http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/pr.cgi?&id=20050715bravo01

Friday, July 15, 2005
BRAVO PARTNERS WITH AMERICA ONLINE TO EXCLUSIVELY SIMULCAST THE
PREMIERE OF BRAVO'S NEW ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES "SITUATION: COMEDY"
Released by Bravo

BRAVO PARTNERS WITH AMERICA ONLINE TO EXCLUSIVELY SIMULCAST THE
PREMIERE OF BRAVO'S NEW ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES "SITUATION: COMEDY"

BRAVO PARTNERS WITH AMERICA ONLINE TO EXCLUSIVELY SIMULCAST THE
PREMIERE OF BRAVO'S NEW ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES "SITUATION:
COMEDY" ON TUESDAY, JULY 26

AOL TO STREAM TWO FINAL 15-MINUTE PRESENTATIONS AND WILL SERVE AS
EXCLUSIVE DESTINATION WHERE VIEWERS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE
"SITUATION: COMEDY" SITCOM TO DETERMINE THE WINNER

LOS ANGELES - July 15, 2005 - Bravo and America Online are teaming up
to exclusively simulcast the series premiere of the network's new
original documentary series "Situation: Comedy" on Tuesday, July 26.
"Situation: Comedy" will premiere as a two-hour special from 8 p.m.-10
p.m. ET/PT, featuring two one-hour consecutive episodes at 8 p.m. and
9 p.m. AOL? Television will simulcast the West Coast airing of the
first episode on the Web at www.aol.com/television. "Situation:
Comedy's" regular Tuesday night timeslot is 9 p.m., ET/PT.
Additionally, from August 23 through August 31, AOL Television will
exclusively stream the two final 15-minute sitcom presentations and
give viewers the opportunity to vote for their favorite online, and
ultimately determine the winner.

"This is the first time Bravo has given viewers the opportunity to
vote for a winner of a competition-based reality series," said Lauren
Zalaznick, President, Bravo. "AOL has been the perfect partner on past
projects and we're fortunate to team up once again on this 'first
ever' for Bravo."

Patricia Karpas, Vice President and General Manager of AOL Television,
added, "AOL and Bravo have worked together on numerous occasions to
engage online consumers with unique television programming. We are
delighted to continue this successful partnership with 'Situation:
Comedy' by giving viewers a chance to engage with the show online, and
actually play a role in determining the winner of the competition."

"Situation: Comedy," the new eight-episode reality competition series
about the making of a sitcom pilot, is the latest project from Emmy
Award-winner Sean Hayes (NBC's "Will & Grace") and producing partner
Todd Milliner. As part of the series launch, AOL Television will
stream exclusive preview clips each week at aol.com/television. From
Tuesday, August 23, through Wednesday, August 31, viewers can go to
this site to watch the two final 15-minute presentations and vote for
their favorite sitcom. In the final episode on Tuesday, September 6 at
9 p.m., Bravo will show the two final 15-minute presentations and will
announce the winner.

About the series:

Viewers will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of national
television as neophyte writers earn the opportunity to produce and
sell a sitcom - but the eavesdropping audience will give the final
thumbs-up by choosing the winning entry when they vote online via AOL.

The producers of "Situation: Comedy" scoured the country looking for
the hottest undiscovered writing talent at colleges, in comedy theater
groups and even writing classes. Each candidate submitted an original
sitcom script. Producers received over 10,000 scripts.

After producers and experienced show-runners Stan Zimmerman ("Gilmore
Girls") and Maxine Lapiduss ("Roseanne") narrowed the field to five
semi-finalists, the lucky five writers were flown to Los Angeles,
where they were thrown into the deep end of the creative pitching
pool. They submitted their ideas to NBC network executives who
green-lighted two of the scripts to go into production as 15-minute
presentations - shot by two very recognizable directors, Fred Savage
("The Wonder Years") and Amanda Bearse ("Married with Children").

The final two "wannabe" writers (or writing teams) were thrust
immediately into the high-energy, high-stress world of television
production. Viewers will be with them as they meet their staffs and
find that they have to share many of their key staffers. Audiences
will watch the entire process through casting, set design, rewrites,
rehearsals, taping and post-production. In the end, they will see each
completed presentation and can vote online for the sitcom they believe
should get a shot for broadcast on television.

The winner will receive a cash prize of $25,000 and exclusive
representation for one year with a major Hollywood talent agency to
further help launch a successful writing career in film or television.

"Situation: Comedy" was developed by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner.
Multiple Emmy-winners Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner are executive
producers together with Hayes and Milliner. "Situation: Comedy" is a
HazyMills production in association with Shapiro/Grodner Productions.

About Bravo:

Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, culture and
pop culture with original programming, movies and by showing a whole
different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 79
million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities,
shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood,
pulling back the curtain on the creative process and making
influential and inventive original programming. Its critically
acclaimed and award-winning original programming includes "Inside the
Actors Studio," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," "Project Greenlight," as
well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program, "Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy." The network's other hits include "Project
Runway," "Blow Out" and "Sports Kids Moms & Dads."

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a
division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and
entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing
of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo
has been a NBC Cable Network since December 2002 and was the first
television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it
launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com.

About America Online, Inc.:

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in
interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce
services.