. Credited with birthing the reality television genre, which has exploded in the decades since its premiere, the series’ original cast members included Heather B. Gardner and Kevin Powell.

At Deadline’s virtual Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event, Murray, Verschoor, Gardner and Powell discussed their experience revisiting The Real World, and what it feels like to be associated with the show all these years later.

Seven years ago, Rolling Stone interviewed Real World co-creator Jonathan Murray about the newest season of the groundbreaking MTV reality show. At the end, we ran an idea past him: “[Thinking] back to that original cast in New York, it would be nice to see something with them again. Maybe put them all back into a loft for a week.”

He was a little skeptical. “I don’t know doing it that way is best, and I’m not sure they’d be willing to do it,” he said at the time.

The influence of RuPaul’s Drag Race continues at ViacomCBS. The drag competition format is getting its own singing competition spin-off as part of Paramount+’s slate of reality and non-scripted series.

Drag Race producer World of Wonder is making Queen of the Universe, which will see drag queens from all around the world compete to see who is Queen of The Universe. Expect high heels and high octaves. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars is also back for another season.

The streamer is also heading back to New York with the reality franchise that kicked it all off for MTV. The Real World Homecoming: New York will see the seven strangers that starred in the 1992 reality series from Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray return in a new multi-episode docuseries. It will launch March 4.

Paramount+/ViacomCBS Streaming Event: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

Elsewhere, Road Rules is returning with a new roster of Road Warriors.

Julie Pizzi has been named president of entertainment and development at Bunim/Murray Productions. She was formerly the company’s president of entertainment and development.

Bunim/Murray (Bmp), which was originally founded in 1987 by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, is owned by Banijay. Cris Abrego is chairman of Banijay’s American operations and is also president and CEO of Endemol Shine Holdings.

Bmp is the studio behind “The Real World,” “Road Rules” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” “The Real World” is returning via Paramount+ (the rebranded and expanded CBS All Access) beginning with a reunion of the groundbreaking and original reality show’s original New York cast.

“Julie brings a wealth of unscripted production experience to her new role and has been a part of the Bunim/Murray family for more than 20 years, making her the ideal candidate to lead the studio into the next decade,” Abrego said on Wednesday.

Bunim-Murray Prods. has a new boss: Julie Pizzi has been named president of the Banijay-owned studio. As president of Bunim-Murray Prods., Pizzi will report to Cris Abrego, chairman of the Americas for Banijay and president/CEO of Endemol Shine Holdings. She fills the void left by the departure of longtime Bunim-Murray chairman/CEO Gil Goldschein, who officially exited the shingle earlier this month.

Abrego made the announcement of Pizzi’s appointment on Wednesday. She was most recently president of entertainment and development at Bunim-Murray. The move comes as part of a reorganization following the announcement in November that Bunim-Murray would be part of Abrego’s oversight.

“Julie brings a wealth of unscripted production experience to her new role and has been a part of the Bunim/Murray family for more than 20 years, making her the ideal candidate to lead the studio into the next decade,” Abrego said. “Bunim-Murray is one...

Julie Pizzi has returned to Bunim/Murray Productions as President.

Pizzi, who has worked at the Real World producer on and off for a number of years, follows the departure of CEO Gil Goldschein, who stepped down in November.

Reporting to Cris Abrego, who was promoted to boss of owner Banijay across the U.S. and Latin America at the end of last year, Pizzi originally spent six years as Creative Vice President and Showrunner, working on shows including MTV’s Road Rules and Real World/Road Rules Challenge, before leaving to set up her own company Pb&j Television.

She returned to head up development at Bunim/Murray in 2015, and most recently developed and served as Executive Producer on Bill Nye Saves the World for Netflix and worked on series including Facebook Watch’s Ball In The Family, The Real World Thailand, Mexico and Atlanta for Facebook, Snapchat’s first docu-series Endless,...

This is the true story of seven reality TV pioneers picked to reunite in a loft and have their lives taped… and you know the rest.

Veteran reality staple The Real World is helping kick off the rebranded Paramount+ platform (formerly CBS All Access) on March 4 with the debut of The Real World Homecoming: New York, TVLine has learned. The six-episode docuseries will reunite the original seven strangers as they revisit the shocking moments and fiery issues they tackled during their historic season, and discuss how their experience parallels the world and society of today.

More from TVLineThe Challenge: 14 Og...

MTV’s signature unscripted franchise The Real World is coming back to kick off the March 4 launch of Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ rebranded streaming service. A new Real World installment will reunite the original New York cast in the iconic NYC loft for The Real World Homecoming: New York.

