Sex appeal, lots of underwear spell success for Oxygen

By David Bauder
Associated Press

The stars of Oxygen's "Girls Behaving Badly" show are, from left, Chelsea Handler, Glenda Redfield, Tori Meyer and Melissa Howard. Associated Press 'Girls Behaving Badly' 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays Oxygen

It's a scene from "Girls Behaving Badly" — a reality series surprising only in where it's being shown.

"Girls Behaving Badly" is a weekend staple on Oxygen, the fledgling cable channel with big dreams when it started in 2000 now trying whatever it can to make channel surfers slow down or stop.

Once envisioned as the home for smart working women — as opposed to the stodgy Lifetime — Oxygen now shows women yanking men's pants down to answer the "boxers or briefs" question, a woman straddling a stranger to test a new chair and Cheryl Tiegs' bondage equipment.

At its beginning, founding executive Geraldine Laybourne said Oxygen would be focused on "releasing the energy of women to do great things. It represents a very strong point of view about our audience. We respect them and look up to them."

Nearly three years later, Oxygen is still looking for that audience.

It averaged 116,000 viewers in prime-time during November, according to Nielsen Media Research. Lifetime, the leading network for women, had just under 1.9 million viewers at the same time.

"Oxygen, like any new network, is trying to find out how to define itself," said Tim Brooks, Lifetime's research director. "Its first pass didn't work out too well. But they will try different things. That's their battle, not ours."

The good news for Oxygen is, those numbers represent an improvement. And "Girls Behaving Badly" has something to do with it. The series airs Sundays and, like most successful cable shows, is rerun over and over.

There's nothing about "Girls Behaving Badly" that conflicts with the network's mission, said Debby Bece, Oxygen's programming chief.

"I just think women want to have fun," she said. "They like being frivolous and fun. It's not trying to make anyone better, it's just trying to make you laugh."

Comedy, particularly programs geared toward a young person's sense of humor, is an underserved niche at networks geared to women, she said. Lifetime is primarily known for cheesy movies that often depict women as victims.

Zoo Productions, the company behind "Girls Behaving Badly," cut its teeth filming scantily clad college students on spring break for MTV.

Much of the humor is bawdy. The women found many men eager to "drop trou" to show their underwear. One setup involved an actress, supposedly shopping for a new chair, who asked strangers for help so she could see what it would be like sitting on it with her boyfriend.

She sat on the lap of one wide-eyed volunteer and dangled her breasts inches from his face.

Tiegs, the supermodel with a wholesome reputation, is shown asking contractors for help building a new room at her house. It becomes clear it's a storeroom for whips, chains and handcuffs.

"We like to have one thing on every show where you say, 'Oh, my God. I can't believe they really did that,' " said Barry Poznick, the executive producer.