EMMY(R)-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE "VICE" RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON WITH 29 EPISODES FEB. 24, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

New Season Will Cover The Assad Dictatorship, The Economic Cost Of Climate Denial, Trans Youth, The Rise Of Far-Right Ideology, The Criminal Justice System, Medical And Tech Discoveries, And More

With The Weekly VICE Show Returning To Friday, "Vice News Tonight" Will Air Monday Through Thursday

VICE returns to HBO for its fifth season with an hour-long edition on FRIDAY, FEB. 24 (11:00 p.m.-midnight ET/PT), followed by half-hour shows debuting subsequent Fridays at the same times. Following the success of previous seasons and a growing partnership between HBO and VICE Media, the Emmy(R)-winning weekly news magazine series will feature 29 episodes in 2017, up from 18 last year.

With the return of the weekly series on Friday night, "Vice News Tonight" will move to four nights a week, airing Monday through Thursday. For a limited time, HBO will air an early premiere of the weekly show Fridays at 7:30 p.m., ahead of its regularly scheduled debut at 11:00 p.m. When the weekly series is on hiatus, "Vice News Tonight" will resume on Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

At a time when journalism has never been more important, VICE presents today's most pressing stories from across the globe. With a wide-ranging mix of international and domestic stories, the new season takes viewers from conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa to the frontlines of lifesaving medical and tech breakthroughs.

Known for its fearless and unconventional approach, the show opens the new season with correspondent Isobel Yeung traveling through regime-controlled Syria and VICE Media founder and CEO Shane Smith uncovering the true economic stakes of decades of climate denial. On the second edition, Emmy(R)-nominated correspondent Gianna Toboni meets U.S. families and doctors who are rewriting the rules as they decide when and how to start medical intervention before trans youth hit puberty.

Hosted by Shane Smith, VICE is executive produced by Bill Maher, Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti and Josh Tyrangiel; co-executive producers, Tim Clancy and Jonah Kaplan; consulting producer, Fareed Zakaria.

Veteran war correspondent Ben Anderson and rising stars Isobel Yeung and Gianna Toboni return for season five. Having spent the last nine years concentrating on America's longest war, the war in Afghanistan, Anderson is among the most-respected journalists covering conflicts in the Middle East, and returns to the country in 2017.

Season five also features VICE Media founder Suroosh Alvi, Hamilton Morris and Thomas Morton. Eddie Huang, Wilbert Cooper, Charlet Duboc, Taylor Wilson, Cord Jefferson and Ben Ferguson join the team as correspondents this year.

Upcoming shows:

Show #55 (season 5, edition 1)

Debut: FRIDAY, FEB. 24 (11:00-midnight ET/PT)

"Assad's Syria": After six years of civil war, Bashar al-Assad, Syria's longtime dictator, is now poised to re-take full control of his country. Backed by Russian forces and a relentless bombing campaign, Assad's army toppled the rebel resistance in Aleppo in late 2016. Isobel Yeung travels through regime-controlled Syria to see how Assad prevailed and find out what might happen next in his crippled country.

"Cost of Climate Change": The first effects of climate change are being felt across the U.S., and projections show $40 trillion in potential damage worldwide over the next five decades if action isn't taken. As costs begin to mount, so do allegations that powerful interests in the oil and gas industry, like ExxonMobil, were publicly skeptical of climate science, delaying corrective measures. Now, in the face of a scientific consensus, and with the Trump administration ushering some of these very same climate skeptics into the highest levels of government, VICE founder and CEO Shane Smith follows the money to see the true economic stakes of decades of denial.

Show #56 (season 5, edition 2)

Debut: FRIDAY, MARCH 3 (11:00-11:30 p.m.)

"Trans Youth": As the debate continues over which bathroom transgender people should use, a more complex question is emerging about how early the medical transition begins for trans kids. Families and doctors are rewriting the rules as they decide when and how to start medical intervention before transgender youth hit puberty. Gianna Toboni explores this emotionally charged and rapidly evolving issue with trans youth and their parents in the midst of that intense process.

VICE is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

HBO and VICE Media recently expanded their relationship to include "VICE News Tonight," a nightly news program that debuted last October and can be seen weeknights (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO, as well as on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.