HBO kicked off a brand new documentary lineup last Monday night. Presumably, it hasn’t been a big hit, because this Monday, the subscription cable network has put together a press release letting fans of the network know that this documentary lineup is here to stay. On Monday nights, HBO plans to release original documentaries, as well as encore presentations of past documentaries. You better watch those ratings, NBC’s The Blacklist.
On a serious note, last week the scheduling change went into effect, with HBO airing the original documentary The Case Against 8, by Ben Cotner and Ryan White. If you are looking to watch something during the summer’s TV lull, tonight, HBO will air 112 Weddings from director Doug Block. The former takes a look at the now-overturned Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in California. The latter is less socially timely, but should be an interesting human interest story documenting marriages. Block is a documentary producer, but he has also filmed numerous weddings over the years. For 112 Weddings, he interviewed some of the people whose weddings he has shot over the past twenty years, to interesting results. You can catch the trailer, below.
The network seems keen to air new documentaries regularly and has already slated a few more in the Monday night schedule through August. Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s The Newburgh Sting, about an FBI sting operation, is scheduled to air on July 21. Valerie Veatch’s Love Child, which follows a court case concerning online gaming and neglect, will air on July 28. Peter Kunhardt’s Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words will hit the schedule on August 4. HBO also has Jeremiah Zagar’s Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart and Ben Steel’s The War Against Gays in Russia scheduled to air soon. 112 Weddings is slated to air on HBO at 9 p.m. ET tonight, and upcoming information on the network’s site suggests that other premieres will also occur at 9 p.m. ET.
HBO is known for producing gold standard dramas, including Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. The network has also produced popular and witty comedies, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and, more recently, Silicon Valley. Despite the popularity of the scripted programming, the network has also been a pretty major player in the documentary world. In recent memory, HBO released the excellent documentary Six By Sondheim, which takes an look at six of the most prominent songs the prolific composer has produced during his career, and Life is But a Dream, a Beyoncé documentary that absolutely crushed in the ratings. By choosing a specific night to air new content and looking to build a steady audience, it seems as if HBO is hoping to recreate the ratings magic of the Beyoncé documentary, time and time again.
As noted prior, you can catch HBO’s 112 Weddings tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
