Nick at Nite Lets Parents Indulge in Some Payback When New Hidden Camera Series, Hi-Jinks, Premieres on Tuesday, August 2

Nick at Nite Lets Parents Indulge in Some Payback When New Hidden Camera Series, Hi-Jinks, Premieres on Tuesday, August 2

Susan Sarandon, Chris Webber, Vivica Fox, Meredith Vieira, Richard Kind and Gilbert Gottfried Help in the Hoax!

NEW YORK, July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick at Nite's original hidden-camera series in which adults play good-natured pranks on kids, Hi-Jinks, will premiere on Tuesday, August 2 at 9:30 pm ET/PT. Each 30-minute episode features several pranks taking place everywhere from homes, malls and even schools across the country. Each week also features a celebrity prank segment in which famous faces use their talents to play tricks on bewildered tikes. Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon, NBA All-Star Chris Webber and The View's Meredith Vieira are among the celebrities who've conspired with parents to prank kids.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050726/NYTU159)

"Every parent, at some point, dreams about a show like Hi-Jinks," explains Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "These good-natured pranks on kids deliver non-stop comedy. It is the perfect co-viewing opportunity and both adults and children will enjoy it for different reasons."

Hosted by Leila Sbitani (Nice Package, 48 hour Wedding), Hi-Jinks uses hidden cameras to capture all of the action as the kids react to funny and bizarre situations. From Susan Sarandon's wax figure "coming to life" to a clueless George Washington Impersonator who visits a third grade classroom, this series puts kids in hilarious situations they never dreamed they'd be in.

The six episode series rolls out as follows:

Tuesday, August 2 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Actress/model Vivica Fox (Kill Bill Volume I) holds a casting session to find teens to appear in a commercial for her new fragrance, "Foxy." What the young actors don't know is that they've been set up by their parents to be pranked by Vivica whose new "fragrance" smells awful. Other pranks in the show include a dancing bear at the zoo and giant cell phones sold to teens.

Tuesday, August 9 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber (Philadelphia 76ers) appears at an autograph session with his beloved Rookie of the Year Trophy. Hidden cameras catch kids' reactions when the rigged trophy falls over and breaks after kids touch it. Other pranks in the show include a vending machine that always dispenses the wrong item no matter which buttons kids press, and an elementary school principal who informs students of the new school uniform policy.

Tuesday, August 16 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Stepmom, Dead Man Walking) stands in for her wax figure at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Hidden cameras capture the reactions of kids' tour groups as her wax figure "comes to life." Other pranks in the show include a talking teddy bear and kids who are shocked to learn that their Moms got tattoos.

Tuesday, August 23 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Actor Richard Kind (Mad About You, Spin City) is a bumbling waiter who can't get anything right. Hidden cameras capture kids' reactions as Richard stumbles and fumbles his way through serving several families lunch. Other pranks in the show include a collapsing dessert display and a clueless George Washington Impersonator who visits a third grade classroom.

Tuesday, August 30 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Meredith Vieira (The View, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?) is on special assignment at a candy store in Manhattan to get kids' reactions to the breaking news that candy has just been outlawed in New York City. Other pranks in the show include a machine at a veterinarian's office that enables pets to talk and lie detector tests for teens at a junior high school.

Tuesday, September 6 at 9:30pm (ET/PT) Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin, Cyberchase) lends his famous voice to a fake children's show featuring a penguin puppet. Hidden cameras capture kids' reactions when this penguin character on TV starts talking directly to kids watching at home. Other pranks in the show include a rigged spelling bee at an elementary school and the world's crankiest baby.

The series is created by Nick at Nite's Joe Boyd. Kim Rosenblum, Senior Vice President, TV Land and Nick at Nite, and Joe Boyd are Executive Producers. The show is being produced by Banyan Productions (Trading Spaces). For over a decade, Banyan Productions has been a leading creator of reality- based television programming, including the breakout TLC hit series Trading Spaces. The company produces more than 500 original episodes of television per year. Banyan Productions has developed and produced series for NBC, Twentieth Television and the Fox (O&Os), TLC, Discovery Channel, The Food Network, Discovery Health Channel, Sony International, Lifetime Television, The Travel Channel, PBS and HGTV.

Nick at Nite Originals was created in 2003 to develop original programming that meets what the network refers to as the "Four F's" criteria: programming that is Family-Friendly, Funny and Familiar. Nick at Nite Originals produced Fatherhood (June 2004), a show based on Bill Cosby's best-selling book of the same name, which has been one of the highest rated shows on the network. The series is currently in its second season with more episodes to premiere in October 2005. In May 2005, the network aired Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America.

For more information about Nick at Nite's originals line-ups, visit http://www.nickatnite.com/.

Nick at Nite and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International, Inc.

Currently seen in more than 88 million U.S. homes, Nick at Nite features timeless hit comedies: "The Cosby Show" -- this Emmy Award-winning sitcom is one of the network's highest-rated shows: "Full House" -- this popular family comedy launched on the network in October and is one of the highest-rated and most popular syndicated programs in television; and "Roseanne," one of the most talk-about and celebrated sitcoms in television history.

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, mtvU, VHI, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 12 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050726/NYTU159 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN6 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Nick at Nite

CONTACT: Rachel Lizerbram of Nick At Nite, +1-212-846-4412; Scott Acord of MTV Networks, +1-310-752-8075; Don Ciaramella of The Lippin Group, for Banyan Productions, +1-212-986-7080

Web site: http://www.nick-at-nite.com/

------- Profile: Ent