Deadline Hollywood - Contenders Television - Documentary + Unscripted - 04/29/23 by Deadline Hollywood

APRIL 29, 2023 | SPECIAL ISSUE

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

The Traitors

Amy Poehler (Narrator/EP)

Kate Arend (EP)

David Collins (EP)

Alan Cumming (Host/Producer)

Toni Ireland (EP)

Cirie Fields (Contestant/Winner)

Kate Chastain (Contestant)

Would It Kill You To Laugh?

Starring Kate Berlant + John Early

Elton John Live: A Farewell from Dodger Stadium

Sr. Pamela: A Love Story

Full Swing Love, Lizzo

Menudo: Forever Young

Kate Berlant (Writer/Actor/EP)

John Early (Writer/Actor/EP)

Elton John (EP/Subject)

David Furnish (EP)

Ben Winston (EP)

Chris Smith (Director/Cinematographer)

Ryan White (Director/Producer)

Rickie Fowler (Subject/PGA TOUR Member)

Chad Mumm (EP)

Paul Martin (EP)

Lizzo (EP/Subject)

Doug Pray (Director/Editor/Producer)

Ángel Manuel Soto (Co-Director/EP)

Kristofer Rios (Co-Director/Co-EP)

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE PEACOCK DISNEY+ NETFLIX HBO MAX MORNING PRESENTATIONS

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

Reginald Hudlin (Director/EP) Derik Murray (Producer)

Davis Guggenheim (Director/Producer)

Alek Keshishian (Co-Writer/Director/Producer)

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

APPLE TV+ Sidney STILL: A Michael J.Fox Movie

AFTERNOON PRESENTATIONS

PRIME VIDEO

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Judy Blume Forever Limitless with Chris Hemsworth

ABC NEWS STUDIOS

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields

NBC

CNN FILMS/HBO MAX

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Last Movie Stars

Davina Pardo (Co-Director/Producer)

Leah Wolchok (Co-Director/Producer)

Sara Bernstein (Producer)

Chris Hemsworth (Host/EP)

Darren Aronofsky (Co-Creator/Writer/EP)

Lana Wilson (Director)

Brooke Shields (Actor/Subject)

Seth Meyers (Writer/Host/Producer)

Ethan Hawke (Director)

Adam Gibbs (Producer)

Ryan Hawke (Producer)

Emily Wachtel (Producer)

Lisa Long Adler (Producer)

ABC

Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

MTV

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Emily Hampshire (Actor)

Justina Machado (Actor)

Brent Miller (EP)

David Jammy (EP)

Sasha Colby (Drag Queen)

Anetra (Drag Queen)

Luxx Noir London (Drag Queen)

Mistress Isabelle Brooks (Drag Queen)

FOX HULU

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test

The 1619 Project

COMEDY CENTRAL

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Hannah Brown (Recruit)

Carli Lloyd (Recruit)

Kenya Moore (Recruit)

Nikole Hannah-Jones (Host/EP)

Shoshana Guy (Showrunner/EP)

Jen Flanz (Writer/Showrunner/EP)

David Kibuuka (Supervising Producer/Writer)

Roy Wood Jr. (Correspondent)

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

TRUTH BE

DEADLINE’S CONTENDERS

TELEVISION: DOCUMENTARY + UNSCRIPTED SHOWCASES THE BEST IN EMMY-CONTENDING NONFICTION CONTENT

BY MATTHEW CAREY

BE TOLD

Fair warning to certain right-wing politicians. Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event will feature the appearance of… (dramatic pause)... drag queens! Miss Isabelle Brooks and Luxx Noir London are among the RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants joining us to talk about Season 15 of the VH1 unscripted series.

Not only that, but Grammy-winning recording artist Lizzo—an ally of the LGBTQ+ community who boldly invited several RuPaul’s Drag Race all-stars onto the stage at her recent Nashville concert—will come by Contenders to spill the tea on her HBO Max film Love, Lizzo, which documents her ‘Cuz I Love You’ world tour.

In a time of book banning, furor over how history is taught, and pearl-clutching over queens, count on Deadline to be your uncensored guide to the most significant Emmycontending documentary and unscripted content this awards season. The filmmaking team behind Prime Video’s Judy Blume Forever is primed to talk about the famed YA author whose work has triggered bans and censorship skirmishes for more than 50 years now. The executive producers and cast of Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter, meanwhile, will tell us about their celebration of an entertainment legend who practically invented controversial comedy.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, host and executive producer of The 1619 Project,

is set for a panel on the Hulu series based on her Pulitzer Prize-winning exploration of the legacy of slavery in America. When the New York Times published the original print version in 2019 it touched off the virulent debate over critical race theory, with even then-President Trump weighing in to blast the series as “toxic propaganda”.

