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Crime pays for Discovery networks

US cablenet Investigation Discovery (ID) will attempt to shine new light on a homicide case made famous by Netflix’s Making a Murderer doc series.

Steven Avery spent 18 years in prison for a sexual attack that DNA evidence subsequently proved he did not commit, only to then be arrested and jailed for a murder committed after his high-profile release.

The controversial case, and how it was handled by the law enforcement authorities and courts, is examined in detail by Netflix’s breakout eight-part documentary series Making a Murderer.

Now ID has commissioned Peacock Productions to make a Front Page: The Steven Avery Case special, hosted by veteran journalist Keith Morrison. The show aims to provide viewers with critical new details surrounding the case.

The commission headlined Discovery Communications’ TCA presentation yesterday. ID and Peacock are also taking their Hate in America special, which aired in 2015, out to a full series of three episodes.

Additionally, the channel is teaming with award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger, best known for his Paradise Lost trilogy of feature docs, for Judgement Day: Prison or Parole? The 3×60’ series, produced by Radical Media and Blumhouse Productions, follows actual parole hearings in Colorado and Wyoming as crucial decisions are made about whether to free inmates.

The true crime genre has also permeated the flagship Discovery Channel for the first time. Killing Fields, from Sirens Media, follows the work of retired detective Rodie Sanchez, who goes back to work to attempt to solve a murder cold case that has remained unsolved for 20 years.

Meanwhile, Discovery is prepping a feature doc on the 400-year history of telescopes, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn. Telescope will premiere as part of the channel’s science weekend on Saturday February 20 at 21.00.

Elsewhere in the Discovery channels bouquet, American Heroes is focusing on true crime with Justice for MLK: The Hunt for James Earl Ray.

Cream Productions and Absinthe Film Entertainment are working on the two-hour special, due to premiere on January 17 to commemorate Martin Luther King Day. The show examines the aftermath of King’s assassination, the hunt for Ray and the subsequent criminal trial.

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