In the multi-episode docuseries, the original seven strangers will revisit the shocking moments and explosive issues that transpired during the historic season and discuss how they parallel in today’s social climate. After spending decades apart, viewers will reconvene with New York housemates Becky Blasband, Andre Comeau, Heather B. Gardner, Julie Gentry, Norman Korpi, Eric Nies and Kevin Powell to find out how the series transformed their lives since the cameras stopped rolling and to find out, once again, what happens when they stop being polite… and start getting real.

“MTV’s The Real World has been credited with creating the Reality TV...

Bunim-Murray Prods. chairman/CEO Gil Goldschein is leaving after a 20-year run at the pioneering unscripted production company. Goldschein, who was elevated to the supremo role in April 2015, said he plans to pursue other opportunities “at the intersection of technology and entertainment.”

Goldschein will remain with Bunim-Murray (also abbreviated as Bmp) until Feb. 15, 2021 to help with the management transition. He took over as CEO of the Banijay-owned company more than five years ago from legendary co-founder Jonathan Murray, who was eager to shift his focus back to producing.

“At heart, I am an entrepreneur with a passion for taking on new challenges, which is why I feel the time is right to leave what has been my home for so long,” Goldschein said in a statement.

Goldschein first joined Bunim-Murray as director of business and affairs in 2001, later becoming general counsel and then chief operating officer in 2007 and president in...

A&e Network has set a holiday finale special for “Born This Way,” the Emmy-winning reality series that chronicles the transition to adulthood for eight young men and women with Down syndrome.

A&e plans to air the hourlong finale in December for the docu-reality series that ran four seasons, starting in 2015.

Before the special debuts, the cabler’s digital platform will feature a six-part short-form digital series that will examine how the stars have grown and changed during the run of the show: Elena, John, Megan, Rachel, Sean, Steven, Cristina and Angel. “Born This Way” also incorporates the perspective of parents into the show.

The series has been been hailed for helping to change the way viewers see the disabled community by depicting the lives of special-needs young adults as they seek independence from their parents, embark on careers and begin romantic relationships. The series from Bunim-Murray Productions won the Emmy...

1986: Another World's Cass was determined to see Kathleen.

1991: Days of our Lives' Jack and Jennifer saw a familiar star.

2002: Passions' Theresa begged for help during her execution.

2003: All My Children's Bianca burned her clothes after the rape."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1946: Mary-Ellis Bunim was born. She produced daytime soap operas Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, Santa Barbara and Loving before moving into reality television with The Real World. She died in 2004 at age 57.

1954: On Search for Tomorrow, Joanne Barron...

1984: Guiding Light's Nola gave birth.

1986: Dynasty's Alexis took over Blake's possessions and he was not happy.

1999: Another World's Alli faced a ticking time bomb.

1999: Susan Lucci finally won her for Daytime Emmy Award."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: On Another World, Jim (Leon Janney) convinced Russ (Joey Trent) to attend summer school.

1971: The first episode of Upstairs Downstairs was re-recorded in color after the original recording, which was in black and white, was lost.

1981: On Texas, Joe Foster...

1973: The Doctors' Carolee received more bad news.

1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith taped a note to her captor's back.

1985: Santa Barbara's Carnation Killer murdered Veronica.

2008: Billy Magnussen debuted as Casey on As the World Turns."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1945: Procter & Gamble bought Spic and Span for $1.9 million. It would later become one of the sponsors for P&G soaps for decades (most notably Search for Tomorrow).

1965: Actor John Larkin died at age 52. He starred as the original Mike Karr in The Edge of Night,...

1979: Miss Ellie saved Southfork on Dallas.

1981: Beverly McKinsey played Iris for the final time on Texas.

1981: General Hospital's Rick proposed to Lesley.

1995: Rebecca Budig debuted as Michelle on Guiding Light."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Miss Choate (Erin O'Brien-Moore) mentioned to Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins) that Stella Chernak's (Lee Grant) personnel file had gone missing. Miss Choate then caught Betty in the act of returning the file. Later, Miss Choate defended Betty to Mike (Ed Rossi). Note: You'll notice David Canary as Dr.

Cannes — Facebook hopes to amp up the Facebook Watch video platform by opening it up to outside content producers and partnering with MTV on a relaunch of “The Real World” for the global social media generation.

Facebook unveiled the “Real World” reboot with MTV Studios and Bunim/Murray Productions as part of a broader overview of its plans for Watch offered Wednesday in a presentation at Mipcom from Matthew Henick, Facebook’s head of content planning and strategy, and Paresh Rajwat, head of video products. MTV president Chris McCarthy was a surprise guest at the session.

