Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A&E Orders Steven Seagal Reality Show




Steven Seagal: Lawman' follows Steven Seagal's career as... a lawman.

We know he's been under siege, on deadly ground and marked for death, but who knew that Steven Seagal is also a commissioned officer of the law?

A&E announced Monday (Nov. 24) that it has gone into production on "Steven Seagal: Lawman," a self-explanatory reality series that looks beyond the action hero's movie star status.

"I've been working as an officer in Jefferson Parish for two decades under most people's radar," Seagal says in a statement. "I've decided to work with A&E on this series now because I believe it's important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in Louisiana -- to see the passion and commitment that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in this post-Katrina environment."

As the man says, Seagal has been working for almost 20 years as a fully-commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. It also turns out that Seagal's movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide, which seems equally unlikely.

Apparently, in addition to his 7th-degree black belt in aikido, Seagal is an expert marksman and has been going on patrols and training fellow officers in firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

"Steven is a hero both on and off camera and helps fight crime because he cares about the community," said Robert Sharenow, A&E's unscripted programming guru. "It's such an amazing revelation that this larger-than-life star has been doing real police work for nearly 20 years."

Sheriff Newell Normand adds, "Steven has a very close relationship with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and I'm proud to have him as part of our team. I cannot tell you how honored I am to not only be affiliated with Steven, but with A&E and all their support in highlighting the efforts, the trials and the tribulations of the men and woman of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office."

"Seven Seagal: Lawman" joins an A&E unscripted stable that already includes "Intervention," "Dog the Bounty Hunter," "Paranormal State" and, occasionally, "The Coreys."