Along with hot-button content, Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted shines a spotlight on films and series about some of the most incredible figures in popular culture, past and present. The Apple TV+ film Sidney explores the impact of the extraordinary Sidney Poitier; Ethan Hawke joins us to talk about his six-part CNN Films/HBO Max documentary series The Last Movie Stars, about the iconic couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Director Davis Guggenheim will tell us about his moving Apple TV+ film STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, and Brooke Shields will offer revelations about her deeply personal ABC News Studios documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. Filmmaker Ryan White will disclose what surprised him most making his documentary about former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson in the Netflix doc Pamela, A Love Story. Alek Keshishian, who directed the groundbreaking 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare, turns his focus to another pop star and actress in the revelatory Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me from Apple TV+. And Elton John and David Furnish head

down the Yellow Brick Road of life to talk Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium

For even more star power, we’ve got narrator and EP Amy Poehler on her Peacock unscripted series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Chris Hemsworth and EP Darren Aronofsky on their National Geographic series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, and Seth Meyers on his Emmynominated Late Night with Seth Meyers The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’s showrunner and other key talent will come by Contenders for a panel on Noah’s final year hosting the late-night comedy franchise. Golf champ Rickie Fowler and the executive producers behind Netflix’s Full Swing tee up a discussion of their eyeopening docuseries shot during the most turbulent year in the history of professional golf.

A remarkable roster of platforms, networks and cable channels are represented in our Contenders

Television: Documentary + Unscripted virtual event: ABC and ABC News Studios; Apple TV+, CNN Films, Comedy Central, Fox, HBO Max, Hulu, National Geographic, NBC, Netflix, Peacock, Prime Video and VH1.

With the explosion of documentary and unscripted content, it’s a challenge to keep on top of the biggest awards contenders in the nonfiction space. But you can sit back, relax and enjoy, because we’ve got you covered with an exciting day of panels. ★

MEET THE MODERATORS

YOUR EMCEE

JOE UTICHI EXECUTIVE AWARDS EDITOR

Joe oversees Deadline’s awards coverage, including its dedicated print magazine for the Oscar and Emmy seasons, AwardsLine. He also edits Deadline’s special “Disruptors” edition for the Cannes Film Festival and serves as the emcee for its Contenders events. He has been aboard since 2012. Prior to joining, his work regularly appeared in his native UK—for outlets including The Sunday Times and The Guardian—and around the world. He has also worked extensively in film and television, producing EPK and production notes and working as a unit publicist. He is a member of BAFTA and has sat on multiple juries for the BAFTA Film Awards.

YOUR MODERATORS

PETE HAMMOND AWARDS COLUMNIST/CHIEF FILM CRITIC

Pete, widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent awards analysts for both film and television, has for the past 11 years been Deadline's Awards Columnist covering what is seemingly now the year-round Oscar and Emmy seasons. He is also Deadline's Chief Film Critic, having previously reviewed films for MovieLine, Boxoffice magazine, Backstage, Hollywood.com and Maxim, as well as Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide for which he was a contributing editor. In addition to writing, Pete is also host of both the KCET Cinema Series and the weekly KCET television series, Must See Movies . He previously held producing positions at Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Access Hollywood, The Arsenio Hall Show, The

Martin Short Show and AMC Networks and is the recipient of five Emmy nominations for writing. Pete is only the second journalist to have received the Publicists Guild of America’s Press Award twice, in 1996 and 2013.

MATTHEW CAREY DOCUMENTARY EDITOR, AWARDS

Matthew Carey joined Deadline fulltime in 2020, after a long association as a freelancer, to specialize in coverage of the nonfiction film landscape across Oscar and Emmy season. Matthew is a writer and producer whose work has appeared on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español. He has written extensively about documentary film for CNN and CNN.com, Documentary magazine, NBCNews.com and TheWrap.

The Deadline staffers who’ll be guiding you through this year’s Contenders

MEET THE MODERATORS

ROSY CORDERO SENIOR TV REPORTER

Rosy joined Deadline in July 2021 as Senior TV Reporter, where she covers the small-screen industry, continuing to lift up talent from marginalized communities and spearhead Deadline’s Diversity & Inclusion coverage. She previously worked at Entertainment Weekly, where she had been a digital news writer the past two years. Before that in her freelance career she wrote for Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Latina.com and the New York Daily News. She is based in Los Angeles, California.

