Investigation Discovery SVP: ‘We’re Not About Violence and We’re Not About Gore’
TCA 2015: “Killer Instinct” host Chris Hansen teases “the most compelling victim interview” he’s done in 30 years of creepy journalism
Tony Maglio | July 30, 2015 @ 10:42 AM
Last Updated: July 30, 2015 @ 11:08 AM
And the TCA Award for the creepiest panel of the Summer Press Tour goes to … Investigation Discovery!
ID put forth “Homicide Hunter” host Lt. Joe Kenda, “Killer Instinct” host Chris Hansen, “Deadly Women” host Candice DeLong, “Behind Closed Doors” host Tony Harris and Production Senior Vice President Sara Kozak at Thursday morning’s Discovery Television Critics Association event. A chill definitely took over the ballroom, and for once it wasn’t the blasting air conditioning courtesy of the Beverly Hilton.
Former “To Catch a Predator” host Hansen (pictured, second from the left) recapped an interview he did for his new ID show, “Killer Instinct,” when he spoke with a woman who came across the headless corpse of another victim — one that wasn’t lucky enough to get away from their shared captor.
“In 30-something years of doing this, it was the most compelling victim interview I’ve ever done,” he told the TV critics in attendance.
Shortly thereafter, Kozak fielded a question about why women watch ID programming habitually for such potentially unhealthy lengths of time.
“Essentially, it’s very compelling storytelling. And it’s very relatable, because the majority of crimes are personal,” Kozak (pictured, far right) told journalists. “They’re about relationships that have done wrong.”
“We’ve actually — we’ve dialed back,” she continued. “We’re not about violence and we’re not about gore. And if any torture is involved, we don’t show that. What we do show, is the consequence of the crime.”
“Just like a good crime novel, we have a strong beginning, very strong middle, and an end, which usually, the majority of the time, the heroes, the cops, the investigators — they bring that person to justice,” Kozak concluded. “It’s satisfying to see them in the orange jumpsuit, put away.”
Harris’ expanded ID relationship was the only actual new announcement of the session.
“Behind Closed Doors: Shocking Secrets” is a special report on the state of domestic violence in the U.S., set to premiere this October. Additionally, ID and the investigative journalist are once again teaming with the Southern Poverty Law Center and its founder Morris Dees to showcase iconic stories from the organization’s case files in the all-new series “And Justice For All,” which will premiere in early 2016.
“Building on the tremendous success of the ‘Hate in America’ special we premiered last February, I’ve been looking for more opportunities to work with Tony, a journalist who puts his passion on the line with his reporting,” said Henry Schleiff, group president, Discovery Networks. “Timed to air during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Tony will go “Behind Closed Doors” to provide a very intimate look atthe unexpected victims of domestic abuse in this country. Furthermore, we’re proud to be the television home for projects that shine a light on important, often overlooked aspects of our justice system. We are honored that Morris Dees and his team at the SPLC are working with Tony to provide in-depth reports of some of the most shocking and saddening hate crimes in the U.S.”
“I am grateful to Investigation Discovery for providing me with an amazing platform for these very important documentary projects,” added Harris. “There are very few homes on television that allow for the compelling, in-depth storytelling that I am passionate about, and I look forward to working with the teams at ID and NBC News’ Peacock Productions to bring these revealing stories to viewers.”
The Scene at TCA: Funny, Frank and Flippant Quotes From Summer 2015 TV Press Tour (Photos)
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“In the tradition of working with Carlton Cuse, I don’t know anything that’s going on.” -- "Colony" star Josh Holloway
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“It’s hard to talk about that without sounding sexist ourselves.” -- "Reign" showrunner Laurie McCarthy on balancing work and home lives during female showrunners panel
“This is simply too much television.” -- FX CEO John Landgraf warning of a television bubble about to burst
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“OK, here she is now. How did she get to where she’s at right now?” -- Lee Daniels teasing an "Empire" prequel following a young Cookie Lyon
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“Bye Felicia.” -- "Empire" creator Lee Daniels shutting down woman suing the show claiming Cookie Lyon was based on her
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“They were terrific, but I’m really happier — I’m going to dare to say that — to be here." -- "Rosewood's" Lorraine Toussaint on her last show, "Forever"
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“It has been an incredible year for minorities, and I’m blessed to be in the forefront of that.” -- "Minority Report" star Meagan Good on TV diversity
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“The Olsen twins cried a lot, so it was hard to get a take, that’s pretty accurate,” he said. “So I said, ‘get rid of ‘em.’” -- John Stamos revealing he almost got Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen fired from "Full House"
“Unlike that girl, who apologized and resigned, we wanted to bring our queen bee character to some sort of awareness about her behavior.” -- "Scream Queens" creator Ryan Murphy revealing that Emma Roberts' character was inspired by viral sorority email
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“Every single actor in every single scene at some point is given one direction, which is: ‘OK, now do the scene as if you’re the killer,'” -- "Scream Queens" star Jamie Lee Curtis on the plan to reveal the killer
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“It’s a little bit of an odd result.” -- Fox CEO Gary Newman on "Empire's" Emmy Snubs
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“I was really excited about getting involved in TV again, and it was great to get a call from Don.” -- Former "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford on returning to TV with "Blood & Oil"
