How ‘Lip Sync Battle’ EP Casey Patterson Gives Viral Sensation a Shelf Life
“Lip Sync Battle” keeps on rocking, recently setting a Spike Network ratings record. Executive producer and co-creator Casey Patterson says it’s the very nature of the audio-dubbed beast that makes it so successful.
“It’s a show you want to watch with other people, and there’s something very modern about that,” Patterson told TheWrap of the series, nominated for Best Structured Reality Program.
Like all the reality-show categories, structured reality tends to see the same shows year after year: “Shark Tank,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” are three constants in a category that pretty much defines apples and oranges.
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But “Lip Sync Battle” brought some freshness to the category last year, and it’s now back to compete against the three standards, along with “Fixer Upper” and “Who Do You Think You Are?”
Patterson, a former executive vice president at the Viacom Entertainment Group whose eponymous company launched “Lip Sync,” praised the “hat trick” of her fellow producers Jimmy Fallon, John Krasinski and Stephen Merchant.
“This is our baby together, and they were very smart and got in early. They knew it had to be self-marketing and shareable,” she said.
Co-hosts LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen bolster a rotating cast of big stars who tackle their musical heroes with elaborate lip syncs. They keep getting bigger (check out Tom Holland take on Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” easily one of the best performances in the show’s history).
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In its upcoming fourth season, the show will premiere on the newly-named Paramount Network and shoot in a custom-built studio in Los Angeles.
“Our new theater gives us the ability to do more interactive pieces with the audience, and let’s just say we’ll be able to fly in ways we haven’t before,” said Patterson. “Expect a little ’70s glam rock, too.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Lip Sync Battle' Producer Casey Patterson Forms Entertainment Company
Alec Baldwin's 'One Night Only': 4 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets from Epic Apollo Tribute
How 'Lip Sync Battle's' App Charmed the Record Labels — and Apple