As Facebook expands the Watch platform outside the U.S., the company is focused on promoting it as a distribution platform to outside entities, beyond the original programs that Facebook itself licenses for Watch. Content creators and publishers can use Watch to launch shows and share in advertising revenue through Facebook’s Ad Breaks revenue-sharing...

Banijay, the European superindie that owns Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray, has found itself in the middle of its own dramatic reality series in recent months after emerging as one of the frontrunners to buy Big Brother and Black Mirror rival Endemol Shine.

Most companies would hide under the covers until a deal is either done or the gossip has subsided. However, Banijay, which has 61 production labels in 16 countries, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month and, as such, CEO Marco Bassetti is doing the rounds to blow out as many candles as possible.

“I can’t comment on something that there are so many speculations on,” the former Endemol Group President Bassetti inevitably told Deadline.

However, he does address the general need for scale in the international TV business and admits that it is looking at opportunities for consolidation. “We believe that we will be in...

1986: Another World's Cass was determined to see Kathleen.

1991: Days of our Lives' Jack and Jennifer saw a familiar star.

2002: Passions' Theresa begged for help during her execution.

2003: All My Children's Bianca burned her clothes after the rape."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1946: Mary-Ellis Bunim was born. She produced daytime soap operas Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, Santa Barbara and Loving...

1984: Guiding Light's Nola gave birth. 1986: Dynasty's Alexis

took over Blake's possessions and he was not happy.

1999: Another World's Alli faced a ticking time bomb.

1999: Susan Lucci finally won her for Daytime Emmy Award."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1964: On Another World, Jim (Leon Janney) convinced Russ (Joey Trent) to attend summer school.

1971: The first episode of Upstairs Downstairs was re-recorded in color after the original recording,...

1973: The Doctors' Carolee received more bad news.

1976: Ryan's Hope's Faith taped a note to her captor's back.

1985: Santa Barbara's Carnation Killer murdered Veronica.

2008: Billy Magnussen debuted as Casey on As the World Turns."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1945: Procter & Gamble bought Spic and Span for $1.9 million. It would later become one...

Watching the turmoil in the Trump White House over the last week got me to thinking about MTV’s “The Real World.” A long time ago, at the beginning of this crazy century, I wrote a story for Rolling Stone when the show was going into its ninth season and the producers, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, allowed a reporter in on the “secret” casting process for the first time. As it turned out, the key to casting was to push the line far enough to find crazy and outrageous kids without hiring one who might actually kill anyone (him or.

Reality TV producer Bruce Toms died last weekend at the age of 55. Toms, who most recently was working on Bravo’s “Timber Creek Lodge,” died at his home in Pasadena, California on Dec. 25 due to natural causes, according to his reps at Wme. In addition to “Timber Creek Lodge,” Toms’ extensive list of credits include “Celebrity Wife Swap,” “Secret Millionaire,” “Wife Swap,” “The Judds,” “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” “Nanny 911,” “Paradise Hotel” and “Workout.” He received an Emmy nomination in 2001 for his work on MTV’s long-running “Road Rules” alongside Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray and Rick Telles. Also Read: 22 Most Groundbreaking.

When Gil Goldschein took over as head of Bunim/Murray Productions in April, he knew he had big shoes to fill. The company's well-liked co-founder, Jonathan Murray, 59 — partner Mary-Ellis Bunim died in 2004 from cancer — had stepped aside after spending nearly three decades as a reality TV pioneer, first by co-creating The Real World in 1992 and later producing Project Runway and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, among dozens of shows. However, just four months into his gig, Goldschein has a headline-making show with E!'s I Am Cait, which debuted July 26 to 2.

read more...

Twenty three years after he launched Bunim/Murray Prods. with the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray is handing over the reins of the company. Murray is stepping down as chairman of Bmp. The move comes exactly five years after Banijay Group bought the unscripted production company, which is a typical period required for the principals of acquired companies to remain at the helm. Murray will remain on board as executive consultant, focusing on development and…...

What started as a novel concept – seven strangers picked to live in a house to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real –when The Real World first premiered on MTV has become a new reality altogether.

“When we started this back in ’92, none of us had any idea it would continue even maybe past the first season,” creator Jonathan Murray (aka the “Father of Reality TV”) tells ETonline.

