Oxygen greenlights true crime trio

US cablenet Oxygen continues to double down on true crime with three projects including a series from actors Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos and a show with Buzzfeed News.

Exhumed is being produced by US indie Milojo Productions with Consuelos, Ripa and Albert Bianchinia executive producing.

In each self-contained episode, Exhumed examines a murder case in which unearthing a victim’s body leads to the solving of a twisted crime.

Viewers are provided with a 360º look at the exhumation from the emotional lens of a distraught family and the perspective of the investigators assigned to the puzzling case.

The Jane Doe Murders, meanwhile, is being produced by New York-based MY Entertainment with Michael Yudin, Joe Townley, Mark Marabella and Yolanda McClary serving as executive producers.

In the US, there are almost 40,000 open cases in which a victim of a violent crime remains unidentified. The doc sees crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary delve into an active case from Polk County, Oregon, alongside local investigators until the Jane Doe’s identity is revealed and in hopes of solving the crime.

Rod Aissa, executive VP of original programming at Oxygen and E! Production, said: “In 2020, Oxygen is increasing its original programming by double digits, maintaining our commitment in delivering premium true crime content for our passionate fanbase of armchair detectives.”

The Case Died With Her is the third original commission, produced by Pulse Films and BuzzFeed News with Jon Alwen, Marisa Clifford, Dan Baglio, Cindy Vanegas-Gesuale, Karolina Waclawiak and Charlotte Simms serving as executive producers.

In this one-off special, legal commentator and former prosecutor Loni Coombs looks at the case of Emilie Morris, a woman in her 30s who suffered an untimely death just after bringing charges against Jim Wilder for sexually inappropriate behaviour when she was a minor.

Drawn from extensive reporting in 2018 by BuzzFeed News’s national reporter at the time Jessica Testa, the special follows Emilie’s sister Andrea and mother Joan on their emotional crusade to gain closure and understanding.

Oxygen has also greenlit Injustice with Nancy Grace for a second season. The show is produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, an Industrial Media company, in conjunction with KT Studios and TAP.