FOX bringing back 'The Swan' with celebrities

Credit: FOX

Over the last half-decade, FOX has gotten away from the salacious, low-brow programming of its late 90s and early 2000s schedule, to the point where the network is actually a viable force in primetime programming, despite its current 4th place rank among major networks. Yet it's probably that fourth place standing that has inspired FOX to return to familiar, if not exactly promising, territory.

The network has announced plans to bring "The Swan" back from the dead for a two-hour special later this year, this time with "celebrities" (in quotes, of course, because Lord only knows who they're going to get for this thing).

When "The Swan" premiered in 2004 it was considered atrocious, even by FOX's then-appalling standards. The series, which gave makeovers to two "ugly duckling" contestants each week, with one advancing at the end of the episode to compete in a pageant at the end of the season to determine who would be crowned "The Swan", garnered decent enough ratings in its first season to earn itself a second. But it was downhill from there, as the second season tanked in the ratings, and plans for a third season were tossed out.

Until now.

Casting is underway, and some of the names under consideration for the special include Monica Lewinsky and "Happy Days" star Erin Moran, although no one has been attached to the show officially as of yet. According to the network, these women will "undergo physical, psychological and career changes as cameras follow them through the transformative process. This opportunity will allow these women to come back better than ever, have a second chance at personal and career redemption and re-introduce themselves to their supportive fans in a whole new way."

Production on "Celebrity Swan" is set to begin this spring. Of course, that's if they can find enough women willing to go under the knife for this thing.

Full story: Zap2It