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LIFETIME KICKS OFF FIRST ANNUAL "SUMMER OF SECRETS" WITH SIX NEW ORIGINAL MOVIES INSPIRED BY TRUE STORIES FEATURING ALL STAR CASTS
GONE MOM STARRING ANNABETH GISH AND WARREN CHRISTIE
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 5
SOCCER MOM MADAM STARRING JANA KRAMER
PREMIERES SUNDAY, JUNE 6
JENNIE GARTH AND ANWEN O'DRISCOLL
STAR IN LEFT FOR DEAD: THE ASHLEY REEVES STORY
PREMIERING SATURDAY, JUNE 12
SECRETS OF A GOLD DIGGER KILLER STARS JULIE BENZ
PREMIERING SUNDAY, JUNE 13
SECRETS OF A MARINE'S WIFE
STARS SADIE CALVANO
PREMIERING SATURDAY, JUNE 19
DOOMSDAY MOM STARRING LAUREN LEE SMITH AND MARC BLUCAS
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 26
LINDA PURL AND PATRICK DUFFY ALSO STAR
FOUR ADDITIONAL ACQUIRED TITLES WILL AIR DURING THE SLATE
LOS ANGELES, CA (April 1, 2021) - Shhhhh... there's a lot to uncover this summer with Lifetime's first annual Summer of Secrets programming slate with the announcement of six new original movies, debuting this June. Four acquired titles will air during the slate as well. Gone Mom, starring Annabeth Gish (The Haunting of Hill House) and Warren Christie (Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce), is based on the true story of missing Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos whose husband later committed suicide after he was charged with her murder. Jana Kramer (One Tree Hill) takes on the role of Anna, a suburban mom who runs an elite escort service for the high-powered men of New York in Soccer Mom Madam. Jennie Garth (90210) and Anwen O'Driscoll (American Gods) lead Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story, based on the true account of 17-year-old Ashley Reeves who is attacked and abandoned in the woods and must fight to regain her life. Julie Benz (Dexter) stars as convicted murderer Celeste Beard in Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer, while Sadie Calvano (Mom) stars in Secrets of a Marine's Wife. Doomsday Mom stars Lauren Lee Smith (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Marc Blucas (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), and focuses on the Lori Vallow saga, an Idaho mother whose two missing children lead authorities through a web of death and deceptions as they try to uncover the truth of their disappearance. Linda Purl (Happy Days) and Patrick Duffy (Dallas) also star.
"Off the success of our Ripped from the Headlines slates, we are doubling down on what women love on Lifetime for our first annual Summer of Secrets slate." said Amy Winter, EVP and Head of Programming, Lifetime and LMN. "These stories captured our collective attention and are the perfect kick off to the summer with the stranger than fiction moments and revealing secrets that had everyone talking."
A top 10 cable network with W25-54, Lifetime recently grew 13%, marking its strongest quarter growth in nearly 20 years. As the leading producer of television movies, Lifetime continues to dominate the original movie space, with the top two movies in all of cable with Wendy Williams: The Movie and Salt N Pepa for 2021.
Source: Nielsen Live+3, (000s), as noted with A25-54, W25-54, A18-49, W18-49; 2021 Calendar YTD =12/28/20-3/21/21, Original Movies Only (Excludes all theatricals and acquired movies on all nets, excludes mini-series)
GONE MOM
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 5 at 8/7c
Based on a true story, Gone Mom details the story of Jennifer Dulos (Annabeth Gish), the wealthy, Connecticut mother-of-five who mysteriously vanished on May 24, 2019. Jennifer believed she had found her Prince Charming in Fotis Dulos (Warren Christie), but by the time of her disappearance, their marriage had all but disintegrated and the estranged couple was engaged in a contentious custody dispute. After she disappeared without a trace, after dropping off their children at school, police turned the spotlight on Fotis, who claimed Jennifer staged her own disappearance ala the film, Gone Girl. Despite his assertions, investigators charged Fotis with murder in January 2020 but just weeks later, Fotis committed suicide, still claiming his innocence. To this date, the body of Jennifer has not been found.
