Dorsey delves into true crime

US prodco Dorsey Pictures is expanding its unscripted lifestyle programming remit to create a slate of true crime and documentary specials.

Chris Dorsey

Chris Dorsey, founding partner of Red Arrow Studios-owned Dorsey Pictures, said the often undocumented areas of rural US, rich in stories and programming potential, were a motivation for its new focus.

The announcement comes off the back of its commission from multichannel network WGN America for Dog’s Most Wanted, a series that follows bounty hunter Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman as he pursues wanted fugitives. The unscripted series marks the return to TV for Chapman and is WGN’s first unscripted commission for over half a decade.

Red Arrow Studios-owned Dorsey is also about to see its true crime documentary Slenderman Stabbing: The Untold Story premiere on US cabler Reelz later this month. Both series are distributed by Red Arrow Studios International.

The prodco also has a forthcoming crime series and special for NBC-owned Oxygen and a number of other projects in development to complement its slate of lifestyle current series including Building Alaska, Building Off the Grid and Maine Cabin Masters.

“Our unique view into the world of crime has been in the heartland, in small town and rural America where under-funded and overwhelmed law enforcement can make justice elusive… and where people sometimes take investigations and the law into their own hands,” said Dorsey. “That’s where characters and storytelling get really interesting and relatable.”