ANTHONY D’ALESSANDRO EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/BOX OFFICE EDITOR

Anthony covers box office, breaking film news, awards-season features and festival news. His first job in the film industry was at Savoy Pictures' headquarters in New York where he worked in film distribution. In the summer of 1999, he was hired by Variety, moved to Los Angeles, and remained in the newsroom covering numerous parts of the industry, including box office, for about a decade. Prior to arriving at Deadline in the fall of 2011, where he co-edited the site's sister publication AwardsLine, Anthony

covered the box office beat for Indiewire's Thompson on Hollywood. He is also a co-producer of Matt Walsh's film A Better You released in 2014.

LYNETTE RICE TV EDITOR, AWARDSLINE/ SENIOR WRITER, DEADLINE

Lynette Rice joined Deadline in February and comes from Entertainment Weekly, where she wrote for the magazine and the website. Before that, she worked for The Hollywood Reporter and Broadcasting & Cable. The San Diego State graduate is also the author of the 2021 New York Times bestseller How to Save a Life: An Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy

PETER WHITE TELEVISION EDITOR

Peter, who joined Deadline in 2017, is a respected veteran TV journalist who previously worked at U.K.-based Broadcast, where after starting there in 2013 he rose to news editor responsible for putting together the weekly magazine as well as breaking daily news. Before that, he was deputy editor of Television Business International magazine. He covers the television industry from Deadline’s Los Angeles bureau.

CONTINUED

THE SHOWS

ABC

Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter

This ABC special celebrates the life and legacy of filmmaker, activist and philanthropist Norman Lear. To commemorate his 100th birthday, Lear will be honored through speeches, musical and comedic performances from artists who have been inspired by him. Appearances include George Clooney, Rita Moreno, Laverne Cox, Michelle Williams, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kristen Bell and more.

ABC NEWS STUDIOS

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields

Told in two parts, this new documentary focuses on the tumultuous career and stardom of ’80s icon Brooke Shields, known for her roles in The Blue Lagoon, Suddenly Susan and Pretty Baby. Propelled into the film industry with staggering acclaim thanks to her striking looks, which stole the hearts of millions of Americans, Shields unpacks the dangers of sexualization and loss of agency that comes with childhood stardom.

APPLE TV+

mentary about pop star Selena Gomez who achieves unimaginable fame after years in the limelight. However, just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into the darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light. Gomez has sold more than 201 million singles worldwide and has amassed more than 45 billion global streams of her music.

Sidney

Reginald Hudlin directs this documentary about Sidney Poitier, who in 1964 became the first Black man to win an Academy Award. Using narration taken from an interview between Poitier and producer Oprah Winfrey, the film takes an in-depth look at his life and career from a leading man to a key figure in the civil rights movement. This film is also told by those he influenced most, including Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Robert Redford and Halle Berry.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie

movie also incorporates archival and scripted elements to recount Fox’s story in his own words.

CNN/HBO MAX

The Last Movie Stars

The six-part documentary The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke, offers a unique examination into the work of two acclaimed figures from an earlier era in motion picture history, Oscar winners Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. After discovering transcripts of interviews conducted at Paul Newman’s request for an abandoned memoir project, the daughters of Newman and Woodward asked Hawke to tell their story, personally and as artists.

COMEDY CENTRAL

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Selena Gomez: My Mind &

Me

Alek Keshishian directs this docu-

Directed by Davis Guggenheim, this documentary centers on actor Michael J. Fox as he reflects on what’s kept him active and fighting decades after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The

Continuing the legacy of news personality Jon Stewart, comedian and political commentator Trevor Noah has served as writer, producer and host of The Daily Show since 2015. The Peabody and Emmy award-winning program observes the biggest news stories across politics, pop culture, entertainment and much more. Trevor and his correspondents interview experts on U.S. culture, foreign affairs, activism and more.

THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH THE LAST MOVIE STARS SIDNEY PRETTY BABY: BROOKE SHIELDS SELENA GOMEZ: MY MIND & ME NORMAN LEAR: 100 YEARS OF MUSIC AND LAUGHTER STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE

DISNEY+

Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium

While on the final stop of the North American portion of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, legendary singer Elton John sets up in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium for a star-studded performance. The concert special includes duets with Dua Lupa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile.

FOX Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test

Based on a long-running British series, Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test follows celebrities and notable figures as they endure harsh and physically grueling challenges modeled after actual Special Forces combat and training specialties led by Force staff agents Rudy Reyes, Mark Billingham, Jason Fox and Remi Adeleke. Appearances include Anthony Scaramucci, Mel B, Dwight Howard and Dr. Drew Pinsky.

