CNN Unveils Highlights of 2022-2023 Original Series and Films Programming
Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico Finds New Home on The Network
NEW YORK, NY – CNN unveiled highlights of their new and returning premium nonfiction content for 2022 and 2023 as part of the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation.
Chris Licht, chairman and chief executive officer of CNN Worldwide offered a sneak peek into CNN’s 2023 programming slate, announcing three new CNN Original Series, including the highly anticipated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, See it Loud (wt), and a new installment in the Primetime Emmy® Award nominated “Decades Series” with The 2010s. Adding to the brand’s successful portfolio of premium nonfiction content, winner of the 2021 Emmy® Award for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Program, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, will continue its second season with new episodes this fall. Some upcoming 2022-2023 titles for CNN Original Series include:
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Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy – In the second season of this critically-acclaimed series, Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award-winning actor Stanley Tucci indulges his passion for Italian cooking as he explores the stories and people behind the world’s most popular cuisine. Across four new episodes, Tucci brings us on his journey to the bustling food markets, delectable home cooking and hidden trattorias of the Italian peninsula in this deeply personal, witty, and warm odyssey of gastronomic delights. Produced by RAW TV, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy season two continues this fall on CNN.
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Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico — This exciting new CNN Original Series follows Longoria as she traverses Mexico exploring one of the most popular, and arguably misunderstood, global cuisines.Mexican food can be found in every corner of the world, but its origins tell the story of culture and people deeply connected to the land and spirit of their country. From harvesting blue agave for tequila as the Aztecs once did, to slow cooking traditional mole sauce in Oaxaca, join Longoria as she journeys across the many vibrant regions of Mexico to reveal its unique and colorful cuisines. Produced by RAW TV, the film and television company behind the Emmy® Award winning Searching for Italy, Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico will debut exclusively on CNN.
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See It Loud: The History of Black Television (wt) —See It Loud: The History of Black Television (wt) is a five-part docuseries celebrating the achievements of Black actors and creators, examining the historical impact Black culture has on all culture. Today, we are in the midst of what is widely been referred to as the “Golden Age of Black Television;” however, this “Golden Age” is the culmination of an eighty-year struggle for Black artists to find a voice and fight for representation. The series explores the vast history of Black television through through iconic performances across various genres including sitcoms, comedy, drama, unscripted, variety, and science fiction. LeBron James and Maverick Carter will serve as executive producers with their empowerment-led media conglomerate The SpringHill Company. Showrunner Jodi Gomes will also executive produce alongside Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron with co-executive producer Courtney Whitaker.
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The 2010s — From Emmy® Award-winning executive producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Mark Herzog comes a new installment of the highly successful “Decades” series, The 2010s. This new chapter in the beloved CNN Original Series will revisit the decade that gave us Instagram, President Barack Obama, marriage equality, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and Trumpism and explore the cultural movements, political uprisings, and technological advances that shaped this era to remember.
CNN Films is developing premium documentaries with an extraordinary and diverse group of talented creatives, across varied subjects that will entertain and engage all film fans. The brand is also collaborating with Warner Discovery brands, and other partners, for premieres on CNN’s linear network. Some of the upcoming 2022-2023 titles for CNN Films are:
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Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down is directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, who also directed the Academy® Award-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning RBG for CNN Films. The film explores the life and mission of the former Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. The film profiles her remarkable recovery, and her marriage with Sen. Mark Kelly, as they navigate their new lives together in the wake of the assault. Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down is produced by Storyville Films and Lisa Erspamer Entertainment for CNN Films and TIME Studios.
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Little Richard: I Am Everything (wt), directed by Lisa Cortés and produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment, in association with Rolling Stone, is commissioned by CNN Films and HBO Max. The biographical documentary takes viewers on the wild ride of the life of Richard Penniman (aka, Little Richard), an original architect of rock and roll. Premiering on CNN in 2023.
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An untitled documentary about the rise and fall of HQ Trivia, directed by Salima Koroma (Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street) and produced by Left/Right, takes viewers on the rocket-like rise and sudden implosion of the once-ubiquitous mobile game show, HQ Trivia. The global viral sensation drew millions of daily users to its frenetically fun trivia challenges and attracted celebrity fans including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Neil Patrick Harris, Jimmy Kimmel, and Kelly Clarkson. The appeal of the promising phenomenon where correctly answering a series of 12 questions won the players cash prizes, quickly gave way to corporate clashes, jealousies, questionable leadership, and even a tragic death. The gameplay was simple and the concept clear, but like so many well-financed toppled tech start-ups before it, the antics behind the screens were rife with drama, destruction, and dysfunction – this is the story of the sh*tshow. Premiering on CNN in 2023.
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About CNN Original Series
The CNN Original Series group develops non-scripted programming for television via commissioned projects, acquisitions, and in-house production. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development, oversees CNN Original Series and CNN Films for CNN Worldwide. Lyle Gamm, senior vice president of current programming, supervises production of all CNN Original Series. Since 2012, the team has produced over 40 CNN Original Series, including Peabody and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, and critically acclaimed series including This is Life with Lisa Ling, First Ladies, the “Decades” series, American Dynasties: The Kennedys, The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty, The History of Comedy, Race for the White House, and many others. For more information about CNN Original Series, please follow @CNNOriginals via Twitter, and join Keep Watching, our exclusive, members-only community that enables fans to stay engaged with their favorite CNN Original Series & Films https://cnn.it/3qOXGNz.
About CNN Films
CNN Films produces and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical and festival exhibition and distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development, oversees the strategy for CNN Films; Courtney Sexton, senior vice president for CNN Films, works day-to-day with filmmakers to oversee projects. Acclaimed CNN Films include JULIA, the surprising biography of chef, television star, and author, Julia Child, from filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen, who previously directed the Academy Award®-nominated RBG, about the life and legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; CITIZEN ASHE, directed by Sam Pollard and Rex Miller, about tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe; Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, executive produced with HBO Max, directed by Morgan Neville; DIONNE WARWICK: Don’t Make Me Over, about the singer and humanitarian, directed by Dave Wooley; and, The Last Movie Stars, about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, directed by Ethan Hawke. For more information about CNN Films, please visit www.CNN.com/CNNFilms, follow @CNNFilms via Twitter, and join Keep Watching, an exclusive, members-only community that enables fans to stay engaged with their favorite CNN Original Series & Films https://cnn.it/3qTScB4.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film, and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, WB Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV, and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.
Press Contacts:
Jordan Overstreet, CNN Original Series
jordan.overstreet@warnermedia.com
Jennifer Dargan, CNN Films
jennifer.dargan@warnermedia.com