According to a press release, HBO will soon be releasing a new documentary series titled THE SYNANON FIX. It will be a four-part series that will debut April 1st. The show will come from the filmmakers Rory Kennedy (Ethel) and Mark Bailey (American Hollow).
The press release also cited the synopsis, saying, “Told through first person accounts of former members, THE SYNANON FIX explores the rise and fall of the controversial treatment center Synanon, which grew from a groundbreaking drug rehabilitation program in the late 1950s into a communal living experiment that would later draw criticism for abuse and cult-like behavior.”
The press release went more in depth on the subject of the docuseries, explaining that “Synanon, the brainchild of Charles “Chuck” Dederich, originated in 1958 as a scrappy Santa Monica-based storefront rehab serving heroin addicts who had no place else to go. With remarkable success thanks to a confrontational talk therapy known as “The Game,” Synanon grew to be a darling of the growing recovery community with numerous locations throughout the United States. By attracting non-addicts, so-called “lifestylers” in search of community, and funded through donations, Synanon grew into a complex system of self-sustaining businesses and diverse and egalitarian communal living headed up by the charismatic Chuck and his wife Betty. But as the years went on, the radical therapies became increasingly extreme, degenerating into paranoid behavior and cult-like mandates from Chuck, and culminating in charges of child abuse, assault, and even attempted murder. THE SYNANON FIX explores the organization’s tragic fall from grace as its potential as a revolutionary way of healing spiraled into a profoundly destructive force.”
The press release revealed that the show will be directed by Kennedy and will be written by Bailey, Jeff Swimmer (Dr. Ji), and Keven McAlester. executive producers will include Kennedy and Bailey, as well as Alexandra Korba (ADRIFT), McAlester and Swimmer. HBO executive producers include Nancy Abraham (How We Get Free), Lisa Heller (South To Black Power(, and Tina Nguyen (Into The Storm).