The New York Times Is Getting a Show on FX Based on Its Podcast, The Daily
The Weekly will also stream on Hulu
At its NewFront presentation last week, New York Times executives spent a lot of time talking about taking their journalism off the page, and developing film and TV projects.
Assistant managing editor Sam Dolnick even teased a potential series based on the Times’ wildly popular podcast The Daily. “Picture if The Daily was a TV show. Stay tuned,” said Dolnick.
Well, this morning FX announced it will do just that, committing to a minimum of 30 episodes of a new narrative documentary news program called The Weekly, which will be produced by The New York Times and Left/Right.
“The New York Times is synonymous with excellence and FX is honored to be chosen as their partner on what will be the first entry for both organizations into the weekly TV news business,” said FX CEO John Landgraf in a statement. “A free press is vital to the health of our American democracy. The Weekly will give viewers compelling stories about the courage and commitment New York Times journalists bring to seeking out and reporting the truth.”
While the first run of the series will air on FX, Hulu gets exclusive next-day streaming rights. The series launches later this year.
“Our ambition with The Weekly is to bring the authority and excellence of New York Times journalism to the largest possible television audience,” said Times COO Meredith Kopit Levien.
Times reporters will act as guides to their reporting as viewers watch how the news is gathered and reported.
Dolnick will oversee the program: “The Times newsroom has the raw ingredients for must-watch TV: on-the-ground reporting, unmatched expertise, and a steady stream of scoops. Now, we have the right partners to create a new kind of narrative news show that will have an unconventional approach and a modern sensibility and will help more people understand the world each week,” he said.
Co-producer Left/Right is behind docuseries including The Circus for Showtime, This American Life and multiple episodes of PBS’s Frontline.
