Talk about perfect timing: Mike “The Situation” propelled himself back into the headlines this week just as the TV Guide Network was announcing his return to the world of reality TV with his new family-focused series The Sorrentinos.
A customer at Mike’s Middletown, NJ franchise of Boca Tanning called 911 last week to report that Mike was involved in a “fist fight” with “family trying to pull it apart in the back.”
“There were girls screaming,” the customer tells the 911 dispatcher. “The UPS lady from next door was like they were bouncing off her wall. I was just the one that made the call ‘cause I had the phone out.”
When police arrived, Mike was taken into custody. He was charged with simple assault and released on $500 bond.
TMZ posted a video shortly after his released of Mike explaining the fight. “[brother] Frank the HR was not running the store correctly, so I had to go in there and clean house,” he says.
The entire Sorrentino family, mom Linda, older brothers Frank and Marc and sister Melissa, will be joining Mike on the TV Guide Network’s new series for more family drama and antics as they embark on opening up a tanning salon.
“I wouldn’t say it’s toned down, but it’s a little more mature,” Mike says of the new series compared to the Jersey Shore. “No secrets are safe in this family.”
The show follows the Sorrentino family through their every day lives, including the famous Sunday night dinners of homemade pasta and marinara sauce. While Sorrentino is famous for his toned physique, he does enjoy some cheat days when mom Linda is in the kitchen.
“My favorite thing that mom makes is everything,” he says.
In the premiere, Mike talks about starting new after his time on Jersey Shore and stint in rehab, “looking to set the record straight once and for all about who he really is. The stakes are high. Not many get a second chance for a first impression,” reads the marketing materials for the show.
While Mike is rebuilding his post-rehab life on the show, we also get to follow his sister Melissa as she prepares for her upcoming wedding and helps mom Linda “traverse the scary world of dating.” Middle brother Marc is embarking on a career as a DJ while older brother Frank pursues his dream of acting.
“The only things bigger than the Sorrentino’s dreams are their heart and love for one another. Bonds like these either make you or break you because family, at the end of the day, is everything,” says TVGN of the series.
But just don’t expect a wholesome, feel-good family show here.
“They’ll be some food being thrown. Every single person has a large personality, you never really know what’s going to happen,” says Mike.
The Sorrentinos premieres on TVGN July 15 at 10 p.m.
