or


[08/06/10 - 11:35 AM]
Less Proves to Be More as We TV's New Series Downsized Takes a Look at a Family's Life in a Recession
The eight-part series premieres Saturday, November 6 at 9:00/8:00c.

[via press release from WE tv]

DOING WITHOUT BUT DOING IT TOGETHER: MEET THE BRUCE-BUNCH (all nine of them!)

Less Proves To Be More As WE tv's New Series DOWNSIZED Takes a Look at a Family's Life in a Recession

Series Premiere Saturday, November 6 at 9PM ET/PT

Los Angeles, CA, August 6, 2010 - Here's a story... of a lovely family... with a very different twist. Laura and Todd Bruce, and their seven children were a happy blended American family, living a lavish life of vacations, expensive dinners, summer homes and more money than they could spend. Fast forward four years to a crippling recession, and you'll see the Bruce's flat broke with two homes in foreclosure, a collapsed contracting business and a daily struggle to make rent. The Bruce family's challenge of living life with nine people on a poverty-level budget is the focus of WE tv's riveting new one-hour, eight episode-series, DOWNSIZED, premiering Saturday, November 6 at 9:00PM ET/PT. Witness a modern day "Brady-bunch" use love, humor and discipline to navigation the very real stresses of life in modern America.

DOWNSIZED features a large, blended family brought together by Laura and Todd Bruce. When Laura and Todd married, they merged Laura's five children with Todd's two kids to become a large family, with a sizable appetite for spending. The real-estate boom awarded Todd a thriving construction business that made money hand-over-fist and allowed him to provide a posh-lifestyle for his new family. Then, the real estate market collapsed and their lives were turned upside-down. Household budgets were slashed and that meant a "rental" home, clipping coupons and rolling pennies. Everything from vocal-lessons and cheerleading camp to baseball equipment and shopping sprees became things of the past. With retirement savings and college funds depleted, this family is beginning the steep climb out of financial ruin.

In the midst of their economic pressures, Laura and Todd are raising seven teen/pre-teenagers that are going through important social phases daily. After witnessing the divorce of their respective parents, all children were faced with having a new step-parent and step-siblings. Boys they competed with a school are now the very ones they share a bedroom with and girls have to form new sisterly-bonds. Ages 10 and up, there are the "Bruce's": Heather and Levi; and the: "Rumsey's" Bailey, Rex, Dylan and Whitney (the triplets) and Danielle (the youngest). Through DOWNSIZED, the new "Bruce-bunch" are learning to navigate the difficult teenage years of dating, friends, high-emotions and the loss of life's former luxuries - all under the parents' watchful eye. The step-siblings have to learn how to deal with jealousy of others and even themselves. While Todd's children have access to generous gifts from their well-to-do mother, Laura's kids have to make due. This can mean the difference between Heather attending the prom when Bailey can't afford to go. Still, DOWNSIZED illustrates that what the Bruce's lack financially, they make up in love and camaraderie.

"What keeps our family together is that we laugh together," reflects mom Laura Bruce. "In spite of facing an enormous debt, we're united by love and laughter."

Each member is tasked with responsibility for contributing to the family as a whole. During the school year, the Bruce's have Laura's sparse teaching income, but that is hardly enough to sustain the entire clan. They have to shop with coupons and struggle with personal pride when using food stamps, finding clothing at Good WIll and cleaning other people's homes in the neighborhood to make money. They must baby-sit, swap clothing, dumpster-dive and work summer-jobs to help each-other stay afloat. Despite their difficult circumstances, Laura and Todd will use their misfortune as an opportunity to teach their children the importance of ingenuity, teamwork, perseverance and the value of every hard-earned dollar. The Bruce's will reveal the very real face of modern American family's economic-recovery.

Produced by WE tv and Pie Town Productions. Executive Producer for WE tv: John Miuller and Monica Ramone.

About WE tv

WE tv (www.wetv.com), a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, offers compelling, entertaining stories that focus on key life stages of a modern woman, from getting married to having children and raising a family. cptfc Available in nearly 77 million homes, the network's original programming includes the critically acclaimed, viewer favorite The Locator (the network's most-watched series ever), the poignant, and often comical, real-life story of a family raising multiple toddlers, Raising Sextuplets, and a robust line-up of wedding series, including the hit show Bridezillas, Amazing Wedding Cakes and My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. WE tv is available in HD and WE tv On Demand is available in more than 30 million homes.

