New Docuseries from David E. Kelley & Intuitive Content for PBS

Hope in the Water, a three-part docuseries from David E. Kelley (Love & Death, Lincoln Lawyer, Big Little Lies) and chef Andrew Zimmern and his Intuitive Content (What’s Eating America) is set to premiere in 2024 on PBS.

The series travels the globe to highlight the stories and work of innovators, aquafarmers and fishers who are coming up with creative solutions and food technologies to work toward a sustainable future. Shailene Woodley, Martha Stewart, José Andrés and Baratunde Thurston also take part to reveal underwater worlds that are being jeopardized by climate change.

Woodley, Stewart, Andrés and Thurston are environmental enthusiasts who each have their own connection to the water. Woodley grew up surfing the California coast and has witnessed firsthand how purple urchins have taken over and destroyed kept forests. Stewart has a deep connection to the Gulf of Maine, the fastest warming body of water on the planet. Renowned chef Andrés remembers the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. Thurston, creator and host of the How to Citizen podcast and founding partner of Puck, is committed to telling stories that help humans live together with each other and with the planet better.

The docuseries is part of a multiyear, multiplatform initiative from PBS that explores every aspect of how climate change impacts communities, countries and the entire planet. It is also part of a larger multiyear impact campaign led by the non-profit Fed by Blue, whose mission is to provide and inspire visionaries, thought leaders, ocean lovers, activists, early adopters, foodies and consumers with the knowledge and materials to protect a responsible blue food system. Funding for the series was provided in part by Anne Ray Foundation.

Hope in the Water is Kelley’s first foray into docuseries television. It is set to premiere in summer 2024 on PBS, the PBS website and the PBS app.

“We’re particularly excited about Hope in the Water’s potential to reach broad audiences thanks to the powerful voices at the forefront of the series, who demonstrate the possibilities of a more sustainable future,” said Bill Gardner, VP of multiplatform programming and head of development at PBS. “With a commitment to extensive public engagement around the series, we aim to not only bring compelling and authentic documentary content to audiences but also to connect and strengthen voices, people and communities with real world ways to make a difference.”

“Through Hope in the Water, we are on a mission to reimagine a planet where both ecological balance and food abundance are possible,” Kelley said. “Our series is a fresh take on how we can rewrite menus worldwide that will create meaningful and lasting impact for generations to come. Andrew and I are buoyed by our enthusiastic collaborators—Shailene, Martha, Baratunde and José—and are proud to partner with the Earth-conscious changemakers at PBS.”

“It’s my hope that through this important work, we can collectively practice better alternatives that will nourish communities across the planet and sustain our waters,” Woodley commented.

“The interconnectivity between Earth and all its inhabitants has always inspired my passions,” Stewart noted. “We’ve been given the gift of this incredible planet—the only one we call home—and when we pair it with human ingenuity to think outside the box, we can become more eco-friendly and expect better for our future.”

“I’ve assessed all the planets and strongly prefer life on Earth,” Thurston said. “It’s essential that we find ways to take care of this planet, which is another way of saying take care of ourselves.”

“Fed by Blue is working to amplify efforts that are bringing new pathways, new dialogue and new perceptions about the importance of foods that come from water,” commented Jennifer Bushman, co-founder of the non-profit. “Helping to develop a docuseries on this topic has been an anchor for our greater work.”