Weinstein Co. and National Enquirer Aim to Beat CBS with Their Own JonBenet Ramsey Docuseries
The Weinstein Co. is partnering with the National Enquirer’s parent company to help Investigation Discovery beat CBS to the punch with its own JonBenet Ramsey TV event.
The cable network has picked up the three-night docuseries “JonBenet: An American Murder Mystery,” which will premiere on Monday, Sept. 12 at 10 p.m. ET. The unscripted program comes from The Weinstein Co.’s Weinstein Television division, Jupiter Entertainment and “National Enquirer” owner American Media Inc.
That’s a week before CBS plans to air “Case Closed,” its own three-part, six-hour unscripted miniseries about the unsolved mystery of the young girl’s 1996 murder. “Case Closed” premieres Sunday, Sept. 18 at 8:30 p.m. Part 2 airs on Sept. 19, with Part 3 on Sept. 25. Critical Content is behind CBS’ show.
Both the ID and CBS series plan to re-examine evidence and the case’s timeline in the hope that they might shed new light into the Ramsey murder.
“The fact is, we may never definitively know the answer to that question,” said Investigation Discovery president Henry Schleiff (who also runs American Heroes Channel and Destination America). “But ID will re-explore every angle, every shred of evidence, and every ‘whodunit’ theory to allow our viewers to draw their own conclusions on the case.”
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Both series boast exclusive interviews with figures from the case. The 6-year-old Ramsey’s body was found in the basement of her Boulder, Colo., home in 1996 after she was reported missing. Her parents and older brother were initially suspected of foul play, but were later cleared.
CBS and ID aren’t alone in recognizing the 20th anniversary of the murder. The syndicated talk show “Dr. Phil” (from CBS TV Distribution) will open its 15th season with a three-part interview with JonBenet Ramsey’s 29-year-old brother, Burke, who discusses his sister’s mysterious murder. The interview airs on Monday, Sept. 12, Tuesday, Sept. 13, and Monday, Sept. 19.
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