WE tv's public affairs initiative, WE Empowers Women, is dedicated to creating programs that foster and celebrate women's strength, confidence and diversity. The network's newest initiative, WE Volunteer (www.wevolunteer.tv), is a call-to-action for women to become more involved in their communities by volunteering one full day - just 24 hours - of community service to make a difference in someone else's life.





  [august 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· DOWNSIZED (WE)





[01/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Saturday Night Live" Kicks Off 2025 with New Shows Beginning Jan. 18
Look for Dave Chappelle to host on January 18 followed by Timothée Chalamet on January 25.

[01/10/25 - 10:31 AM]
The "Doc" Is in with a Double Dose of FOX's Gripping New Medical Drama
The show's debut installment will rebroadcast this Sunday, January 12 and Monday, January 13.

[01/10/25 - 08:31 AM]
Cleveland Cavaliers Victory Over Oklahoma City Thunder on ESPN Averaged 1.87 Million Viewers
Wednesday's coverage peaked at 2.5 million viewers.

[01/10/25 - 07:06 AM]
"Puppy Bowl XXI" Returns Sunday, February 9 Across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+
The annual three-hour television event will feature 142 rescue puppies from 80 shelters across 40 states - and two countries - as they compete in the cutest competition of the year.

[01/10/25 - 05:31 AM]
Venu Sports Will Be Discontinued
Venu Sports, the proposed virtual MVPD service from ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery, will be discontinued.

[01/10/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "My Family" - Official Teaser - Netflix
A terminally ill father prepares his chaotic family to care for his two young kids and face life without him - but they must put old quarrels to rest.

[01/10/25 - 01:23 AM]
Disney+ and Curious Films to Produce "Caroline (w/t)" Original Feature Length Documentary Film
The film will celebrate the life and career of one of the UK's most popular TV presenters Caroline Flack and follows Christine, Caroline's mother, as she seeks to understand the events in the final months of her daughter's life.

[01/09/25 - 01:54 PM]
Video: Hunting Down the Truth - "The Hunting Party" - Trailer - NBC
After an impossible breakout at a top-secret prison, one team must race against time to recapture escaped serial killers who are more dangerous than ever before.

[01/09/25 - 11:21 AM]
CBS Program Advisory: "Hollywood Squares" Premiere Moves to Next Thursday
In light of the ongoing tragic wildfires in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, tonight's premiere of "Hollywood Squares" will move to next Thursday, January 16.

[01/09/25 - 08:32 AM]
ESPN's College Football Bowl Viewership Reaches Record Highs for 2024-25 Season
The 33 non-College Football Playoff bowls averaged 2.7 million viewers, marking a 14 percent year-over-year increase and the largest audience since the 2019-20 season.

[01/09/25 - 08:25 AM]
"The American Revolution," A New Film from Ken Burns, to Premiere November 16, 2025
The new six-part, 12-hour documentary series that explores the country's founding and its eight-year War for Independence, will premiere on Sunday, November 16 and air for six consecutive nights through Friday, November 21st at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS.

[01/09/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Lucca's World" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Determined to help her son, who has cerebral palsy, Bárbara takes her family to India for an experimental treatment. Based on the book of the same name.

[01/09/25 - 07:00 AM]
WWE "RAW" Wrestles Up 4.9M Global Views for Netflix Debut
The inaugural event on Netflix averaged 2.6 million households (Live+SD) in the US, according to VideoAmp, which is 116% higher than "RAW's" average 2024 US audience of 1.2 million households, and higher than any other "Monday Night RAW" broadcast in the past five years.

[01/09/25 - 06:00 AM]
Video: "Onside: Major League Soccer" - Official Trailer - Apple TV+
Off the pitch and on the record. An access-all-areas look at Major League Soccer.

[01/09/25 - 05:31 AM]
Video: "Sakamoto Days" - Final Trailer - Netflix
Once the greatest hitman of all, Taro Sakamoto retired in the name of love. But when his past catches up, he must fight to protect his beloved family.