Current TV to count down “50 greatest documentaries”

February 10, 2011 by Barry Walsh

current_jpg

Following the news that former MSNBC pundit Keith Olbermann is heading to Current TV to both host a new primetime talk show and act as chief news officer, the U.S. cablenet announced three new series and a one-hour special during an upfront presentation in New York yesterday.

The three new series include 50 Greatest Documentaries, a 5 x 60-minute series premiering in the third quarter of the year that will shine the spotlight on “the fearless films that have helped shape the way we see our world over the last 30 years.” While the full list hasn’t been provided yet, two docs that have apparently made the cut are Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me, and Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth, featuring Current TV chairman/co-founder Al Gore.

Also on the slate is Headlines that Shocked America (5 x 60 minutes), which will blend archive footage of the top stories of our time with commentary from journalists and news anchors. Smoke Jumpers, produced by @radical.media and Olive Eye Films, follows the Special Forces of wildfire fighting in the Northern Rockies during fire season’s peak.

The series join previously announced factual series 4th and Forever and This American Life.

The net is also premiering a one-hour special, Man vs. Earth, hosted by explorer Sam Branson and featuring the revolutionary science employed to not only predict but prevent natural disasters. The program is produced by Zig Zag Productions in association with Current Sponge.

Tags: @radical.media, Current TV, Zig Zag Productions