Keeping it real, Reelz Channel has announced its fall lineup for the 2016-17 television season. New series include: Rich and Acquitted, Hollywood Homicide Uncovered, and Scandal Made Me Famous.

Returning series include: Autopsy: The Last Hours of… and Gangsters: America’s Most Evil. Reelz has new documentaries slated. Get the details from this Reelz press release.

REELZ UNVEILS FALL 2016 PROGRAMMING SLATE

By press release

LINEUP COMBINES THREE NEW ORIGINAL SERIES AND THREE NEW SPECIALS WITH RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES

‘Rich and Acquitted’, ‘Hollywood Homicide Uncovered’ and ‘Scandal Made Me Famous’ Are Among New Network Original Series

New Documentary Specials Are Led by ‘Titanic: Sinking the Myths’, ‘Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love’ and ‘Reagan: From Movie Star to President’

Returning Originals Include ‘Autopsy: The Last Hours of…’ and ‘Gangsters: America’s Most Evil’

(Albuquerque, NM) Monday, August 8, 2016— REELZ today announced a fall programming slate packed with new original series and specials in addition to the return of viewer favorite original series. New series include Rich and Acquitted, Hollywood Homicide Uncovered and Scandal Made Me Famous. New documentary specials include Titanic: Sinking the Myths, Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love and Reagan: From Movie Star to President. Rounding out new fall programming are returning series Autopsy: The Last Hours of… and Gangsters: America’s Most Evil.

“We are very excited to show viewers our fall slate of new series, high quality specials and returning hit series,” said Steve Cheskin, SVP of REELZ Programming. “We’ve been working with some of the best production partners in the business to create a strong lineup of programming that continues our commitment to showing the real stories behind real lives and real celebrities.”

Starting on September 10 celebrities and crime collide with the premiere of two new original series,Rich and Acquitted and Hollywood Homicide Uncovered. First up is Rich and Acquitted at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT where fame and the all-powerful dollar can weigh down the scales of justice. See how Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Oscar Pistorius and Robert Blake were all rich and acquitted. Then at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT it’s the premiere of Hollywood Homicide Uncovered with shocking homicides where a celebrity is at the center of a murder—either as the victim or the perpetrator. The stories of Robert Blake, Phil Spector, OJ Simpson, Dorothy Stratten, Tupac Shakur and Phil Hartman are all on Hollywood Homicide Uncovered.

October and November mark the premieres for three original documentary specials. On Saturday, October 22 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Titanic: Sinking the Myths will premiere and scuttle several popular myths that have taken on a life of their own due to movies over the years that surround the story of the doomed ocean liner. The documentary will also reveal how a massive shipping conglomerate gambled with the 2,228 lives aboard the Titanic in an effort to protect their financial interests. Then on Saturday, November 5 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT it’s the premiere of the biopic, Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love detailing the singer’s life and legacy through interviews from both close friends and Carpenters insiders. Rounding out the network’s new documentary specials is Reagan: From Movie Star to President, which will premiere Saturday, November 12 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT. The special is based on the book Reagan: The Life by New York Times by bestselling biographer and Pulitzer Prize nominee H.W. Brands, and presents the story of Reagan’s rise from humble Midwest roots to movie star and ultimately to the pinnacle of power as President of the United States.

November also marks the return of fan favorite original series, Autopsy: The Last Hours of… and the premiere of new original series Scandal Made Me Famous. On Saturday, November 19 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT Autopsy: The Last Hours of… returns with new episodes examining the final days and events of Chris Farley, Casey Kasem, Richard Prior, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen and many more. Then at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT it’s the premiere of Scandal Made Me Famous telling the unforgettable stories that turned everyday people into household names, including the stories of Casey Anthony, Amy Fisher and Lorena Bobbitt. Finally, on Tuesday, December 6 it’s the return of original series Gangsters: America’s Most Evil that chronicles the true stories of the rise and fall of some of the most unsavory celebrities of the underworld that have so often been dramatically portrayed in movies and television.

Show descriptions and premiere dates are listed below.

