1. WELCOME BACK, SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS!
In the hectic alternation of unscripted trends, social experiments have fallen a little into oblivion. I mean, real social experiments, sometimes also a bit harsh, which imply a social impact (like, for example, Drunk, Diktator, The homeless experience, The Key and many others), not dating shows with a small twist passed off as “social experiments”, in the attempt to ennoble them.
HMP (w/t), just commissioned by Channel 4, from Banijay UK label Shine TV, seems to bring back this glorious sub-genre. The docu-series takes its title by the decommissioned prison HMP Shrewsbury (pic), where six British celebrities will be kept for eight days alongside a number of reformed ex-convicts, some of whom served long sentences for serious crimes.
The celebs (among them the actor Sid Owen and comedian Tom Rosenthal) will learn firsthand what it’s like to live within the UK prison system and will have the opportunity to question their ex-con cellmates about their past crimes, their experiences behind bars and what impact the prison system has had on their lives.
A genuine social experiment (if everything is done properly), at last!
2. ROKU POWER
The Roku Channel (TRC), the ad-supported streaming platform operated by Roku Inc., continues to be very active and dynamic, launching and investing in new projects (scripted and unscripted).
With regard to the unscripted, the most interesting one is the “renovation factual” -with an emotional twist- Empty Nest Refresh, hosted by YouTube star Liza Koshy, together with interior designer Orlando Soria (pic). This brand-new format follows young adults moving out of their parents’ houses, but before they go, to show their love and appreciation, they’re turning their childhood bedrooms into the rooms of their parents’ dreams.
The series is produced by Velvet Hammer Media (VHM) and will be on air in Autumn.
Worthy of mention is also The Next Black Millionaires, that will premiere on the Roku Channel on July 7. The series has been produced in partnership with SheaMoisture (the American personal care company owned by Unilever) and the project is the first example of this type of brand-funding partnership to launch on the platform.
The series follows three entrepreneurs and participants in SheaMoisture’s Next Black Millionaires program as they transform their passions into scalable businesses, which range from hot sauce products to beauty and lifestyle brands. Macro Television Studios produced the show.
Finally, The Roku Channel has also entered live sports for the first time with a deal to stream races from the Formula E all-electric motor racing championship.
A careful and well-planned growth strategy that has allowed it to become one of the most important worldwide media operators within a few years.
3. BIG BROTHER TURNED INTO A FICTION
Scripted and unscripted are two different, but not completely separated worlds. There are some cases of movies that have become formats, for example The Real Dirty Dancing, where 8 celebrities fully immerse themselves in the ultimate experience of Dirty Dancing, the famous 1987 film starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze (see Friday’s Espresso, 8th January).
Also some scripted series became unscripted series, for example The Real Love Boat, a format taking its inspiration from the iconic 1970s scripted series The Love Boat (see FE 1st April).
Hardly ever the opposite -unscripted turned into scripted- happens. This is the case of the miniseries Trash, recently ordered by Prime Video, which has been inspired by real events and reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Big Brother in France, where it was titled Loft Story. It takes viewers back to 2001 (pic) and delves into the effect that Loft Story, which debuted on M6 in France, had on the team making the show as they attempt to create a hit in what was then an emerging genre.
The series is produced by Screen Line – the Banijay-owned prodco- and 27 Tribe, which is made up of Georgia Poivre, Clara Levy, Frédéric Lussato and Alexia Laroche-Joubert, the real Loft Story producer in 2001.
When they say reality surpasses fiction…
Axel, as always appreciate your insights. It is exciting to see the rise of social experiments again. In the US, we seem to only reviving old game show formats. I hope that innovation will begin again here.