A Field Guide To The Project Runway Meltdown

Oh NOES!!! Word comes from the New York Times today that Season 6 of Project Runway is postponed indefinitely due to the legal haggling between PR producers the Weinstein Company and NBC Universal, the parent company of Bravo. For those who don't know, the Weinstein Co. led by notorious ball breaker Harvey Weinstein, sold the show to Lifetime back in April. But! As the Times notes, "NBC Universal sued, saying it had a right of first refusal to keep the show on one of its channels." An insider on the case tells the Times, “From what I know about courts, it could be well into the early spring before anything is decided." This legal wrangling has already been going on for 8 months, and all this back and forth is confusing! That's why we've provided a chronological field guide for you. Are we going to have to say auf wiedersehen to Heidi and company? Find out after the jump.

April: the first reports emerge that Project Runway has been sold to Lifetime. Our own Jen feared that the show's patented bitchiness would be replaced by murderous cheerleaders and copious tears. NBC Universal immediately launched their lawsuit against the Weinstein Co. in an attempt to block the move to Lifetime.

May: Rumors that Elle will no longer sponsor Proj Run are leaked. Marie Claire and some Nina Garcia-lite on their staff reportedly may take over.

June: The new PR will be shot in L.A. rather than in New York and Heidi Klum describes the show as getting a "face lift." We fear, as with real face lifts, this means the show will lose its character and charming wrinkles.

July: Season 5 of Proj premieres to almost no fanfare. Many speculate that Bravo, like a jilted ex, refused to promote the show in order to stick it to the Weinstein Co. for moving to Lifetime. Bravo is foiled, as the 5th season gets the series' best ratings ever.

September: The Weinsteins hit a roadblock: New York State Supreme Court judge Richard Lowe blocked the Weinstein Co. from moving Project Runway from Bravo to Lifetime.

October: Lifetime joins the rumble! They want the case moved from state to federal court. As we reported at the time, "This means that the air date for Season 6 will probably be pushed back. Again. Despite the fact that filming has just wrapped."

Now: According to the Times, "A federal judge in Manhattan is now in the process of deciding whether to uphold or overturn the state judge’s injunction or whether to return the case to the state level." Lifetime remains optimistic, and the Times says that "Bravo is all but certain to have lost Project Runway…But there is also a chance that Bravo will beat Project Runway to the small screen with a competing show. " Bravo has already revealed plans for a Runway-esque show called The Fashion Show, which is just like PR except viewers choose the winner rather than a panel of experts. Bunim-Murray Productions, the folks behind the Real World, are the new producers of Lifetime's PR, but I wouldn't count on seeing the fruits of their labor any time soon.

Legal Tangles of ‘Project Runway’ Keep It Frozen on the Catwalk [NYT]

Earlier: Lifetime's Latest Sobfest: The Death Of Project Runway
Is Marie Claire Taking Over Elle's Sloppy Project Runway Seconds?
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