Project Runway premiered on Bravo in December of 2004. The reality fashion-designer competition series was a sleeper hit in its first season, with audience numbers dramatically increasing from the series premiere to the season finale. The show is hosted by Heidi Klum, and Liz Claiborne CCO Tim Gunn mentors the contestants throughout each season. Michael Kors and Marie Claire editor Nina Garcia (formerly of Elle) serve as regular judges. In each episode, a new guest judge rounds out the four-judge panel, which includes Klum. Luminaries to fill the seat have ranged from designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Roberto Cavalli to actresses like Brooke Shields and Lindsay Lohan. In 2008, a legal battle ensued over the series when the Weinstein Company sold it to Lifetime. NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, sued the Weinstein Company, claiming it had a right to first refusal of the series. In September of 2008, a judge granted NBC an injunction, preventing Lifetime from promoting or exhibiting the series and the two spinoffs they had planned. The lawsuit was settled in the spring of 2009, ordering the Weinstein company to pay NBC the right to move the series to the Lifetime network. Season six, which took place in Los Angeles, gained positive feedback from critics and 4.2 million viewers tuned in for the season premiere. The series returned to New York for season seven.

Status

Established, Household Name

Related Websites

• Lifetime (Official)
• Bravo TV: Project Runway (Official)
• Wikipedia: Project Runway (Other)