VICELAND Greenlights Docuseries American Junkie

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VICELAND has slated a new docu-reality series, American Junkie, spotlighting the country’s opioid crisis.

American Junkie is inspired by and spun off from the independent feature documentary American Relapse, directed by Pat McGee and Adam Linkenhelt. The show follows recovering addicts Allie and Frank, who devote their lives to helping fellow addicts in their life-and-death struggle for recovery, rescuing them from the streets and helping them avoid the countless corrupt rehab facilities and sober houses where greed trumps treatment and millennial addicts have become cash commodities.

The series is produced by VICELAND with Pat McGee Pictures and T Group Productions. It is set to premiere on September 12 at 10 p.m.

“At VICELAND, we make shows that immerse our audience into environments and experiences,” said Patrick Moses, VP of current programming and executive producer. “This show takes the current drug crisis beyond headlines and statistics and makes it human.”

“Addiction is a faceless disease that does not discriminate,” said McGee. “We wanted American Junkie to speak the truth about the opioid epidemic—yes 80 percent of addicts will relapse, but we found a couple warriors in Frankie and Allie who don’t give up on addicts. They don’t care about the stats; they’re out there dealing hope.”

“Pat is an expert at blending documentary and cinematic storytelling,” said T Group Productions’ president, Jenny Daly. “He’s taken a topic that is raw and tragic and captured it in a hauntingly beautiful way.”