MICHAEL McKEAN SPRINKLES FACT WITH A DASH OF FICTION IN NEW SEASON OF "FOOD: FACT OR FICTION?"

Season Premiere Sunday, October 22nd at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT on Cooking Channel

NEW YORK - September 20, 2017 - Acclaimed actor Michael McKean takes viewers on a culinary journey to help unwrap the mythology and adages behind some of our favorite foods, in a new season of Food: Fact or Fiction? premiering Sunday, October 22nd at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT on Cooking Channel. Whether it is uncovering the wondrous origins behind famous food clichés; serving up a heaping history on fried favorites, including how Fried Egg Sandwiches spawned a breakfast revolution; or unraveling the role mathematics plays in the foods we love; Michael McKean uncovers the fascinating food mysteries that are baked inside everything we eat.

"A revered actor with impeccable comedic timing, Michael McKean is the perfect guide to walk viewers through the myths, mysteries, and magic behind the foods we all love, " said Courtney White, SVP Programming, Scripps Networks Interactive. "With just the right dollop of humor, learning facts (and fiction) about food has never been this much fun."

"Three years ago, my only questions about food were 'What time's dinner?' and 'Who ate all the leftover chili?'" said Michael McKean. "Now I'm able to expound upon some tantalizing mysteries and myths regarding what we eat, where it came from, why it's good for us, and most importantly, when dinner is. Still no word on who polished off the chili."

Produced by Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary's Revelations Entertainment, viewers will be amazed to learn the facts and the fiction surrounding some of our most favorite dishes. In the premiere episode, Michael McKean enlightens us on a few divine dining delights, as he finds out why we should we be handing out cake instead of candy on Halloween, how Valentine's Day candy hearts were once used as medicine, and whether corned beef can really bring any Irish luck on St. Patrick's Day. Other episodes this season explore how a loud noise can land you in burger heaven; how the shape of a food can transform its taste; whether the pattern on a pineapple may unlock the mysteries of the universe; and with the help of Michael's friend, actor Joe Mantegna, learn how the Chicago classic, Italian Beef, might once have brought a few cops to your reception.

Challenge your food knowledge with CookingChannelTV.com's interactive video trivia games. Plus, find out the truth behind popular food urban legends, like the five-second rule, gum taking seven years to digest and just how American apple pie really is. Join the conversation with #FoodFactorFiction.

Michael McKean is an accomplished actor, writer, and Grammy(R) award-winning musician, widely recognized for his first starring role as Lenny Kosnowski on Laverne and Shirley and the longevity of his career. McKean's work spans film, television, recording and the stage, with such iconic films, including This is Spinal Tap, Clue, The Big Picture, Best in Show, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and many more. Current television fans know McKean as the electromagnetic and hypersensitive Chuck McGill on the acclaimed series Better Call Saul, along with past guest appearances in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons and X-Files. McKean was recently announced to star in Neil Gaiman's upcoming Good Omens from Amazon and BBC TV, set to air in 2019. McKean's love of the theatre has also brought him to stages in New York, Los Angeles, Cambridge, Williamstown and London, with his most recent appearances including the revival of the classic play The Little Foxes, with Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon and Richard Thomas, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, All The Way, and Hairspray. McKean has won a Theatre World Award for Rupert Holmes's Accomplice; Grammy Award for the title song A Mighty Wind, written with Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy; and Oscar nomination for Best Song A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, written with his wife, Annette O'Toole.

# # #

COOKING CHANNEL (www.cookingchanneltv.com) is an entertainment brand dedicated to today's passionate food lover. For food people, by food people, Cooking Channel is the answer to a growing hunger for more content devoted to food and cooking in every dimension from global cuisines to international travel, history and unconventional how-tos. Cooking Channel is part of the media portfolio of Scripps Networks Interactive (NASDAQ: SNI), which also includes Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com), and Great American Country (www.gactv.com).