SHOWTIME Lights Up 3rd Season Of WEEDS

SHOWTIME Lights Up 3rd Season Of WEEDS

Fifteen New Episodes of the Network's #1 Hit Comedy Series from

Lionsgate Begin Production This Spring for Summer Debut

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Hot off last month's shocking second season finale of WEEDS -- the most-watched episode in its history -- SHOWTIME is green lighting 15 new episodes for the third season of the award-winning series, it was announced today by SHOWTIME Network's President of Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt. The network's most watched comedy and critical darling, WEEDS is a biting and satirical look at the complicated life of a suburban, pot-dealing mother. Produced by Lionsgate in association with Tilted Productions, WEEDS stars Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Tonye Patano, Romany Malco, Justin Kirk and Kevin Nealon. Created and executive produced by Emmy(R) Award winner Jenji Kohan, the series will resume production in Los Angeles in spring 2007 for a summer premiere.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060131/SHOWTIMELOGO )

Critics across the nation have widely praised the show for its cutting- edge, unapologetic and daring portrayal of complex characters whose choices are not always sympathetic and never stereotypical. USA Today gave the second season four stars (highest rating), The New York Post called it, " ... a four- star potboiler...," and The San Francisco Chronicle hailed: "WEEDS has managed, in two brief seasons, to get the balance right between provocative adult comedy and serious adult drama. It has managed to be soapy but real, grounded but insane, and electrically hip in the process. That's a creative juggling act that's both arduous and stupendous."

"WEEDS is quintessential SHOWTIME: bold, provocative, premium television with production values at the top of the food chain," says Greenblatt. "This acclaimed show will be the centerpiece of our comedy strategy for several years to come, though labeling it just a comedy doesn't do it justice. It combines comedy and pathos in a way that seems to represent real life better than almost any show out there."

"WEEDS continues to surpass all our expectations and we're delighted about the pick-up," says Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate's President of Television Programming and Production. "The talent -- both in front of and behind the camera -- is extraordinary, and we're excited about our continuing relationship with SHOWTIME, which has gone above and beyond to support the unique creative vision of the series since day one."

One of the most talked about comedy series on television, WEEDS stars Parker in her Golden Globe(R)-winning portrayal of Nancy Botwin, a suburban mom who turns to dealing marijuana to make ends meet after her husband dies unexpectedly. Nancy's thriving business and ultra-chaotic home life force her to juggle relationships with her friend and newly-elected councilwoman, Celia (Perkins); business partner Conrad (Malco); brother-in-law Andy (Kirk); loyal customer Doug (Nealon); former supplier Heylia (Patano); and, of course, her children Silas (Hunter Parrish) and Shane (Alexander Gould) -- both of whom are now fully aware of her source of income. In the second season's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, Nancy was left in a huge mess -- her nemesis/DEA agent husband Peter (Martin Donovan) may have been killed; desperate to join the family business, Silas has absconded with the stash his mother planned to use as an exit deal from the business; and finally, she and Conrad are last seen being held at gunpoint by two sets of thugs both wanting the weed and the money.

Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning this year's Best Picture Academy Award(R) for CRASH, generating two consecutive years of $300 million-plus domestic theatrical box office, operating a $500 million-plus home entertainment business and producing a broad slate of prime time television series for fiscal 2007. It is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 10,000 titles is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME(R) TOO(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE(R) and TMC XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD(TM), SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(TM) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND(TM). SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME(R) PPV.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060131/SHOWTIMELOGO
Source: Showtime Networks Inc.

CONTACT: Chloe Comins, +1-617-266-1784, chloe.comins@showtime.net, or
Morgan Fouch, +1-310-234-5219, morgan.fouch@showtime.net

Web site: http://www.sho.com/

-------
Profile: intent