VH1 is in a New York state of mind.
The music and pop culture network on Wednesday greenlit a new slate of programming that includes four series set in the Big Apple and aimed at its young female audience.
New York radio station Hot 97 will be the setting for a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at the hip hop and R&B music brand. Each half-hour episode of “This Is Hot 97” — premiering March 31 at 10:30 p.m. — will show the ambitions, rivalries and quirky personalities of its tight-knit group of coworkers.
The series also promises cameos from on-air guests who frequently stop by the station, including Kanye West, Macklemore, Rick Ross, Mack Wilds and Wale.
“Love & Hip Hop” star K.Michelle will get her own spinoff, which follows the red-haired singer as she balances her son, her friends and her music career in New York City. The as-yet untitled reality series will debut in late summer or fall.
“Swab Stories” follows Jared Rosenthal, owner of the New York-based mobile DNA testing service Who’s Your Daddy — an RV that allows people to take DNA tests on the spot with a swab of the mouth. In the series, premiering in September, Rosenthal and his team travel neighborhood to neighborhood giving people the chance to reconnect with lost family members.
VH1’s slate also includes one scripted series, “Hindsight,” which takes place in the 1990s and is set to premiere early next year. The plot revolves around Becca (Lauren Ramsey), who — plagued by doubt on the eve of her second wedding — wakes up after a freakish elevator ride in 1995 on the morning of her first wedding day. She must reconnect with the best friend with whom she had a falling out and attempt to make the right decisions this time around while readapting to life in the ‘90s — a time of smoking in bars, pagers and AOL email accounts.
The other new series are “I (Heart) Nick Carter,” which focuses on the Backstreet Boy’s relationship with his fiancée; “Walk of Shame Shuttle,” following a young entrepreneur who runs a ride-home service for hung-over college students; and “White Girls of Rap,” about five female rappers striving for success in the male-dominated business.