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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable television channel Showtime has teamed up with World Series champions San Francisco Giants to air a reality series about the behind the scenes life of a professional baseball team, Showtime said on Friday.

Describing the series as "provocative and ground-breaking," Showtime said TV camera crews are being embedded for 10 months with the team, its management and wives and girlfriends of the players.

"Nothing can capture the drama of the real thing," said Showtime entertainment president David Nevins.

"We are both honored and excited to have the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants grant this extraordinary access," he added.

Nevins said he started talks with a small group of baseball clubs toward the end of last season with the aim of doing an in-depth behind the scenes series.

"It became clear the Giants had the right selection of players and personalities and later when they won the World Series, it was a compelling choice," Nevins told journalists.

If the show is a success, Nevins said he hoped to interest other baseball teams in the future. "Ideally it's the beginning of a franchise with a different team every year," he said.

The series is a collaboration between Showtime and MLB Productions. The San Francisco Giants won their first World Series in 56 years in November 2010.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)