In the 29 seasons since Murray and production partner Mary-Ellis Bunim created the show, reality TV has evolved from sticking cameras in people’s faces into a highly conceptualized form of entertainment with people stranded on island, battling it out for a million dollars and California girls blurring the lines between reality and scripted television.

Ahead of the premiere of Real World: Skeletons, the long-running series’ 30th season, Murray talks to ETonline about the show’s biggest changes and what the deaths of longtime...

It might be a stretch to call Jonathan Murray the father of reality TV, but it's not a preposterous suggestion. Along with his partner Mary-Ellis Bunim (who passed away in 2004), Murray created MTV's The Real World in 1992 and went on to produce everything from Project Runway to Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

MTV turns 30: a look back at the network's earliest days

While it's true that the 1973 PBS television proto-reality show An American Family pre-dates The Real World by nearly two decades, almost no series followed in its wake...

MTV has officially renewed long-running – and arguably long in the tooth – reality series The Real World for a 29th season, which will see the show return to San Francisco. That’s where its memorable third season took place with colorful franchise characters like Puck the bike messenger and AIDS educator Pedro Zamora. The Real World Season 29 will air in 2014. The Bunim/Murray Productions was created in 1992 for MTV by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim. Related: Jonathan Murray On MTV’s ‘The Real World’...

The Real World is running our country. Literally. Twenty years to the day after Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray’s landmark MTV show debuted, its impact on American culture (not just pop) is pretty spectacular to behold. Sure, we could just discuss our favorite episodes and characters, but that wouldn’t get to the crux of the issue: This show actually matters. No, I’m not talking about its subsequent 26 seasons (26!) or its Kardashian-like spawning of spin-offs and D-list celebrities. I’m talking about the fact that The Real World is in Congress (U.S. Representative Sean Duffy, of the Boston season,...

The concept was simple: Pick seven strangers, make them live in a house and film the fallout. In May 1992, The Real World premiered on MTV as the next wave of the young-skewing network's attack on primetime. What no one could have guessed was the series' lasting impact on the genre it spawned and the rule-breaking series that would follow: Road Rules, The Simple Life, Keeping Up With the Kardashians and legions of other original reality programs that have become the hallmark of Bunim/Murray Productions. The Emmy-winning company's co-founder Jonathan Murray, 57 (Mary-Ellis Bunim passed

read more...

Director Clint Eastwood is about to be the next reality TV patriarch with a new E! series, which is currently shooting.

The show will mainly focus on the director's wife, Dina Eastwood, and her relationship with daughters Morgan Eastwood, 15, and Francesca Fisher-Eastwood, 18, an aspiring actress. Clint Eastwood himself is said to make a few cameo appearances, but will not be a main fixture on the show.

Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, who produce the hit reality shows Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Real World, are behind the new series.

It is said the producers are hoping to get the show, which currently doesn't have a title yet, on the air within the next few months.

The eclectic lineup of new members who will be inducted in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame next year includes a network executive, a pair of producers who created a seminal reality series and three beloved sitcom stars. Former ABC and Disney exec Michael Eisner, "Real World" creators Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, "I Love Lucy" couple Vivian Vance and William Frawley and "The Jeffersons" papa Sherman Hemsley will join the TV Hall of Fame on March 1, during a ceremony at The Beverly Hills Hotel. "Two and...

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame Committee announced today that it has tapped reality show producers Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, Michael Eisner, Sábado Gigante game-show host Don Francisco, Sherman Hemsley, lighting designer Bill Klages, Chuck Lorre and I Love Lucy duo Vivian Vance & William Frawley for induction into the academy’s Hall of Fame. The 21st annual induction ceremony is set for March 1 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The nine new inductees were recognized for their extraordinary contributions to TV after candidates were submitted to the Hall’s selection committee, which is chaired by Wme Entertainment board member Mark Itkin and includes Fox alternative president Mike Darnell, Warner Bros TV president Peter Roth, veteran executive Fred Silverman, CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler and Dolby Labs’ Steve Venezia. Bunim, Vance and Frawley will be honored posthumously. From the TV Academy’s release highlighting the new members: Mary-Ellis Bunim (1946-2004) and Jonathan Murray,...

It is not MTV's flagship series anymore (that would be Jersey Shore), but The Real World continues to be a signature series for the cable channel and the show that started the current docu-reality craze. Now MTV announced it is renewing the reality veteran for Seasons 27 and 28. Currently airing its 25th season, and in casting for its 26th season, MTV's The Real World is to date the longest-running reality series in history. The current season is set in Las Vegas and has ranked No.1 with persons 12-34 in its time period. Last week’s episode averaged a 2.3 rating (in 12-34) and 2.2 million total viewers, up 28% from the previous week's season premiere. "The Real World has remained relevant for 25 seasons because it continues to capture the lives of young adults, hold a mirror to the challenges they face, and truly reflect the current generation,” the show's exec producer Jonathan Murray said.

