Music stars ride wave of new TV series

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

The love affair between television and music stars is getting personal.

A top artist such as Gwen Stefani hired as a singing contest judge for “The Voice”? Old hat. Live TV musicals boasting casts that include Carrie Underwood (“The Sound of Music”) and Queen Latifah (“The Wiz”)? With more Broadway-to-TV broadcasts ahead, they’re becoming routine.

But a flurry of announcements is signaling a new direction for some of music’s big names, who are driving projects they want to see made and, in some cases, made about them.

Mariah Carey is a producer of “Mariah’s World,” an E! channel docu-series that will follow her on tour and as she plans her wedding to Australian businessman James Packer.

Nicki Minaj is producing and will appear in “Nicki,” a scripted comedy inspired by her childhood and now taping for the Freeform channel (formerly ABC Family).

Curtis Jackson is developing a variety show with A&E Network that will be hosted and produced by the rapper known as 50 Cent.

“Trackers,” a music-based game show in development for Spike TV, is produced by Christina Aguilera.

The allure for TV programmers is clear, said Elaine Frontain Bryant, A&E’s executive vice president and head of programming.

“Music connects people, and some of the biggest shows people still gather around, like ‘The Voice,’ are music-based. It’s a multigenerational kind of programming that can still have an edge,” she said.

For E!, the Carey series is “absolutely bang-on E! strategy,” said Adam Stotsky, its president. The eight-episode “Mariah’s World” will cover the start of her “Sweet Sweet Fantasy” tour of the U.K., Europe and Africa and promises an “intimate look” at her life and inner circle of family and friends. An air date has not been announced.

At A&E, Jackson’s show, with the working title of “50 Cent Presents,” represents a reconnection with the channel’s roots after a pivot toward reality (“Duck Dynasty,” “Hoarders”) and scripted series (“Bates Motel”).

The series, still being shaped, aims to combine sketches, stand-up comedy, music, magic, dance and celebrity guest appearances.