Upwave, the health and wellness division of the Turner Broadcasting System, produced several television series on healthy living aimed at encouraging people to get up and move, eat nutritiously and improve relationships.
The focus was on original and entertaining programming which emphasized diet, exercise, stress reduction, healthy relationships, and healthy living. The shows consisted of docudramas, reality competitions and scripted programs.
The weekly series were aimed at health-conscious Americans who were already active in health and nutrition, and also those who needed encouragement.
The shows, launched in December, 2013, involved two hosts: Dr. Billy Goldberg, co-author of the book Why Do Men Have Nipples?, and Chef Richard Blais. Goldberg’s program, The Dose, included humor in presenting health information. Blais’s show, Cook Your Ass Off, was a contest-driven show aimed at healthier eating, with nutritionist Keri Glassman. A third program, The Tim Ferriss Experiment, was a half hour show based on Ferriss’s book, The Four Hour Workweek.
Within three weeks of their premieres, The Dose and Tim Ferriss’s show were canceled. Airing on HLN, the two shows received the network’s lowest ratings in 22 years. Cook Your Ass Off lasted until March, 2014.
Upwave originally started as an interactive website created by Turner Wellness Media. They developed an app, and hoped to build a viewer base before launching the television version.