Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG) has announced that Brandon McMillan will return to host the 11th season of Lucky Dog premiering October 7. The Emmy-winning show, sponsored by TurfMutt Foundation / Equip Exposition, will premiere as Lucky Dog: Reunions within the CBS Television Network weekend educational/informational (E/I) programming block.
Lucky Dog draws more than 1.1 million total weekly viewers. Since its inception, the show has helped to rescue, rehab, train and re-home more than 200 dogs. McMillan, the animal trainer who began with the show for its 2013 debut and went on to host more than 180 episodes, will bring his special brand of charm and expertise back to the series. For his earlier Lucky Dog work, McMillan was nominated for five Daytime Emmys and was honored twice with the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Travel/Children’s or Family Viewing Program.
For Season 11, McMillan returns to the Lucky Dog Ranch, where he’ll revisit some of the most heartwarming and illuminating episodes from his seven seasons as host. He’ll “watch along” with the audience as he re-lives his experience rescuing and training shelter dogs and pairing them with “forever” families. At the end of each episode, McMillan will reunite with original families to find out how the adopted pets have made lasting impressions on each member.
In recognition of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the season-opening October 7 episode will feature a pet reunion with a breast cancer survivor, underscoring the therapeutic and life-enhancing impact of beloved pets on their human companions.
“Lucky Dog has developed a large and loyal following of pet lovers nationwide,” said Bryan Curb, HMPG executive vice president, education/information. “This season, we’re giving fans what they’ve been asking for with updates on the previously adopted pets and their families. Brandon’s return will make it a true ‘reunion.'”
Lucky Dog: Reunions is part of HMPG’s current program portfolio which comprises more than 30 original series and hundreds of hours of content annually on leading broadcast networks and station groups and on connected TV and streaming platforms. It has a library of more than 4,000 hours of programming and its content can be found in 97 countries.
