Werner Herzog teams with Investigation Discovery

Those familiar with our sister blog Reel Geek Reviews may remember a review I posted for Werner Herzog's latest documentary, Into the Abyss which explores capital punishment by "sharing the stories of two convicted murders- Michael Perry who is on death row and Jason Burkett who is serving a life sentence for a triple homicide in Conroe, Texas."

What I didn't know when I wrote that was that Herzog had teamed with Investigation Discovery (I.D.), a TV network owned by Discovery Communications that showcases crime-related documentaries. I.D. asked Herzog to work with them to create a series about capital punishment called On Death Row. Their intention had never been to create a film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, I.D. president Henry Schleiff recalls the creative process:

"After doing the research, Werner came back and said, 'There are just so many aspects to this, would you mind if we separate this out, do it as a film first, and then come back and do this television project? And again, we're not as easy as I want this to sound, but it seemed like a no-brainer for us. Our answer was, 'Of course.'"

And so Into the Abyss was made. After strong showings at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals in 2011, the film went into wider release in November of that year. Now, I.D. has begun showing the four-part series on Fridays at 10pm.



We are fortunate that a documentarian of Herzog's caliber is making his work so accessible to the American audience. Now you no longer need to hunt down art house theater's showing documentaries in your area and pay to see his work. You can tune in from the comfort of your home (provided I.D. is part of your cable service).

If Into the Abyss was any indication, we can expect On Death Row to be a gripping, emotional, thought-provoking series. With a controversial issue like capital punishment and a fearless filmmaker and master interviewer like Herzog, how can you expect anything less?

You can use the Channel Finder feature on the series' website to find local listings.