Reelz orders CMJ factual duo

US cablenet ReelzChannel has ordered two new factual series from the fledgling production partnerships wing of Canada’s CMJ Productions II.

They Got Away With It (26×60’) explores how celebrities have been caught committing crimes but survived the scandal with their careers intact, and features interviews from PR agents, pop culture experts and lawyers.

Celebrity Estates (26×60’) delves into the deaths of celebrities and reveals how rich they were when they died and how their often vast estates were subsequently dealt with.

Both series will be produced by CMJ Productions with CMJ Concepts holding international rights for the shows.

Steve Cheskin, senior VP of programming at Reelz, said the success of previous series such as Hollywood Scandals and Final 24 had prompted the orders, adding: “CMJ has a proven track record in this genre.”

CMJ has also licensed the first season of Home Made (13×60’) to CBC’s English language network Documentary Channel in Canada. The series is produced by CMJ Productions II and already airs on Évasion in Quebec.

CMJ Concepts is the factual production partnerships division of CMJ Productions II, launched in 2013. It is headed up by former CableReady exec Lou Occhicone.