Dozens of Discovery Communications team members are in Beverly Hills this week for the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour, which gives cable, broadcast and digital networks the chance to share with journalists from across the country some of the exciting programs they have coming up in the next several months.
Three of our networks – Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet and Discovery – held their portion of the event on Monday, August 1.
Investigation Discovery (ID) started the presentations with a panel about its upcoming documentarySouthwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four. In 1994, four Latina lesbians were wrongfully convicted of aggravated sexual assault and indecency against two young girls in San Antonio, TX. In 2012 and 2013, after one of the accusers recanted and the forensic evidence used in the trial was debunked, the women were released from prison – but they are still without freedom. Southwest of Salem is the story of the “San Antonio Four”‘s ongoing fight for exoneration. The documentary, which was critically acclaimed at Tribeca, Hot Docs and AFI Film Festivals, will air on Saturday, October 15 at 8/7c.
Other news from the network included:
A bright, beaming, 6-year old beauty queen was mysteriously murdered in her very own home the day after Christmas in 1996. Now, 20 years later, ID will shed new light on the still-unsolved case of who killed JonBenét Ramsey in JonBenét: An American Murder Mystery (w/t). The three-night television event will begin on Monday, September 12 at 10/9c.
ID has greenlit a new one hour special, Black and Blue, an urgent and timely exploration of the current state of police affairs and race relations, featuring investigative reporting from Emmy Award-winning journalist Tony Harris. It will premiere this fall.
ID will partner with renowned author James Patterson to write and executive produce a six-part, fully scripted series on all-new, ID-branded, true crime stories written for Patterson’s new line of novella-length stories, BookShots. BookShots will be released in conjunction with the on-air premiere of this series, set to debut in 2017.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Group President, Investigation Discovery, Destination America, & American Heroes Channel, Henry Schleiff speaks onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Film subject Elizabeth Ramirez of ‘Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four’ speaks onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Film subjects Cassandra Rivera (L) and Kristie Mayhugh of ‘Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four’ speak onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: (L-R) Film subjects Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh and Anna Vasquez of ‘Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four’ speak onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Executive director of The Innocence Project of Texas, Michael Ware of ‘Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four’ speaks onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Director Deborah S. Esquenazi of ‘Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four’ speaks onstage during the ‘Investigation Discovery – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)
Following Investigation Discovery was AnimalPlanet, who announcedThe Million Dollar Duck, which dives into the eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. The award-winning film will air on Wednesday, September 14 at 9/8c as part of Animal Planet Presents, the network’s programming event featuring films that explore a wide range of topics including animal rights, conservation and animal welfare. The contest is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, bringing in over 800 million dollars to protect America’s wetlands.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: (L-R) Artists Adam Grimm, Dee Dee Murry, director/producer Brian Golden Davis, artists Rebekah Nastav, Tim Taylor and Rob McBroom of ‘Million Dollar Duck’ speak onstage during the ‘Animal Planet – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Wildlife artists Tim Taylor (L) and Rob McBroom of ‘Million Dollar Duck’ speak onstage during the ‘Animal Planet – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Wildlife artist Dee Dee Murry of ‘Million Dollar Duck’ speaks onstage during the ‘Animal Planet – Discovery’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)
Discovery then presentedHarley and the Davidsons, a three-part miniseries that tells the story of how founders Walter and Arthur Davidson and their friend Bill Harley built one of the most iconic symbols of America from the ground up. Together these three young men, the sons of blue-collar immigrants, gave everything they had to ensure the survival of the company they founded – and it wasn’t easy. Harley and the Davidsons will premiere on Monday, September 5 at 9/8c. Parts two and three will air on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at 9/8c.
The network also announcedSacred Steel (w/t), which takes viewers inside one of the most exclusive and unusual bike clubs in the world that produces one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The series debuts on Monday, September 12 at 10/9c.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: (L-R Front Row) Actors Michiel Huisman, Bug Hall, Robert Aramayo, executive producer on behalf of Raw Television Dimitri Doganis, bike fabricator Alex Wheeler, (L-R Back Row) actors Stephen Rider, Jessica Camacho, Gabe Luna and Annie Read of ‘Harley and the Davidsons’ speak onstage during the ‘Discovery Channel’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Actor Robert Aramayo of ‘Harley and the Davidsons’ speaks onstage during the ‘Discovery Channel’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: (L-R) Actors Michiel Huisman, Stephen Rider and Bug Hall of ‘Harley and the Davidsons’ speak onstage during the ‘Discovery Channel’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CA – AUGUST 01: Bike Fabricator, Alex Wheeler of ‘Harley and the Davidsons’ speaks onstage during the ‘Discovery Channel’ portion of the TCA Summer Event 2016 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/ Discovery via Getty Images)
