The Emmy Award winning docuseries Vice has new home at Showtime. The long-form news show, which made its debut on HBO in 2013, was not renewed by the premium network after ending its sixth season in December of last year. During its run, Vice has examined issues ranging from geopolitical conflict to the climate crisis, taking audiences to the front lines of war zones and ecologically devastated regions alike. In its first season, the series famously followed former NBA star Dennis Rodman as he visited North Korea. The show’s new run on Showtime is set for the spring of 2020.
In statement on the acquisition, Showtime’s executive vice president of nonfiction programming Vinnie Malhotra said, “As so much of television news has moved in a direction of partisan coverage and talking heads, the team behind Vice continues to delve deep into the global issues, conflicts and newsmakers affecting our everyday lives. They also do it with an incredibly diverse cadre of journalists — both in front of and behind the camera. Their dogged pursuit of award-winning journalism is matched by stellar filmmaking and craft in this weekly documentary series. We’re honored and excited to partner with them moving forward.”
Vice Media CEO Nancy Dubuc said in her own statement, “Our team of award-winning reporters, producers and editors have set the tone for gold-standard longform international reporting and we can’t wait to bring those stories to Showtime, who share our passion for quality storytelling, differentiated and important journalism, and distinctive voices that capture the critical issues facing our world today.”
HBO recently severed all ties with Vice in June when it cancelled Vice News Tonight, the last show the media company had on the network. That nightly news offering, which has four Emmy’s to its credit, will now air on Viceland, Vice’s own television network.
Vice’s move to Showtime comes after one notable program defected from Vice Media’s stable to the premium network. In 2018, Desus and Mero, a raunchy half hour take on the late night talkshow model, left Viceland for Showtime amid a wave of viral popularity for the show.
In addition to that series, Vice will join a number of non-fiction offerings already picked up by showtime, including true crime show Murder in the Bayou, Shangri-La, and behind-the-scenes political series The Circus.
Vice is scheduled to premiere on Showtime in spring of 2020.