Turner Upfront: Big Stars, Alien Invasions & Maybe a Sex Tape

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images, Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Turner networks wants you to see stars this summer.

This morning, TNT, TBS and TruTV attempted to not be outdone by the major networks showcasing their wares this week, continuing the current upfront theme that no one knows the difference between network and cable. And with celebs like Jada Pinkett Smith, Dylan McDermott, Kyra Sedgwick, Holly Hunter, George Lopez and Tyler Perry walking across the stage, it's easy to see why.

In addition, the networks announced new shows in development with some major brass behind them. 

Steven Spielberg will be one of the folks executive producing an untitled alien invasion project, Raising the Bar's Steven Bochco is doing another law drama and Sedgwick and hubby Kevin Bacon are cocreating Zapata, Texas.

This summer, TNT will be unrolling three straight nights of original programming. Here's the rundown:

Monday
9 p.m.: The Closer (Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons)
10 p.m.: Raising the Bar (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Jane Kaczmarek)

Tuesday
8 p.m.: Wedding Day, the net's first foray into original reality television (think Extreme Makeover: Marriage Edition)
9 p.m.: Hawthorne (Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Vartan)
10 p.m.: Saving Grace (Holly Hunter)

Wednesday
9 p.m.: Leverage (Timothy Hutton, Christian Kane)
10 p.m.: Dark Blue (Dylan McDermott)

In December, TNT will launch Men of a Certain Age, starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula. The show looks kinda like a male Sex and the City plus 15 years.

TBS took the time to brag about the success of Perry's shows, Meet the Browns and House of Payne and teased a new animated show, Neighbors from Hell, by Dreamworks Animation and Jeffrey Katzenberg. 

Lopez came out to talk about his high hopes for his late-night show kicking off in November. He'll be without a desk, and he's hoping to create an atmosphere where celebs can just be themselves. 

"It'll be a street-party energy every night that is not on any other talk show," he said, joking that if a guest wants to head-butt someone, they're welcome to do so, and if he or she wants to add a segment to a sex tape, there will be a special room for it.

TruTV also promises big stuff with NFL Full Contact, a reality show following behind-the-scenes NFL employees, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura and U.S. Special Ops: Declassified.