Marlins-Themed Season Of "The Franchise" To Debut On Showtime

The second season of Showtime's MLB-themed reality show "The Franchise" debuts tonight at 10:00pm ET with an hour-long episode. For this season, which revolves around the Marlins, MLB Productions Exec Producer David Gavant said that the team "provided them more access than the Giants did last year, specifically to members of the front office and ownership." Marlins President David Samson: "When they asked to do the Marlins, I don't think they had any idea what they were in for. I feel badly for next year's team" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/11).

The "centerpiece" of tonight's episode features a scene in which P Heath Bell "confronts Ozzie Guillen, demanding to know if he has the manager's support despite several blown saves." Exec Producer Mike Tollin said, "It's one of my favorite pieces of footage that we've gotten in two years" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/11).