History’s 2017 Documentary Slate To Examine War On Drugs, Cool Cars, Immigration & Superheroes – Deadline

History has given a greenlight to more than 100 hours of original, premium documentary limited series and specials to premiere in 2017, including programs examiningAmericas costly War on Drugs, immigration, cars, terrorism and the mythology of superheroes.

The initial slate of programming announced today by Jana Bennett, President and General Manager of History, focuses largely on significant moments and people who have impacted world and modern U.S. history.

Whether its a story from our distant past or a contemporary event that will shape our collective future, Historys robust new slate of documentary events will take viewers straight to the heart of epic events that shaped where we are and what we are today, said Bennett.The networks increased focus on documentary programming, collaborating with some of the best storytellers in the genre, along with our commitment to sustainable, premium non-fiction and scripted series, will continue to drive the ongoing success of the History brand.

The 100-plus hours of planned documentaries representsan increased investment in such programming to complement the networks non-fiction and scripted series strategy, History says.

Here is the initial line-up of Historys2017 doc slate announced today, along with the networks program descriptions:

Americas War on Drugs Americas War on Drugs has cost the nation $1 trillion, thousands of lives, and has not curbed the runaway profits of the international drug business. For the last 50 years, both the vilification and the celebration of recreational drugs has had incredible impact on our collective culture. This 8 hour mini-series will explore the strange revelations of the profit machine of the drug business, and the impact of the longest war in our nations history on our lives.

Americas War on Drugs is produced by Talos Films. Julian P. Hobbs, Elli Hakami and Anthony Lapp are Executive Producers for Talos. Michael Stiller is Executive Producer for History.

America: Journey of the Brave Every era begins with the human will to move. Between 1820, when proper record keeping began, and 2014, over 80 million people migrated to the US. During the Great Potato Famine, 1.5 million Irish departed for the shores of America. The Russian Empire saw 1.5 million Jews immigrate to the US from 1881-1914. In America: Journey of the Brave, Historyuncovers the great forces that set mankind in motion. Anchored by high-end graphics and based on research that pieces together the patterns of migration over 70,000 years, this two-part, four-hour special will emphasize the massive movements of people that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution.

America: Journey of the Brave is produced by Nutopia. Jane Root is Executive Producer for Nutopia. Michael Stiller is Executive Producer for History.

The Cars that Made America (working title) The epic stories of the iconic names behind the iconic cars that shaped America. The automobile steered America at every turn throughout modern history, but the world has not heard all the stories of those behind the wheel men like Henry Ford, Walter Chrysler, the Dodge Brothers, William Durant, Lee Iacocca and John DeLorean. In three two-hour installments, Historylooks under the hood to reveal the winners who rose to fame and fortune and the losers who crashed and burned on the race to glory. From the birth of the American engine at the turn of the 20th Century through the Muscle Car era of the 1970s, the automotive industrys shadowy legends are replete with titans and devils, genius and failure with one constant: the automobile has influenced us at every turn.

The Cars that Made Americais produced by Magilla Entertainment. Matthew Ostrom, Laura Palumbo Johnson and Jason Fox are Executive Producers for Magilla. Sean Boyle, Stephen Mintz and Russ McCarroll are Executive Producers forHistory.

Superheroes Decoded (working title) Superheroes Decoded reveals how the origin stories of our most iconic superheroes are the building blocks of a uniquely American mythology. This special 2-night, four-hour event is equal parts fan film and informed documentary, mixing clips from present-day blockbuster films with vintage comic book artwork and historical archival to tell the surprising story of the modern era through the lens of our fictional heroes. The program features heroes and villains from both Marvel and DC side by side, as well as commentary from creators, artists, filmmakers, famous fans, and the stars who bring these characters to life on TV and film. Well see how the rise of the superhero parallels Americas rise as a superpower in the 20th century, and how both stories continue to evolve into the future.

Superheroes Decoded is produced by Warrior Poets. Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Chilnick are Executive Producers and Josh Mensch is Co-Executive Producer for Warrior Poets. Kristen Burns and Russ McCarroll are Executive Producers for History.

How the 90s Changed the World (working title) The fall of the Berlin Wall and the attack on the Twin Towers. A four-hour series of deep investigations explores the critical events that shaped the worldview of those who came of age during that time. Event by event, we see a generation impacted and influenced by an unprecedented era that straddled the end of a century and the beginning of an unimaginable new world. Ultimately, the series reveals the depths to which our near history directly shapes our present. Throughout the series, a chorus of extraordinary individuals born between the late 1960s and early 1980s contextualizes the times and provides a diverse, varied, and complete first person perspective on a generations journey through its formative years.

How the 90s Changed the World is produced RadicalMedia and directed by Paul Bozymowski. Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen and Justin Wilkes are Executive Producers for RadicalMedia. Zach Behr is Executive Producer for History.

Age of Terror (working title) September 12th, 2001 was the dawn of a new age: The Age of Terror. The U.S. entered into war with an elusive new enemy: terrorism. It is a war that has lasted sixteen long years, taken tens of thousands of lives, and shifted the global landscape. Despite the enormous efforts to thwart our enemies, today terror is more prevalent than ever. It casts a dark shadow of fear over everything we do. It is the backdrop of our lives. How did this happen? And are we trapped in a war without end? Age of Terror, in two two-hour installments, seeks to answer these questions and more. Probing the historical roots of the conflict, it reveals how this war evolved, and how weve fought back. It provides context on todays brand of terror, on how it has re-shaped our world, and what the future may bring.

Age of Terror is produced by Pulse Films. Fred Grinstein and Gretchen Eisele are Executive Producers for Pulse Films. Kristen Burns and Russ McCarroll are Executive Producers for History.

The programming announced today joins Frontiersmen, the previously announced 8-hour series about iconic pioneers such as Daniel Boone, Lewis & Clark, Tecumseh, Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson from the post-revolutionary war colonies through the California Gold Rush. Frontiersmen is produced by Appian Way Productions and Stephen David Entertainment. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson, Michael Hampton and Phillip Watson are executive producers for Appian Way Productions. Stephen David is the executive producer for Stephen David Entertainment. Kristen Burns and Russ McCarroll are Executive Producers for History.

A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for all of the above programs.

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History's 2017 Documentary Slate To Examine War On Drugs, Cool Cars, Immigration & Superheroes - Deadline