Starz is venturing into the unscripted space with the premium cable network greenlighting four new docu-series.
The new series will explore the criminal justice system, a youth sports program, the world of fashion, and the legacy of hip-hop music on American culture. Starz’ vice president of original programming Patrick McDonald will oversee all four projects.
“Unique voices and storytelling are the hallmarks of the Starz programming strategy, and we are proud to announce our investment in these filmmakers and the stories they passionately want to tell,” said Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht. “With each project, we will explore and better understand our collective cultural history.”
Read a breakdown of the four series below.
“Wrong Man” is a six-part series that dives deep into the investigations that led to the conviction of three people who claim their innocence. It’s estimated that 1 in 25 prisoners in the U.S. are convicted for crimes they did not commit. With more than 2 million people in prison, that means approximately 94,300 innocent people may be behind bars. Celebrated documentarian Joe Berlinger will executive produce and direct. Chris Grant and Drew Buckley with Electus will executive produce with Radical’s Justin Wilkes, Dave O’Connor, Jon Doran, and Erica Sashin, with Ben Silverman. “Wrong Man” is produced by Third Eye Motion Picture Company, Electus and RadicalMedia. Starz retains all domestic distribution and home entertainment rights to the series.
“Warriors of Liberty City” docuseries from showrunner Evan Rosenfeld explores Liberty City – a crime-ridden neighborhood in Miami, Florida that is arguably the NFL’s largest football factory. The series follows a season with the Liberty City Warriors, a youth football program founded by an unlikely mentor: Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke from the 2 Live Crew. The series from Rosenfeld is executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter for SpringHill Entertainment and Pam Healey and John Hesling for Shed Media, a division of Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television, as well as Luther Campbell.Documentary filmmaker and screenwriter Andrew Cohn will serve as director. Starz retains all global distribution and home entertainment rights to the series.
“In Fashion” is an hour-long anthology series that will feature the world’s most compelling fashion designers working today. Combining biography and documentary storytelling, each episode will delve into the life and work of one iconic designer. Eli Frankel, Andrew Fried, and Kelly Cutrone will executive produce. The series is produced by Boardwalk Pictures and Rogue Atlas Productions in association with Lionsgate, and Starz has retained all global distribution and home entertainment rights.
“The Field” explores hip-hop and socio-political culture through the eyes of a city’s most prolific characters. The docu-series is spearheaded by Worldstar Hip Hop and Mass Appeal. It will be executive produced by Worldstar’s Javier Sang and Ed Dwyer, alongside Sacha Jenkins and Peter Bittenbender of Mass Appeal with Douglas Banker of Five All in the Fifth Entertainment. Mandon Lovett is set to co-direct the premiere episode with Jenkins and continue on to direct the series. This series will have an eye for maintaining the legacy of Worldstar Hip Hop late founder Lee “Q” Odenat, who was instrumental with the project’s creation and development. The deal was negotiated and packaged by Jad Dayeh of WME. Starz retains all global distribution and home entertainment rights to the series.
