NYC Reality Series & Amy Berg-Directed Grooming Docuseries Lead Freeform’s First Move Into Non-Fiction

deadline.com:

Freeform has pulled back the curtain on its move into non-fiction with two docuseries and a reality series kicking off its unscripted slate.The Disney-owned network has ordered The Deep End, a four-part docuseries about controversial spiritual teachers, Dear Pony: Keep This Between Us, a series about grooming in U.S.

high schools directed by Phoenix Rising helmer Amy Berg and Day to Night, an eight-part reality series set in New York City.The slate is overseen by Jihan Robinson, VP, Alternative Development, Freeform, the former Quibi and Netflix exec who joined in December 2020.Robinson said that non-fiction is a genre that its Gen Z and millennial audience loves.“Freeform as a whole is just really looking to be reflective and authentic to the young adult experience,” she told Deadline. “As a part of that, this audience is really engaged and loves the category of nonfiction programming across the board.

What I’m doing is just a piece of a larger, puzzle in terms of growing and continuing to connect Freeform storytelling with the young adult, new adult audience.”The Deep End is an exploration inside the world of one of today’s most controversial spiritual teachers and her dedicated followers.

Filmed over three years with unprecedented access, it looks at the lengths people will go to in their search for connection.The series, which is directed by When Lambs Become Lions’ Jon Kasbe, produced by The Vow’s Bits Sola and exec produced by The Documentary Group’s Tom Yellin and Gabrielle Tenenbaum.