Morgan Fairchild, a veteran vixen of 1980s prime-time soap operas, feels right at home in the cast of "Fashion House," one of the first serialized dramas for the upcoming MyNetworkTV.
Fairchild told a gathering of the Television Critics Association on Thursday that she's getting a kick out of taking on the kind of role she became known for in series including "Flamingo Road" and "Falcon Crest."
"What is fun about it is taking something from me that I kind of became famous for doing," she said, playing tough women and "throwing in the one-liners and making it entertaining and fun, which we do a lot on our show."
Series co-star Bo Derek, who gained fame in the movie "10," said she's relishing the scenes with Fairchild as her nemesis.
"She gives a good punch," Fairchild said, lauding Derek's stunt work.
"Fashion House" and "Desire," starring Sofia Milos, will kick off MyNetworkTV, being launched by News Corp.'s Fox television unit in September.
News Corp. came up with the plan after 10 of its stations were left without prime-time programming following the decision by CBS Corp. to shut down its UPN network. The new CW network, an amalgam of UPN and the soon-to-be-shuttered WB, starts this fall.
MyNetworkTV, an effort to develop an American audience for English-language versions of the popular and steamy "telenovelas" that appear on Spanish-language TV, will air its series six days a week, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a Saturday recap show.
All the dramas will run in 13-week cycles and then be replaced by new ones. Tatum O'Neal has been signed for one, "Art of Betrayal," the network said Thursday. Stars set for other dramas include Catherine Oxenberg and Maria Conchita Alonso.
The network will feature original programming year-round, network executives told the TV critics' group.
Plans to add reality series at some point have been dropped and the telenovela format will be the only one on MyNetworkTV, said Jack Abernathy, chief executive of Fox Television stations.
The network will reach more than 94 percent of the country, including 97 of the top 100 markets, Abernathy said.