Surviving Jeffrey Epstein
Surviving Jeffrey Epstein is an American documentary television miniseries about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, directed by Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern. It consists of 4-episodes and premiered on August 9, 2020 on Lifetime.[1]
Surviving Jeffrey Epstein | |
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Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | |
Composer(s) | Bleeding Fingers Music |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Cinematography | Jonathan Nastasi |
Editor(s) |
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Running time | 44-51 minutes |
Production company(s) |
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Distributor | Lifetime |
Release | |
Original release | August 9 – August 10, 2020 |
Plot
The documentary series follows convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who used his power and finances to shield his predatory behavior. Eight survivors share their stories in the documentary.[2] Courtney Wild, Rachel Kay Benavides, and Virginia Roberts Giuffre appear in the series, along with new victims who chose to come forward for the first time.[3][4] The series continued filming close to the release date in order to include the FBI arrest of British socialite and alleged Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell on July 2, 2020.[4]
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) | |
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1 | "Lured" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 9, 2020 | 0.68[5] | |
Several survivors detail their stories of Jeffrey Epstein, the mysterious billionaire living in Palm Beach, Florida, who as young teenagers were lured to his home by female recruiters they thought they could trust. | |||||
2 | "Trapped" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 9, 2020 | 0.69[5] | |
More survivors recount their stories with Epstein, going inside Epstein's insidious sex trafficking scheme. | |||||
3 | "No Way Out" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 10, 2020 | 0.53[6] | |
Epstein survivors recount their stories with Epstein on his private island, where some of the most horrific abuses took place. | |||||
4 | "Avenged" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 10, 2020 | 0.49[6] | |
With Jeffrey Epstein deceased, survivors continue to pursue justice, finally seeing a glimmer of hope with arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell. |
Production
In July 2019, it was announced Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern would direct the documentary, with Robert Friedman set to produce the series under his Bungalow Media + Entertainment banner, to premiere on Lifetime.[7] In January 2020, Lifetime greenlit the series.[8]
Impact
The National Sexual Assault Hotline in the United States, operated by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), experienced a 34% increase in calls during the airing of the documentary.[9]
References
- W. Lee, Janet (July 20, 2020). "Lifetime Releases 'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Trailer (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- Michallon, Clémence (2020-08-08). "The most startling moments in Lifetime's new Epstein documentary". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- Hipes, Patrick (July 20, 2020). "'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Trailer: Lifetime's Latest Ripped-From-Headlines Docuseries Readies For August Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- Jensen, Erin (August 3, 2020). "How arrest of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell changed Lifetime's new 'Surviving' documentary". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- Metcalf, Mitch (August 9, 2020). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals 8.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- Metcalf, Mitch (August 11, 2020). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals 8.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- Porter, Rick (July 23, 2019). "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Docuseries, R. Kelly Follow-Up in the Works at Lifetime". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- O'Connell, Michael (January 18, 2020). "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Is a Go at Lifetime, Set for Summer Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2020-08-12). "'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Documentary Leads to Increase In National Sexual Assault Hotline Calls". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-14.