Surviving Jeffrey Epstein is an American documentary television miniseries about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, directed by Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern. It consists of 4-episodes and premiered on August 9, 2020, on Lifetime.
| Surviving Jeffrey Epstein | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | |
| Composer | Bleeding Fingers Music |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Jonathan Nastasi |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 44-51 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Release | August 9 – August 10, 2020 |
Plot
editThe documentary series follows convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who used his power and finances to shield his predatory behavior. Eight survivors share their stories in the documentary.[1] Courtney Wild, Rachel Kay Benavides, and Virginia Roberts Giuffre appear in the series, along with new victims who chose to come forward for the first time.[2][3] The series continued filming close to the release date in order to include the FBI arrest of British socialite and alleged Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell on July 2, 2020.[3]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | Viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lured" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 9, 2020 | 0.68[4] | |
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Several survivors detail their stories of Jeffrey Epstein, the mysterious billionaire living in Palm Beach, Florida, who as young teenagers were lured to his home by female recruiters they thought they could trust. | |||||
| 2 | "Trapped" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 9, 2020 | 0.69[4] | |
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More survivors recount their stories with Epstein, going inside Epstein's insidious sex trafficking scheme. | |||||
| 3 | "No Way Out" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 10, 2020 | 0.53[5] | |
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Epstein survivors recount their stories with Epstein on his private island, where some of the most horrific abuses took place. | |||||
| 4 | "Avenged" | Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg | August 10, 2020 | 0.49[5] | |
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With Jeffrey Epstein deceased, survivors continue to pursue justice, finally seeing a glimmer of hope with the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell. | |||||
Production
editIn July 2019, it was announced Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern would direct the documentary, with Robert Friedman set to produce the series under his Bungalow Media + Entertainment banner, to premiere on Lifetime.[6] In January 2020, Lifetime greenlit the series.[7]
Broadcast
editIn the United States, the series premiered on August 9, 2020, with back-to-back episodes before concluding on August 10 on Lifetime.[8] In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on August 25, 2020, with back-to-back episodes before concluding on August 26, on Crime & Investigation.[9]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Impact
editThe National Sexual Assault Hotline in the United States, operated by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), experienced a 34% increase in calls during the airing of the documentary.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Michallon, Clémence (2020-08-08). "The most startling moments in Lifetime's new Epstein documentary". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 20, 2020). "'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Trailer: Lifetime's Latest Ripped-From-Headlines Docuseries Readies For August Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Jensen, Erin (August 3, 2020). "How arrest of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell changed Lifetime's new 'Surviving' documentary". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (August 9, 2020). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals 8.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (August 11, 2020). "Showbuzz Daily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals 8.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ Porter, Rick (July 23, 2019). "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Docuseries, R. Kelly Follow-Up in the Works at Lifetime". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ O'Connell, Michael (January 18, 2020). "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Is a Go at Lifetime, Set for Summer Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ W. Lee, Janet (July 20, 2020). "Lifetime Releases 'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Trailer (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein". Crime & Investigation. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ "Surviving Jeffrey Epstein". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2020-08-12). "'Surviving Jeffrey Epstein' Documentary Leads to Increase In National Sexual Assault Hotline Calls". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-14.