HBO MAX Love, Lizzo

In this documentary, Emmy and Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo gets candid about her humble beginnings, her rise in stardom, body positivity, self-love, and bringing awareness to Black women for their myriad contributions. Love, Lizzo was filmed over three years during her ‘Cuz I Love You’ world tour, the height of the pandemic and the creation of her latest album, Special

ELTON JOHN LIVE: FAREWELL FROM DODGER STADIUM SPECIAL FORCES: WORLD’S TOUGHEST TEST LOVE, LIZZO

Menudo: Forever Young

This four-part docuseries follows the musical legacy of Menudo, a Puerto Rican musical group formed in 1977 by producer Edgardo Díaz that became one of the most popular boy bands in history, selling 20 million records worldwide during the 1980s. The series chronicles the group’s meteoric rise and fall after sexual abuse allegations against Díaz surfaced. Over a dozen former members of the band were interviewed for the docuseries to discuss the exploitation they experienced while performing for the group.

HULU The 1619 Project Hulu’s six-part limited docuseries

The 1619 Project, based on the book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine, operates as an expansion on the source material. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of Black culture and diaspora that examines how the legacy of slavery shaped different aspects of contemporary American life.

MTV RuPaul’s Drag Race

This long-running reality TV show centers around a group of talented drag queens that compete in a variety of fashion design challenges to impress host RuPaul, the world’s most famous drag queen, to win a large cash prize along with the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.

MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG THE 1619 PROJECT RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Limitless with Chris Hemsworth

Co-created and executive produced by director Darren Aronofsky comes the action-driven docuseries, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. The series follows Hemsworth as he explores the different ways humans can live better, maximize strength and build resilience by using our bodies and improving mental agility.

NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers

In Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Saturday Night Live alum turned talk show personality breaks down the day’s biggest stories and political climate with his trademark biting wit and humor. He also invites Hollywood stars, fellow comedians, political figures and other newsworthy figures to have a discussion on his platform.

NETFLIX Full Swing

Across eight episodes, Full Swing follows a group of professional golfers, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, among others, as they compete on and off the course during the PGA Tour. The series also highlights the highstakes competition within The Masters, US Open and the Open Championship. It is produced by Vox Media Studios and Box to Box Films with executive producers Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen, Paul Marton, James Gay-Rees, and Warren Smith.

LIMITLESS WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS FULL SWING

Pamela: A Love Story

Centered around model and actress Pamela Anderson, the Netflix documentary tells an intimate, humanizing portrait of one of the world’s most famous blonde bombshells. Cataloging the trajectory of her life and career from small-town girl to international sex symbol, Anderson reveals her thoughts about the challenges and joys that come from being in the public eye, becoming an activist and a mother.

Sr.

Robert Downey Sr. was an esteemed indie filmmaker who rose to prominence for this counterculture cinematic themes in the ’60s and ’70s. This documentary, co-produced by his son Robert Downey Jr., examines the sprawling life and career of the artist, who passed away in 2021 from complications with Parkinson’s disease. Susan Downey, Kevin Ford and Emily Barclay Ford also produce.

PEACOCK

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Based on Margareta Magnusson’s book of the same name, the Peacock transformation series features people who are at a major crossroads and need to get their homes and lives in order. A Swedish “Death Cleaner” will help organize and deconstruct participants’ homes, lives and relationships. The series is produced by Amy Poehler’s company Paper Kite Productions, alongside Queer Eye producer Scout Productions.

PAMELA, A LOVE STORY SR. THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING

The Traitors

Based on a popular Dutch series of the same name, The Traitors is a psychological series where participants must purposefully be involved with treachery and deceit. Throughout the competition, some of reality TV’s biggest stars come together to complete a series of challenges with the objective of earning a cash prize.

Would It Kill You to Laugh?

Starring Kate Berlant + John Early

Actor-comedians Kate Berlant and John Early play celebrities reuniting after a public falling-out in this meta-comedy series. Told through fictional interviews and absurdist sketches involving various characters, the pair attempt reconciliation after 20 years apart. Berlant and Early also serve as executive producers on the show.

PRIME VIDEO

Judy Blume Forever

Judy Blume Forever turns a spotlight on literary juggernaut Judy Blume. The documentary examines the relevancy, long-lasting impact, and controversy behind dozens of the author’s most popular children, young adult and adult fiction novels, including Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Blubber