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In the annals of television history, some shows become legendary hits while others fade into obscurity. A third category exists for projects so spectacularly doomed they become legends for never existing at all. Such is the case with P.I. Moms, a proposed 2010 Lifetime series that serves as the subject for Netflix’s documentary short.

The premise was a product of its time: a group of Bay Area mothers balancing parenthood with careers as private investigators. It promised an appealing blend of domestic drama and detective grit, a perfect vehicle for the booming reality TV market.

Yet, what began as a concept about female empowerment quickly devolved into a far stranger tale of professional jealousy, staged crimes, and a criminal conspiracy that consumed the show before a single episode could air. The documentary unpacks a failure that speaks volumes about the illusions of reality television.

The Illusion of Empowerment

The genesis of P.

Lifetime, branded as “Television for Women,” is all about empowering women. (Sometimes to kill their husbands, sure, but not always.) There is perhaps no better example of that mission than with 2010’s P.I. Moms. If only the show actually happened.

Fifteen years ago, Lifetime ordered a reality TV series about a private investigation agency staffed by soccer moms. In terms of synergy and branding, it was a no-brainer. In execution, it was a complete train wreck. (Hey, maybe that’s why it made Netflix’s excellent eight-episode series of documentary films, Trainwreck, produced by Raw.)

The Phil Bowman-directed episode chronicles how you go from having a hit show, and possibly a hit franchise, on your hands to having handcuffs on your wrists. That’s how it played out for the private-investigator firm’s owner and the P.I. Moms show’s fourth lead, Chris Butler.

P.I. Moms needed a good pilot.

Last week, I was privileged to interview Lt. Joe Kenda of the series Homicide Hunter, which chronicles his 23 years of service in the Colorado Springs Police Department and his near 400 cases solved in his career. Each episode takes on a different case, and we get to hear firsthand from Lt. Kenda the step-by-step process of solving each homicide while we see the events acted out on the screen. The series has had eight seasons and will conclude after the ninth, which starts tonight on the ID channel. Tune in, and follow Lt. Joe Kenda through the last season of the series, but don’t worry, he’ll be back. Check out my interview below to find out how:

Jessica Fisher: Good afternoon Lt. Kenda, my name is Jessica Fisher, from the website GeekTyrant. Thank you so much for speaking with me.

Joe Kenda: Nice to meet you, Jessica. It’s my pleasure.

The Alcatraz TV Show Trailer has premiered. Danny Cannon‘s Alcatraz (2013), produced by J.J. Abrams, stars Sarah Jones, Sam Neill, Jorge Garcia, Parminder Nagra, and Robert Forster. Alcatraz‘s plot synopsis: “Alcatraz follows Rebecca Madsen, a police officer (Sarah Jones), and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), a ‘hippy geek’ who is the world’s foremost expert on Alcatraz. Both will investigate the reappearance of twenty wardens and prisoners of Alcatraz in modern day, after their mysterious disappearance fifty years ago.”

Some fool over at another website quipped that this show looked like The 4400, true, but then surmised that this plot also had something to do with aliens, wrong. Even if it were true, I doubt J.J. Abrams would ripoff a deceased USA show so blatantly. He has something crafty up his sleeve to explain the Alcatraz criminals lack of age. They were probably frozen somehow and stored like a...