Extreme Makeover was a television program from ABC in which individuals volunteer to receive an extensive makeover in Hollywood. It began airing in 2002 on Thursday nights at 8pm. A total of 55 episodes were produced.
Borrowing heavily from the reality television genre, the show depicts ordinary men and women undergoing "extreme makeovers" involving plastic surgery, exercise regimes, hairdressing and wardrobing. Each episode ends with the subjects' return to their families and friends, showing the reactions of their loved ones, who have not been allowed to see the incremental changes during the subjects' absence.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which debuted in 2003, is a spinoff of Extreme Makeover. The home edition eventually became more successful than the plastic surgery edition. Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition was also a spinoff but was a one-time special due to low ratings.
The show is airing its final episodes after having not been on the main primetime schedule in some time. New episodes have aired sporadically generally during off-peak periods. It was once scheduled to return to the ABC lineup on Thursday, August 3, 2006, but repeats of Grey's Anatomy instead filled the hour. The show returned to the air on Friday, October 20, 2006, but due to low ratings ABC announced that Grey's Anatomy reruns would fill the time slot starting November 3.
On May 15, 2007 Extreme Makeover was officially cancelled by ABC. The show's final three episodes were burned off on Mondays starting July 2, 2007. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-abcpremieredates-setforlifemastersofscifi,0,1525267.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines
