Stewart Will Go From ‘You’re Released’ to ‘You’re Hired’ With TV Spinoff Deal

Last July, Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison after being convicted for lying about a stock trade.

Now, thanks to Donald Trump and “reality” TV czar Mark Burnett, the lifestyle entrepreneur and felon will be deciding the fate of others.

General Electric Co.’s NBC said Wednesday that Stewart would star in a spinoff of Burnett’s prime-time hit “The Apprentice.” Production will begin in March, soon after Stewart is released from prison -- and while she is still under house arrest.

Just like Trump, Stewart will oversee a competition of 16 to 18 ambitious young contestants who will vie for a $250,000-a-year job in her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. Casting is underway, and “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” could air as soon as this fall. The company’s website declares: “With Martha This Fall!”

NBC Universal Television Group President Jeff Zucker declined to discuss details, but he didn’t rule out a round-robin scenario in which the network could run a 16-week cycle of “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” followed by a cycle with Trump as the taskmaster. He has agreed to star in at least two more editions.

This will be the second Stewart-focused show that Burnett is producing for NBC. Two months ago, Burnett, NBC and Martha Stewart Living announced plans for an hourlong daytime show beginning in September. The syndicated program, which will air weekdays and be filmed before a live audience, is more of a “how-to” show highlighting “all of the stuff that Martha does best,” said Susan Lyne, chief executive of Martha Stewart Living.

“These are very complementary shows that will not step on each other’s toes,” she said. “It’s all about expanding the awareness and understanding of all of the things this company does.”

NBC and Burnett have kept the “Apprentice” spinoff under wraps for more than four months. Burnett said Wednesday that the deal was done before Stewart entered the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in October. While behind bars, Stewart is not allowed to conduct any business.

Burnett, who says he has visited Stewart in prison four times, has an extra incentive not just to make both her shows successful but also to help strengthen Stewart’s once-mighty empire. Last fall, the prolific producer was given the right to buy 2.5 million Martha Stewart Living shares at $12.59 each. In the last seven months, the company’s shares have nearly tripled on speculation that the company would rebound once Stewart put her legal woes behind her.

Martha Stewart Living shares Wednesday fell 76 cents to $32.93 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Burnett’s business strategy, sources said, is to finally gain a stake in long-term revenue streams. Most of his shows, including the “Survivor” franchise for CBS, have limited shelf lives, forcing Burnett to work long hours producing and editing.

Zucker said NBC waited to announce Stewart’s role in “The Apprentice” to avoid creating any confusion with Stewart’s daytime syndicated show. As recently as last week, at the TV syndication market in Las Vegas, NBC Universal sales executives were peddling the show to TV station owners.

For his part, Trump, an executive producer on the franchise who shares in the profit, said he was thrilled to have Stewart as a partner. Trump said Stewart won’t be using his trademark phrase, “You’re fired.”

And as yet, there are no plans to give Stewart a comb-over.