CNN recently announced it’s no longer commissioning CNN Original Series and Films from third-party content creators. According to the network, the change in strategy is due “the ever-increasing cost of commissioning third-party premium content.”
One major casualty of this strategy is the network’s longest-running Original Series, This Is Life with Lisa Ling, which is produced by Part2 Pictures for CNN.
According to LA Times’ Steve Battaglio, This Is Life will end its run on CNN after Season 9, which consists of six episodes and debuts November 27 at 10 p.m. ET.
“I was hoping to get to 10 seasons, but we fell short of that,” Ling told Battaglio. “I would like to do many, many more seasons, especially right now, when we are existing in these bubbles and we follow people who espouse what we believe. In some ways, we’ve cut ourselves off from really getting to know people who might be different or think differently than we do.”
Ling added she’s hopeful the series can land on another network or a streaming service.
This Is Life, which launched in 2014 on CNN, follows Ling’s travels across the country as she introduces viewers to “sub-cultures and communities that are unusual, extraordinary and sometimes dangerous … often unknown or misunderstood.”
This season, Ling heads to the backwoods of Arkansas where she will discover the fate of hundreds of tigers, bred and held captive by the so-called “kings.” She also travels to Denver, a city often known for its legal pot culture, and found that another legal substance – alcohol – has become America’s worst addiction. Additionally, she journeys through the street of her Los Angeles hometown in an area that has become ground zero for America’s severe mental health crisis. Battaglio reports the LA episode opens with Ling’s first-hand experience: Her husband and daughter were confronted and threatened by a homeless man in Santa Monica who was later arrested for burglary. Ling tracks down the man and interviews him after his incarceration.
CNN tells TVNewser: “Lisa Ling has enlightened and inspired us for nine wonderful seasons. We are extremely proud of the work we produced together and with our partners at Part2 Pictures. The important seeds planted by Lisa will continue to grow at CNN as we remain committed to shining a light on underreported stories and the people who make up the fabric of America.”
Previous seasons of This is Life can still be found on the CNN Originals hub on Discovery+.