| The Franchise | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:The_Franchise_tv_logo.jpg){kind=logo} Season 1 title card | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Production company | Major League Baseball Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Showtime |
| Release | July 13, 2011 – August 22, 2012[1] |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
The Franchise is an American reality-documentary television show that debuted on July 13, 2011, on the Showtime television network. The series follows Major League Baseball (MLB) teams before and during the baseball season.
The first season of the show followed the San Francisco Giants as they defended their World Series title during the 2011 Major League Baseball season. The series focused mostly on the players themselves and followed their lives on and off the field. The players featured included Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Pablo Sandoval, Brian Wilson, Buster Posey, and Ryan Vogelsong. The Franchise provides a rare inside view into a Major League clubhouse, showing the ups and downs of a long and trying professional baseball season.
The second season premiered on July 11, 2012 and featured the Miami Marlins, in their first season in their new park.[2] The season was cut short by one episode.[3][4]
On January 12, 2013, Showtime Entertainment President David Nevins said the series will return if the "right team and the right story" is found.[5] The Cleveland Guardians have been linked to the show as a possible choice.[6]
- ^ "The Franchise".
- ^ "MIAMI MARLINS TO BE FEATURED IN SEASON TWO OF THE FRANCHISE ON SHOWTIME" (Press release). Showtime Networks. February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ Kaduk, Kevin (August 20, 2012). "Showtime calls an early end to 'The Franchise'". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ Tucker, Heather (August 20, 2012). "Showtime pulls plug on Marlins, 'The Franchise' a week early". USA Today. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ Brian Ford Sullivan (January 12, 2013). "Showtime at TCA: "Episodes" Won't Be Back Until Early 2014". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ Hoynes, Paul (9 February 2013). "Tribe pursuing Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse? Unlikely, but possible: Cleveland Indians Insider". Cleveland Live. Retrieved 12 February 2013.