A&E, Spurlock receive Cultureshock

US cablenet A&E has commissioned an eight-part documentary series from Morgan Spurlock prodco Warrior Poets on the untold stories behind watershed moments in popular culture.

Morgan Spurlock

Cultureshock wll be produced by Warrior Poets in association with Entertainment Weekly and will focus on topics including the rise of comedian Chris Rock and tabloid talk shows.

The series will premiere in 2018 with each episode helmed by an acclaimed director and featuring interviews with the key players.

Among the episodes, comedian W Kamau Bell (United Shades of America) steps behind the camera to direct a film about how Chris Rock changed the face of comedy with his seminal 1996 special Bring the Pain.

Brent Hodge, meanwhile, is directing a profile of cult classic series Freaks & Geeks, which was cancelled after one season despite launching the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and many other A-list actors.

Spurlock himself is helming a look at the rise of the real-life television theatre of tabloid talkshows like The Jerry Springer Show and Geraldo, which laid the groundwork for today’s reality television shows.

The commission was announced by Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive VP and head of programming for A&E Network, which is part of the A+E Networks group of channels.