BET Opens the Door to Scripted Programming With the Original Series 'SOMEBODIES'

Based on the 2006 Sundance Audience Favorite, SOMEBODIES Premieres Tuesday, September 9 at 10:30 P.M.*

NEW YORK, Aug. 26 -- As part of the 2006 Dramatic Independent Film Competition at Sundance, the film Somebodies made a big impression on audiences and critics alike. Now two years later, the television series picks up where the film ended as BET brings the feature to life in the form of the network's first scripted series.

Premiering Tuesday, September 9 at 10:30 p.m.* with a special one-hour premiere featuring two back-to-back half-hour episodes, SOMEBODIES is a single-camera comedy written, directed and starring the film's creator, Hadjii, who shares executive producing duties on the television series with the original feature's producer, Nathaniel Kohn, and Generate's Peter Aronson (EP of "The Bernie Mac Show") and Jordan Levin (former CEO of the WB network). The series premiere and additional episodes are being helmed by Rusty Cundieff ("Fear of a Black Hat," "Chappelle's Show").

Hadjii plays the central role of Scottie, an African-American undergraduate at a large university trying to figure out his place in the world. While his housemates -- Marlo, Six, Tory, and Jelly -- are preparing to transition out of college and into the real world, Scottie is set to enter yet another year as a "professional student." Recognizing the need to get his life on track, Scottie embarks on a journey of self-discovery without exactly knowing which path to follow and everyone in his life has an unsolicited opinion on the direction he should take. From his eccentric Southern family (Aunt Agnes, Uncle Skeeter and Uncle Charles) to his sometime girlfriend, always good friend, Diva; from the caustic musings of his fire-and-brimstone preacher (Reverend Hill) to the sarcastic ribbings of his buddies, everyone has an opinion about Scottie's life except Scottie.

Shot entirely on location in Athens, GA, home to the University of Georgia, the eclectic city shines as a major character in the series. Featuring the original cast from the film, SOMEBODIES is an unconventional, smart, and honest comedy about a young man looking to better himself and do the right thing.

Hadjii brings a refreshingly direct, insightful and observational voice to series television as he explores the expectations for black men in today's society.

SOMEBODIES is executive produced by Hadjii, Nathaniel Kohn, Pete Aronson and Jordan Levin. Reginald Hudlin (President, Entertainment) and Brett King (SVP, Scripted Programming) are the executives for BET Networks.

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks -- BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

About Generate

Generate (http://www.generatela.com) is an independent production and management studio creating professional entertainment properties targeted at Millennials across all media platforms with an emphasis on exploiting opportunities in the digital landscape. Launched in early 2006, Generate is the first production and management studio established by media leaders with a proven track record with young audiences and blue-chip advertisers to create content across multiple platforms embraced by young adults.