U.S. net Investigation Discovery (ID) has commissioned The Mind of a Murderer, a series drawing inspiration from classic Hollywood thriller The Silence of the Lambs.

The series is hosted by Dr. Michelle Ward (pictured above), who will go behind bars to interview convicted murders. Ward is billed by the network as being “the modern-day Clarice Starling,” in reference to the iconic FBI agent played by Jodie Foster in the Oscar-winning Hollywood hit.

The series is being made by Atlas Media Corp., and will premiere on February 19. Ward previously starred in ID and Atlas’s series Stalked: Someone’s Watching, which debuted in 2011 and has so far run for three seasons.

According to Henry Schleiff, the group president for ID, Destination American, American Heroes Channel, Discovery Family Channel and Discovery Life, The Mind of a Murderer “plays out like a fictional psychological thriller, a dark version of Beauty and the Beast.

“But it’s a real-life Hannibal vs. Clarice, if you will, with its gritty tone and Dr. Michelle Ward serving as the strong protagonist with a steadfast determination to unmask these brutal killers and reveal their inner motivations,” he added

Referencing one of the most famous lines from Silence of the Lambs, Schleiff joked that the series “is best enjoyed with a glass of Chianti and a side of fava beans.”

Atlas’s Bruce David Klein and Lorri Leighton serve as exec producers for the indie, while Fae Moore and Ward serve as co-exec producers.

For ID, Liz Massie is the exec producer, while Sara Kozak is senior VP of production and Kevin Bennett is the general manager.