Exclusive: TLC Orders Extreme Cheapskates to Series

Dumpster divers and penny pinchers, your time has come: TLC plans to turn its special Extreme Cheapskates into a regular TV series.
TLC has ordered eight half-hour episodes of Extreme Cheapskates, which will air sometime this summer. If you're proud of the unconventional ways you've managed to save a few bucks, the show is currently casting.
The one-hour Extreme Cheapskates special, which initially aired on Dec. 28, featured four misers who went out of their way to save a few bucks. One person trained her family to reuse toilet paper (saving $240 a year) and another asked restaurant patrons for their leftover portions.
According to TLC, the special attracted 1.6 million viewers and became a trending topic on Twitter. It's the latest in a line of TLC programs focusing on ways that Americans are going to great lengths to save money — including, most notably, the network's Extreme Couponing.
TLC launched Extreme Cheapskates in a similar fashion to Extreme Couponing; both started out as specials airing in late December before securing a full pickup. (The most recent all-star edition of Extreme Couponing just ended its season last month.) Stephen David Entertainment is the producer on Extreme Cheapskates.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!