Rich and Acquitted Premieres Saturday, September 10 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT with the Michael Jackson Episode

Some defendants can afford the best defense attorneys in the country. Evidence is twisted to create gaps of doubt. And in the end the defendants are acquitted even when they may appear guilty. Each hour-long episode of the documentary series Rich and Acquitted tells the story of celebrities who use their money to hire the very best legal teams in order to escape sticky legal situations that would destroy any normal defendant. The series will reveal astonishing details about the alleged crimes and see how powerful attorneys begin to try their cases in the press, swaying potential jurors long before the trial even starts. Episodes include cases involving Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Oscar Pistorius and Robert Blake. Rich and Acquitted is produced by Ashley Oaks Media.

Hollywood Homicide Uncovered Premieres Saturday, September 10 at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT with the Robert Blake Episode

Hollywood Homicide Uncovered is a documentary series that relives the intense stories of horrific homicides where a celebrity is at the center of the crime. Each hour-long episode uncovers key information and clues showing viewers the case through dramatic recreations and adding details and insight from crime experts and individuals with a direct and personal relationship to the crime. Episode subjects include Robert Blake, Phil Spector, OJ Simpson, Dorothy Stratten, Tupac Shakur and Phil Hartman. Hollywood Homicide Uncovered is produced by Breakthrough Entertainment.

Titanic: Sinking the Myths Premieres Saturday, October 22 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

This two hour documentary special is based on the book of the same name by Titanic researcher Diana Bristow and reveals what really happened aboard the doomed liner, including previously unknown facts about the disaster. Titanic: Sinking the Myths shatters the long-held beliefs as seen in popular movie depictions that Titanic’s crew fired regulation distress rockets and turned away help from a German liner out of concerns for piracy. The documentary will also explore how cost-cutting efforts made in the design process led to structural deficiencies in the ship and how the captain of another nearby ship ultimately took the fall as the scapegoat of a disaster that cost the lives of 1,503 men, women and children. The story made so familiar in the movies is juxtaposed against world politics and the impending outbreak of WWI, which had both direct and indirect bearing on the tragedy.

Titanic: Sinking the Myths recounts the incredible story of Bill Müller who survived the disaster and who had an intimate connection to the ship. Seven-time Emmy® Award winner Edward Asner portrays a 96-year old Müller, telling his true account of the disaster for the first time to author Bristow who is portrayed by SAG Award nominee Frances Fisher (who also starred in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic) during her quest to find the truth. Müller served as secretary to a Dutch traffic inspector whose job was to inspect ships for insurance and investment firms and was an invited guest aboard the Titanic from the ship’s owners. The interviews between Bristow and Müller will show viewers events as they unfold above and below deck and, ultimately, to the morning of April 15th, 1912 and the sloping decks of the mortally wounded liner. Titanic: Sinking the Myths is produced by KatcoMedia and directed by Ryan Katzenbach. Katzenbach also produced and directed the 2014 REELZ true-crime docudrama The Amityville Horror Murders.

Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love Makes its U.S. Premiere Saturday, November 5 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love is a two hour documentary special about the 1970s star from the easy listening group, The Carpenters. Karen Carpenter was an icon of her generation but while The Carpenters clocked more than 80 million record sales behind the scenes she was battling with Anorexia Nervosa. With interviews from both close friends and The Carpenters insiders, Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love digs deep into Karen’s often difficult and complex relationship with her mother Agnes and older brother Richard and shows her struggles with a grueling concert schedule that had her performing more than 200 times a year. Viewers will also see Karen through her failed solo album and an even more disastrous marriage.

Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love will also explore producer Richard Carpenter’s addiction to prescription sleeping pills and Karen’s own drug abuse. Today, it seems unbelievable that this shy girl from small town Connecticut who became a global star was suffering alone for almost seven years with the then little-known illness Anorexia. Tragically, the disease would take Karen’s life. Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love is produced by Potato, part of ITV Studios.

