By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The CW has green-lighted an untitled fashion-magazine reality series from Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, the duo behind the network's No. 1 show, "America's Next Top Model."

The series has received an eight-episode order and will begin production in April for a launch in late spring or summer. The show, which the CW unofficially describes as "The Devil Wears Prada" meets "The Assistant," is eyed as a potential companion piece for "Top Model."

"It is a competition show about aspiring assistants looking to become assistant editors at a fashion magazine," Mok said. "At the same time they're trying to prove themselves as aspiring fashionistas, that they have a sense of style and savvyness, all the things to make it in the fashion world."

In each episode, the contestants will compete in two challenges, an individual competition and a team competition, in which each squad will submit a page for "The Book," a mock edition of the magazine. The losing team's page will end up in the trash, and one of its team members will be eliminated. The page from the other team will be included in "The Book." The winner of the competition will land a job in the fashion industry.

The producers are in negotiations with a real fashion magazine to host the contestants, and its editors will help judge the challenges.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
© Copyright 2007 Reuters.

Photo:
Model and talk show host Tyra Banks arrives for the first annual BET Honors gala in Washington January 12, 2008. The CW has green-lighted an untitled fashion-magazine reality series from Banks and Ken Mok, the duo behind the network's No. 1 show, "America's Next Top Model." REUTERS/Molly Riley