Martha Stewart, the multi-talented and multi-faced personality, will be the focus of a new four-part docuseries from CNN.
The Many Lives of Martha Stewart, produced by CNN’s original series division, CNN Studios, will air its first two episodes on Jan. 28 at 9 p.m. ET, with the remaining two airing on Feb. 4 at 9 p.m. ET.
The series, produced without Stewart’s participation, will look at her explosive rise to success, her staggering fall from grace, and her momentous comeback to the limelight, establishing herself as one of the country’s most fabled figures. Her brand became one of the most profitable yet polarizing in the world – and that was before she was investigated for insider trading.
Weaving together never-before-seen images from Stewart’s past, rich archival footage including from Stewart’s numerous sit-downs on CNN’s Larry King Live, and exclusive interviews with Stewart’s former employees, colleagues, fellow inmates, and closest confidantes, this illuminating series pulls back the curtain to reveal the woman behind the legendary lifestyle icon.
Also featured in the series are appearances from restaurateurs and chefs, including Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Claire Saffitz, and Carla Hall.
CNN’s evp of talent and content development, Amy Entelis, in a statement, said, “At a time when women were finding the courage to leave their domestic roles to seek careers in male-dominated fields, Martha built her empire in the home, redefining what it meant to be a feminist in the modern era.” She added, “Whether you love her or hate her, we are betting audiences will continue to be fascinated by ‘The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.’”
The Many Lives of Martha Stewart is the first docu-series produced by CNN without the assistance of third-party content creators after former CNN head Chris Licht scaled down the division’s operations, citing “the ever-increasing cost of commissioning third-party premium content.”
At that time, Licht said that long-form programming would continue at CNN, saying Entelis and her team would look into “how we can approach long-form content in house … My goal is to find a model that will enable us to bring our audiences this type of programming with greater flexibility.”
With Mark Thompson now in charge of CNN, it is not known whether this directive is still in place.