Everett “The Real World” Season One

These days most MTV viewers know “The Real World” as that show that runs ads during “Jersey Shore.” But for those of us Generation X’ers who remember when MTV still aired music videos, call waiting was of utmost social importance and mosh-pitted to Rage Against the Machine and Nirvana before Snooki started tanning, “The Real World” tapped into a generational mood that has yet to be matched by its legion of imitators.

Who...

Bunim-Murray Productions, the company that created The Real World and thus is largely responsible for establishing reality TV's early aesthetic and structure, was acquired in March by Banijay Entertainment for the mid eight figures, Variety reported. Co-founder Mary-Ellis Bunim died in 2004, after an eight-year battle with breast cancer. And co-founder Jon Murray said that the acquisition has helped him reclaim some of what he lost after she died. "A couple of weeks ago I...

French production company Banijay Entertainment is acquiring reality hitmakers Bunim-Murray Prods., whose credits include "The Real World" and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Bunim-Murray's founder Jonathan Murray will continue as chairman and lead creative development, while president Gil Goldschein will remain to tackle corporate initiatives. The company will likewise continue to be based in Los Angeles under the same name.

What's changing is that Banijay will help the 20-year-old Bunim-Murray expand into the international marketplace. Bunim-Murray will have access to the company's international formats, and Banijay will distribute Bunim-Murray's formats to other territories.

"Bunim-Murray is one of the few companies with a proven history of delivering high volumes of entertaining and quality programming that strikes a chord with viewers and are continually renewed by networks season after season," Banijay chairman Stephane Courbit said. "This acquisition reaffirms Banijay's strategy to integrate in our group the best and most creative international television producers.

Call it "The Real World" meets "Big Brother."

John de Mol, the Dutch billionaire producer who created the globally successful format for "Big Brother," is acquiring Bunim/Murray Prods., the company behind MTV's groundbreaking reality series "Real World," through his Talpa Media company.

The parties involved declined comment, but sources peg the value of the deal at $50 million-$70 million -- considered a great price for a company that owns very few of its formats.

It speaks to the credentials of Jonathan Murray, who, along with his late partner, Mary-Ellis Bunim, singlehandedly createda genre of television with "Real World."

Bunim-Murray's series include E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," and the company also took over production on "Project Runway" when the show moved to Lifetime, as well as its spinoff, "Models on the Runway."

In 2007, Talpa Media launched Talpa Content USA, an U.S.-based outfit dedicated to developing new reality formats.

MTV is ordering four more seasons of its veteran reality hit "The Real World."

The order will extend the 17-year-old docudrama from Bunim-Murray Prods. to an incredible 26 cycles. MTV also is ordering another four rounds of Bunim-Murray's "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge," bringing the competition series to 21 cycles.

The deal was brokered by Gil Goldschein, who has been promoted to president of Bunim-Murray. The current season of "The Real World: Brooklyn" will air its finale Wednesday, and producers are shooting the next round, "The Real World: Cancun."

Bunim-Murray chairman and "Real World" executive producer Jon Murray said the hefty order will benefit the show's production team creatively.

"This allows us to plan," he said. "It helps us figure out where we're going next and allows us to do some long-range thinking."

Given MTV's youthful target audience, the network must develop a constant stream of new, hip programming.

Mary-Ellis Bunim, a pioneering reality TV producer who co-created MTV's The Real World and other influential unscripted programs, has died of breast cancer in Los Angeles. She was 57. With Jon Murray, her partner in the Bunim-Murray Prods. banner, Bunim produced a number of top reality series, including Fox's recent hit The Simple Life, a Green Acres-esque vehicle featuring socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie and their adventures on an Arkansas farm. Bunim, who died Thursday, helped launch the current wave of reality programming with the 1992 debut of Real World, which focused cameras on a diverse group of seven young adults who agreed to live together and let producers document their daily lives. The series has become a signature franchise for MTV and is now in its 14th season.

Director David Wain, who helmed the Sundance Film Fest fave Wet Hot American Summer, has been signed by DreamWorks to direct an untitled high school comedy, Variety reports. The film will be based on David Simon 's original script Stolen High School Security Tapes, and will be produced by Mary Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, producers of MTV's The Real World. No stars are yet attached.