Reagan: From Movie Star to President Premieres Saturday, November 12 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

Reagan: From Movie Star to President is a two-hour documentary special about the president’s lifelong love affair with Hollywood from boyhood fandom to leading man to president of the Screen Actors Guild. Nobody loved a good story more than Reagan and the tale of the Great Communicator’s himself – from a humble childhood in the Midwest to the pinnacle of power – represents the epitome of the American Dream.

Drawing from the recent book, Reagan: The Life by best-selling biographer H.W. Brands, the special dives deep into the pivotal events that shaped Reagan’s life. Dramatic recreations reveal the untold, behind-the-scenes moments that shaped the trajectory of his career. Interviews and rare archival material illustrate his life through the Great Depression, WWII, Hollywood’s Golden Age, the Cold War, an assassination attempt, and public and personal heartache. Produced by AMS Pictures, Reagan: From Movie Star to President presents the epic life of Ronald Reagan like you’ve never seen before.

Autopsy: The Last Hours of… Returns Saturday, November 19 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

Autopsy: The Last Hours of… is a documentary series that reveals the truth behind the controversial deaths of global icons and people whose untimely deaths were surrounded by scandal and intense media attention. Fact and fiction are forever separated through reconstructions of their final hours using crucial medical evidence from the actual autopsies to explain how and why they died while interviews with friends and family shed light on the events that led to death—finally putting an end to the speculation.

The new hour-long episodes show the final days and events of Steve Jobs, Chris Farley, Casey Kasem, Cory Monteith, Richard Prior, Corey Haim, Janis Joplin, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Judy Garland and Bob Marley. Autopsy: The Last Hours of… is produced by Potato, part of ITV Studios.

Scandal Made Me Famous Premieres Saturday, November 19 at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT with the Casey Anthony Episode

Scandal Made Me Famous is a documentary series that shows the unforgettable stories that turned everyday people into household names—from Casey Anthony and Lorena Bobbitt to Amy Fisher and Tonya Harding. Each hour-long episode unfolds in the storytelling tradition of the fan favorite original series Murder Made Me Famous but Scandal Made Me Famous proves you don’t have to kill to become a notorious celebrity—you just have to be a part of a killer scandal. Scandal Made Me Famous is produced by AMS Pictures.

Gangsters: America’s Most Evil Returns Tuesday, December 6 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

When Hollywood wants a jarring story about high-profile criminals, fictional tales are never as juicy as the true stories of the most notorious criminals brought to justice by the U.S. government. In each hour-long episode of the documentary series Gangsters: America’s Most Evil the sinister side of celebrity is put under the spotlight with profiles on the lethal beauties, outlaws and kingpins who inspire nightmarish Hollywood crime dramas. Gangsters: America’s Most Evil is produced by Asylum Entertainment.

 

 

About REELZ—Real lives. Real stories. Real celebrities.™
REELZ is a leading independent cable and satellite general entertainment network that is home to factual entertainment, television events, mini-series, movies and series featuring big stories and big stars. Programming ranges from the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Kennedys to Autopsy: The Last Hours of…, Celebrity Legacies, Celebrity Page, Hollywood Scandals, Murder Made Me Famous, the upcoming mini-series The Kennedys — After Camelot and much more that connects directly to the world of entertainment. REELZ also showcases top movie and entertainment expert Leonard Maltin who provides specific on-air recommendations for movies viewers can watch at home.

REELZ is available in 70 million homes on DIRECTV channel 238, DISH Network channel 299, Verizon FiOS TV channel 233, Time Warner Cable channel 128, AT&T U-verse channels 799/1799HD and cable systems nationwide. Find REELZ in your area by visiting www.reelz.com. REELZ is a High-Definition network and if it is not available, or not in HD, on your cable or telco provider, we encourage viewers to call them and ask for it. Owned by Hubbard Media Group, REELZ is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM with national ad sales based in New York City with offices in Boston and Chicago. As one of the last truly independent television networks remaining in today’s media landscape REELZ has created the Independence Happens Here® website to help keep free thought and innovation alive by highlighting the importance of independent businesses. The website can be found at http://IndependenceHappensHere.com.

 

What do you think? Which new and returning Reelz Channel TV shows do you plan to check out?