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“It’s a lovely thing that you’re saying, but I’m not answering that.” -- Shonda Rhimes refusing to answer a question about her legacy in television
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“You could send him over to Meredith and I could cut his vocal cords out.” -- "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo on how Shondaland would deal with Donald Trump
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“We’re crashing cars and we’re doing the whole thing — it’s gonna be awesome,” "The Goldbergs" creator Adam Goldberg on the series' "Risky Business" episode
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“That’s kind of how I grew up on ‘Community,’ where it’s all about the ensemble.” -- "Dr. Ken" star and EP Ken Jeong on the show's ensemble
“Any actress in the world would want to play Alex Parrish ... She’s the female Jason Bourne.” -- "Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra on her first TV role
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“She’s a star. She’s an iconic ABC star. We think the entire world will be talking about [her].” -- ABC President Paul Lee on "Quantico" star Priyanka Chopra
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“It can be tough to work with your ex … Especially when your ex is a pig.” – Kermit the Frog after announcing his split from Miss Piggy
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“We won’t be getting into arguments over politics and current events, but we might be getting into debates about the politics of hair.” -- "FABLife" host Tyra Banks on how the show differs from "The View"
“You can’t be the dirty Oprah.” -- "FABLife" host Tyra Banks on the difficulties of her last daytime talk show
“I love the idea because I don’t see enough of that on the air any place … and I think it’s a rich idea.” -- Norman Lear on his plans for a reboot of "One Day at a Time" featuring three generations of Latina women
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“I think what’s going on is outrageous. It’s absolutely terrible and wrong and ill conceived.” -- "Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat on BBC's potential for pulled government funding
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“‘The Muppet Show’ to me, and ‘Sesame Street’ … they’re in the same world as ‘SNL.'” -- "Nature Cat" star Bobby Moynihan
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“As a Chinese-American kid growing up here, there was not many role models I could look up to on the big screen.” -- "Into the Badlands" star Daniel Wu
“There’s going to be plenty of encounters of the Walker type." -- Showrunner Dave Erickson on "Fear the Walking Dead"
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"Everything that I portrayed during filming has happened to me as far as dancing, or everyday life. It’s completely authentic. There’s no frills to it.” -- "Flesh and Bone" star Sarah Hay on the series' depiction of ballet
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“It’s not a cop show, a doctor show, or a lawyer show. Those shows make me want to hang myself as a viewer.” -- "Ash vs. Evil Dead" star Bruce Campbell on Starz series
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“One of the pleasures of my career is to connect people of whom I am a fan, and I’d been a fan of Patrick’s for a number of years and of Jonathan’s [Ames] work.” -- "Blunt Talk" creator Seth MacFarlane on star Patrick Stewart
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“I can’t really tell you [much], but I think when you see what she’s up to in the show, you’ll appreciate what a clever idea [it is].” -- "Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat on Maisie Williams' role
“A cross between Machete and Marcia Brady.” -- Danny Trejo describing his "From Dusk Till Dawn" character
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“We’re not about violence and we’re not about gore. And if any torture is involved, we don’t show that. What we do show, is the consequence of the crime.” -- Sara Kozak, Senior Vice President, Production of Investigation Discovery
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“I think the beauty of the bravery of Nat Geo is actually that they’re letting us de-sanitize the story of Thanksgiving and that whole part of our history." -- Actor Raul Trujillo on his TV movie "Saints & Strangers"
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“Let me put it this way. If a person has 9,000 tweets and five of them are not to your taste. What I heard is, ‘This person has 8,995 tweets that weren’t offensive.'” -- New 'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah on his Twitter controversy
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"“MTV brought us up and said ‘Hey, it’s lunchtime.’ We had no idea what to do! They gave us a lunch break and everyone was freaking out, like ‘We can’t sit down. We can’t take lunch.'" -- YouTube star Todrick Hall on his new MTV show "Todrick"
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“My own community ostracizes me and thinks of Nelly Fags and Butch Lesbians are sort of the pariahs of the community.” -- Lea DeLaria comparing her life story to that of her "Orange Is the New Black" character
“A million dollars an episode is kinda ridiculous ... Let’s be honest, that’s a lot of money.” -- "Grace and Frankie" showrunner Marta Kauffman on "Friends" cast's $1 million per episode
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“I don’t think anyone else needs to hear me bitch about E!” -- Chelsea Handler, host of an upcoming four-film Netflix documentary series
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“Playing a trans character on a show being shepherded by Lana Wachowski, I knew I would be protected and represented in a way that trans people have never been represented before on TV,” -- "Sense8" star Jamie Clayton
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"We don’t need dragons, we’ve got cocaine!" -- "Narcos" star Pedro Pascal on similarities between new show and "Game of Thrones"