Barbara Walters Hosts American Scandal on Discovery ID
Despite announcing her retirement last year, inveterate television journalist and Southamptonite Barbara Walters has signed on to host American Scandal, a new show from Lincoln Square Productions and the Investigation Discovery channel. Announced at the Discovery network’s 2015 Upfronts in New York City, the six-episode series will explore famous crimes that Walters initially covered as a journalist.
American Scandal starts in October 2015 and will feature Walters’ most famous interviews, as well as new exclusive interviews, from stories such as Mary Kay Letourneau, the Menendez Brothers, Jim Bakker, Jean Harris and others. These stories that both shocked and captivated the nation stayed in the headlines and not only dominated the 24-hour news cycle, but created it. The crimes kept the public mesmerized and the political scandals captivated the country. Newsmakers scrambled to get the interviews that would make history as these mysteries unfolded but, only Walters commanded the respect to get access the stories first.
“Barbara Walters sets the bar for journalism with remarkable and iconic interviews and unparalleled instinct for getting to the heart of a story,” Henry Schleiff, Group President of Discovery Networks said. “American Scandal combines a ‘now-and-then’ approach to the narrative, marrying historical background with new insight from renowned newswoman, Barbara Walters, as she leads viewers eloquently through those often troubling subjects.”
Featuring brand new interviews from individuals who have never spoken before, Walters’ new show also opens the vaults and offers unprecedented access to her most memorable interviews—retelling the infamous stories and uncovering new angles and information from people who weren’t interviewed at the time they ruled the headlines. Walters often breaks the unbiased stance as a journalist and admits her personal thoughts about various cases.
“These interviews made huge headlines at the time, but none of the stories ended there. It’s fascinating to learn what happened to these people in the years since I first interviewed them. Now, with all new details we’ve uncovered, they will likely make headlines again,” Ms. Walters said. “It’s great to be collaborating with the team at Investigation Discovery on this series.”