CBS News is planning to fill some of CBS’ Summer primetime schedule with a six-part documentary series called “Brooklyn DA.” The series, which kicks off Tuesday, May 21 at 10 PM, will follow the men and women of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office (Kings County is Brooklyn, if you aren’t familiar with your New York City geography). The show will follow the staff in the courtroom and out.
The “48 Hours” team will be producing the series, with Susan Zirisnky serving as senior EP and Patti Aronofsky as senior supervising producer. Aronofsky also created the concept.
“No matter where you go, everyone has heard about Brooklyn,” said Zirinsky in a statement. “What makes this series so unique is getting into the lives and personalities of the individual DAs, led by Charles ‘Joe’ Hynes, who reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Brooklyn. We are allowed to watch their successes and their failures – it’s immediate, compelling and often heartbreaking.”
The series is similar in format to the primetime documentary series’ produced by Terry Wrong at ABC News. While Wrong has more recently focused on hospitals, with “NY Med,” “Boston Med” and “Hopkins,” he also produced a pair of series about the life of police officers in New York and Boston in the early 2000s.
CBS NEWS TO LAUNCH “BROOKLYN DA” – A NEWS SERIES FROM THE AWARD WINNING TEAM BEHIND “48 HOURS”
A NEW SIX-PART SERIES THAT TAKES A TOUGH, CANDID LOOK AT THE MEN AND WOMEN IN ONE OF THE LARGEST DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICES IN THE COUNTRY IN ONE OF THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT PLACES IN THE WORLD – BROOKLYN, N.Y.
CBS News looks at the men and women in one of the largest district attorney’s offices in the country with BROOKLYN DA, a six-part news series set in New York City’s most talked-about borough that will premiere May 21, 2013 (10:00 PM) on the CBS Television Network, it was announced today by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and David Rhodes, President, CBS News.
Created by veteran CBS News producer Patti Aronofsky, BROOKLYN DA follows the men and women of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office as they juggle more than 1,000 cases a week. These hard-charging prosecutors have larger-than-life personalities both inside the courtroom and out. They’re eccentric and living right on the edge. They’re the people living the lives that Hollywood loves to write about. Their stories are raw and emotional. The office’s 500 lawyers investigate the toughest high-profile cases in the country. Every day they’re taking on cases of young girls trafficked as sex slaves, murder, judges on the take, political corruption and mobsters.
“This will be a high-quality program because it is being produced by the team at 48 HOURS,” said Fager. “They are the best at original reporting of crime and justice, and they are the best of storytellers.”
“The stories from one of the largest district attorney’s offices in the nation are told by the prosecutors themselves. This is a great reporting opportunity and Brooklyn itself will be a major character in BROOKLYN DA,” said Rhodes.
“No matter where you go, everyone has heard about Brooklyn,” said Senior Executive Producer Susan Zirinsky. “What makes this series so unique is getting into the lives and personalities of the individual DAs, led by Charles ‘Joe’ Hynes, who reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Brooklyn. We are allowed to watch their successes and their failures – it’s immediate, compelling and often heartbreaking.”
The Kings County District Attorney’s Office is headquartered in Brooklyn, an ethnically diverse borough of 2.5 million people that has become a world-renowned hot spot for celebrities and sports stars as well as a magnet for leaders in the cultural and arts communities.
Patti Aronofsky is the senior supervising producer of BROOKLYN DA. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.