Oxygen Stocks Up on Crime Shows from Dick Wolf & More

Oxygen Media has expanded its crime programming slate, with eight new series getting the green light, two series in development and the acquisition of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered (working title).

The new crime offerings include projects from NBCUniversal’s Wilshire Studios, NBC News’ Peacock Productions, BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, and executive producers Dick Wolf, Ice-T, Soledad O’Brien and Nancy Grace. New series that Oxygen has greenlit include the tentatively titled What Happened to…Jessica Chambers? (Wilshire Studios and BuzzFeed Motion Pictures), Final Appeal (Peacock Productions) and Mysteries and Scandals (Wilshire Studios). There is also the tentatively titled Ice Cold Murder (Asylum Entertainment and Final Level Entertainment), which is executive produced and hosted by Ice-T; Criminal Confessions (Wolf Reality and Shed Media), which is executive produced by Wolf; and The Disappearance of (Brian Graden Media). The latter is a documentary series covering various cases, including the disappearances of Natalee Holloway and Maura Murray. Other series to get the green light are Patricia Cornwell’s True Conviction (all3media) and The Price of Duty (working title), from Intellectual Property Corporation and Turn Left Productions.

Among the series in development is Retried from Leepson Bounds Entertainment. The true-crime series follows a team of experts led by Nancy Grace as they reassess an adjudicated murder case to see if they can uncover new information that could potentially lead to a retrial. There is also Kept Alive from all3media and Maverick. The investigatory series explores the true stories of missing person cases in which the attacker convinced the world that their victim was still alive by impersonating him or her.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, meanwhile, comes from Peacock Productions. Hosted by NBC News’ Craig Melvin, each episode incorporates the classic elements of drama and storytelling.

This summer, Oxygen is transforming to become a full-time crime destination for women and is also unveiling a new logo.

“This new slate has a great mix of high-stakes, real-time crime investigation and innovative formats that allows viewers to stay engaged from beginning to end with immersive storytelling,” said Rod Aissa, the executive VP of original programming and development at Oxygen Media. “It’s a real differentiator in our programming, and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the sharpest talent and producers in the genre.”

“This investment in premium video content is a strong signal to our industry partners as they continue to seek out quality environments for their brand messages,” said Laura Molen, the executive VP of lifestyle and Hispanic advertising sales at NBCUniversal. “We know that crime programming delivers an engaged, passionate consumer and we’re excited to deliver these audiences to marketers as they continue to advance their business priorities.”