Showtime Holds Free Preview Weekend, 1/7

SHOWTIME(R) will be available in a record 61 million households for a Free Preview Weekend from Friday, January 7 through Monday, January 10. Viewers across the country will have the opportunity to sample the premium network's award-winning programming on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD(TM) and SHOWTIME On Demand(R). The Free Preview weekend will include the anticipated series premieres of two new SHOWTIME original series SHAMELESS and EPISODES, the fourth season premiere of CALIFORNICATION, the Showtime Sports mixed martial arts series STRIKEFORCE Challengers live from Nashville, and the premium television premiere of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON.

Free Preview Weekend viewers will also have access to the critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME original series THE BIG C, Californication, DEXTER, Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara and Weeds, all available on SHOWTIME On Demand. SHOWTIME will also air a variety of feature films and documentaries including Nine, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Extraordinary Measures, Cairo Time and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

Live on Friday, January 7 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast), the popular prospect-oriented Mixed Martial Arts series, STRIKEFORCE Challengers, will air from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. STRIKEFORCE Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming Strikeforce mixed martial artists. Young, promising athletes step-up their level of competition in an attempt to prove they are ready to fight at a world-class level while elevating their profile on a nationally televised event. The Jan. 7 telecast will feature fights that include three of Strikeforce's fastest rising stars - undefeated welterweight Tyron Woodley (7-0), a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri, vs. Belgium's Saffiedine (10-2), who has won nine of his last 10. Unbeaten heavyweight Daniel Cormier (6-0), of San Jose, Calif., faces what will be his toughest opponent to date when he meets veteran Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore.

On Saturday, January 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON will make its premium television debut. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, and was directed by Chris Weitz from the blockbuster novel by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight fans can re-watch the movie that started it all throughout the weekend on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD and SHOWTIME On Demand, and can sample the network's exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of both films.

Then, on Sunday, January 9 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT, SHOWTIME will unveil its "BIGGEST. SUNDAY. EVER." with the fourth season premiere of CALIFORNICATION (9 p.m. ET/PT), and the new original series premieres of EPISODES (9:30 p.m. ET/PT) and SHAMELESS (10 p.m. ET/PT).

The fourth season of the hit comedy series CALIFORNICATION, stars David Duchovny in his Golden Globe-winning role as hedonistic novelist Hank Moody who struggles to raise his teenage daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin), with on-again, off-again girlfriend Karen (Natascha McElhone). This season, Hank will have to deal with the fall-out from his one-night stand with then-underage pseudo step-daughter Mia (Madeline Zima) going public. His epic legal troubles force him to enlist the aid of high-powered defense attorney Abby (Carla Gugino) to keep him out of the big house. Rob Lowe ("Parks & Recreation") is the season's guest star. Other guest stars include Michael Ealy ("The Good Wife"), Zoe Kravitz ("Mad Max: Fury Road"), Callie Thorne ("Rescue Me") and rocker Tommy Lee. Duchovny executive produces alongside creator and executive producer Tom Kapinos.

EPISODES stars Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) nominee Matt LeBlanc and is executive produced and created by David Crane ("Friends") and Jeffrey Klarik ("Mad About You"). The series focuses on a British couple (played by Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig), whose hit, erudite UK show is turned into an Americanized sitcom starring LeBlanc. Jimmy Mulville executive produces through his successful Hat Trick Production Company.

Based on the long-running hit UK drama series and executive produced by Emmy Award winners John Wells and Paul Abbott, SHAMELESS stars Emmy Award winner and Academy Award(R) nominee William H. Macy and Golden Globe nominee Emmy Rossum. Macy plays Frank Gallagher, a far-from-stellar working-class patriarch of an unconventional Chicago brood of six motley kids whose eldest daughter (Rossum) keeps the home afloat while he?s out drinking and carousing. SHAMELESS is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

The Free Preview Weekend is available to digital subscribers of participating providers only. Not all services are available in all areas. Previews may contain PG, PG-13, TV-14, TVMA and R rated programming. You must be a digital subscriber to receive video on demand and HD. Viewers who tune in and order SHOWTIME for the first time, can get $25 cash back. For additional details on the offer go to SHO.com/order and for SHOWTIME Free Preview weekend, go to SHO.com/freepreview.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME(R), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2(TM), SHOWTIME(R) SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME(R), SHOWTIME BEYOND(R), SHOWTIME NEXT(R), SHOWTIME WOMEN(R), SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD(TM), THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND(R) and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel(TM). All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV(R)