NBC Reality Chiefs Corie Henson & Rachel Smith On The State Of Unscripted: “We’re Buying”

The unscripted business has had a somewhat tumultuous twelve months but things have been picking up in 2024 with a number of network and streamer commissions and renewals.

NBC’s unscripted bosses Corie Henson and Rachel Smith weighed in on the state of the unscripted universe during a TCA panel.

Henson, who is EVP, Entertainment Unscripted Content and looks after NBC and Peacock’s competition shows and entertainment formats, said she was proud of picking up The Traitors for a third season, midway through its second season, and has Love Island USA returning for season 6 this summer.

“As a snapshot of where we are on the format side, we are open, we are buying. We are encouraging people to come in with their big ideas,” she said.

Henson said this applied to international formats such as Traitors, which is based on a Belgian format and went on to become Peacock’s most-watched reality series, and Love Undercover, which came in as a paper format that was then developed internally.

Smith, who is EVP Unscripted Content, Lifestyle & Documentaries, and oversees the reality series, lifestyle and docuseries across NBCU, highlighted the fact that Bravo numbers are up, helped by shows such as Vanderpump Rules.

She pointed to the return of Queens Court for a second season and Couple To Throuple.

Smith called the unscripted universe “very vibrant” and “firing on all cylinders”.

Henson and Smith were on a panel alongside Couple to Throuple relationship expert Shamyra Howard, Holly Peete and Rodney Peete, the hosts of Queens Court, Love Undercover star Jamie O’Hara and Love Island USA exec producer Simon Thomas.