MTV renews Catfish for season 2

Mhissy Catfish MTV Jasmine and Mike episode

Most fans who fell in love with Catfish the movie were a little bit wary when it was announced MTV would be taking the concept and turning it into weekly show. (It could be said we didn’t want to be too optimistic about the show until we met it in person, in case it turned out to be a catfish itself!) Well, the series is six episodes in and I don’t know about you, but I know about me and the other 2+ million folks who are tuning in each week — we’re addicted! Of course, MTV is well aware that viewers have taken to the show, and they announced earlier this week they will be bringing back Yaniv “Nev” Schulman and Max Joseph for a Catfish Season 2!

Nev posted his excitement about the announcement on the Catfish Facebook page, writing “OMG…CATFISH SEASON 2 is happening!!! I am so grateful and excited to have the opportunity to keep working on this show. A big THANK YOU to all the fans who made the show a success. We did it for and about you guys, so keep those online love emails coming…catfishnev@gmail.com”

Nev also posted this photo of himself, which the page administrator described by writing, “Here’s his ‘I’m happy for season 2’ face.”

Nev Schulman happy about Catfish Season 2

And the full press release from MTV with the big news:

MTV RENEWS “CATFISH: THE TV SHOW” FOR A SECOND SEASON AS BREAKOUT HIT RANKS AS MONDAY’S #1 CABLE SERIES AMONG P12-34 FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WEEK AND #1 MOST SOCIAL SHOW ACROSS CABLE

12.19.12

Start the New Year with an All-New Episode Airing Monday, January 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT

TWEET IT: Ready for more “Catfish: The TV Show”? @MTV renews breakout hit for a second season with @nevschulman and @maxjoseph

NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2012) — MTV announced today the pick-up of a second season of its hit series “Catfish: The TV Show”. Following the success of Rogue Pictures and Relativity Media’s critically acclaimed 2010 documentary-thriller “Catfish,” the MTV series “Catfish: The TV Show” tackles the mystery and complexities of dating in a digital world.

“’Catfish: The TV Show’ has truly captured the zeitgeist of the digital dating age,” said Dave Sirulnick, Executive Vice President, MTV Multiplatform. “The show has resonated with our audience by portraying the real life journeys of individuals trying to navigate the highs and lows of online dating – an experience our viewers can relate to. We are thrilled to bring the show back for a second season, and look forward to the fascinating stories that only Nev and Max can uncover.”

Debuting on November 12, “Catfish: The TV Show” became MTV’s highest rated series premiere at 11:00 p.m. in network history and averaging a 2.3 P12-34 rating through six episodes, it is the highest rated start to an MTV series since 2007. Monday night’s episode marked the show’s sixth consecutive week as Monday’s #1 cable series among P12-34. Additionally, MTV aired three of the top five original cable series for 2012, including “Catfish: The TV Show,” ranking fourth across all of cable television.

“Catfish: The TV Show” continues to dominate the social scene, consistently ranking as one of the top five socially engaged series across broadcast and cable since its premiere, according to Social Guide. The show also ranked as the #1 most social show across cable and #2 overall, including broadcast, for Monday night according to Trendrr.

Furthermore, viewership among the P12-34 demographic has steadily increased when accounting for DVR and other playback options. “Catfish: The TV Show” garnered a 29-percent increase in the series’ average P12-34 rating to date (3.1 vs. 2.4) when comparing Live+3 to Live + same day. Additionally, the show is MTV’s top performing Video on Demand offering, averaging more 300,000 VOD transactions per week.

Catfish TV show Nev Schulman and friend Max Joseph

The hour-long series follows Nev Schulman, whose own online love drama was the subject of the “Catfish” film, and filmmaker Max Joseph as they take viewers on a deeply personal journey that goes inside the stories of young people as their online-only romantic relationships collide with first-time, real-life encounters.

On the next all-new episode, airing on Monday, January 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT, Joe was skeptical when former Miss Teen USA, Kari Ann Peniche, sent him a friend request. Now, after months of intense communication, Joe thinks it might be the real Kari Ann, and that he also might have found love with her. Has Joe really discovered his dream girl, or is Kari Ann someone else entirely? For a sneak peak of the episode, click here.

Viewers can go to MTV.com for sneak peeks of the show including bonus and extended scenes, plus exclusive interviews. For even more information and exclusive content, fans can “like” the “Catfish: The TV Show” Facebook page at https://facebook.com/MTVcatfish.

For additional information and photos, please visit www.mtvpress.com.

Season one of “Catfish: The TV Show” will air internationally on MTV channels around the world starting in January 2013.

Source: Nielsen. Live+SD unless noted. VOD, Rentrak, transactions within 7 days. Live+3 data through 12/10/12. Ranked on 000s. Series ranks include full day, ad-supported, and pay cable networks only.

“Catfish: The TV Show” is produced by RelativityREAL and Catfish Picture Company LLC for MTV with RelativityREAL’s Tom Forman, Brad Bishop, Julie Link Steffens serving as executive producers alongside David Metzler, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost, Nev Schulman, Andrew Jarecki and Mark Smerling. Marshall Eisen, Nomi Ernst Leidner, and Dave Sirulnick are Executive Producers for MTV. RelativityREAL’s Jonathan Karshis is Co-Executive producer. Kelly Ostreicher is Supervising Producer, MTV. Jonathan Mussman is Executive in Charge, MTV.