Produced by Lighthouse Pictures for Lifetime, Gone Mom is executive produced by Dan Abrams, Ilene Kahn Power and Rachel Stockman. Gail Harvey directs from a script written by Gregory Small and Richard Blaney.
SOCCER MOM MADAM
PREMIERES SUNDAY, JUNE 6 at 8/7c
After a bitter breakup leaves her and her young children without any support, Anna (Jana Kramer) goes to work for her cousin at a massage parlour known for "happy endings." As soon as she learns the ropes, Anna branches out on her own, establishing a high end New York escort service that matches beautiful young women with the wealthiest and most powerful men in the city. For years, she operates undetected, making millions while keeping the secret of her success hidden from her children and the other moms in her Westchester suburb. But when the FBI begins to investigate her, hoping to catch a big fish among her elite clientele, Anna's days as a madam are numbered when her double life is revealed with devastating consequences.
Produced by Front Street Productions for Lifetime, Soccer Mom Madam is inspired by true events. Orly Adelson and Jon Eskenas executive produce, Kevin Fair directs from a script by Barbara Marshall.
LEFT FOR DEAD: THE ASHLEY REEVES STORY
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 12 at 8/7c
In 2006, 17-year-old Ashley Reeves (Anwen O'Driscoll) is left for dead in the woods following a brutal attack. After spending 30 horrific hours in the cold, gravely wounded, lying in the dirt, and paralyzed, the police find her alive. Her injuries are so severe that she must re-learn how to walk and talk. With no memory of what happened, she begins a long and painful recovery while searching her shattered memory to unlock the mystery of who did this to her. Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story is based on the extraordinary true story of an ordinary teenage girl who had to fight for her life three times; first in the woods, then in the hospital, and finally in court. Jennie Garth stars as Ashley's mother, Michelle Reeves.
Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story is produced by Cineflix (Left For Dead) Inc. Jeff Vanderwal is among the executive producers. Gloria Ui Young Kim directs from a script written by Christina Welsh.
SECRETS OF A GOLD DIGGER KILLER
PREMIERES SUNDAY, JUNE 13 at 8/7c
Based on a true story, multimillionaire Steven Beard (Eli Gabay), a retired broadcasting executive, who fell hard for Celeste (Julie Benz), an attractive waitress who served him his nightly cocktail at the local country club in Austin, Texas. In 1995, the 70-year-old widow married the mother of teenage daughters and gave Celeste homes, cars, and more jewelry and designer clothes than she could ever wear. But it wasn't enough for Celeste. After being admitted into a mental health facility for depression, Celeste met and seduced fellow patient Tracey Tarlton (Justine Warrington), convincing her that the only way they could be together would be to murder Steven. Knowing that she stood to inherit millions of dollars upon his death, the depth of Celeste's lies, and betrayal knew no bounds until the truth was finally revealed by Tracey.
Produced by Fortune Hunter Films and based on The Fortune Hunter by Suzy Spencer, Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer is directed by Robin Hays and executive produced by Barbara Lieberman and Howard Braunstein.
SECRETS OF A MARINE'S WIFE
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 19 at 8/7c
Secrets of a Marine's Wife is based on the true story of 19-year-old Erin Corwin (Sadie Calvano), who was married to U.S. Marine Corporal Jon Corwin (Evan Roderick) and expecting her first child, when she suddenly went missing. Erin's disappearance sparked a grueling search led by family, friends and local law enforcement in the extreme conditions of the Joshua Tree National Park until her body was found two months later at the bottom of an abandoned mineshaft. Suspicions mounted quickly in the tight knit Marine community, and residents began to wonder if the killer was one of their own. In their investigation, detectives uncover a friendship turned illicit relationship between Erin and her neighbor, Marine Christopher Lee (Andre Anthony), which consumed them both and called into question the paternity of Erin's baby. Was this a motive for murder? Who was responsible? Investigators work to discover answers to these questions and to unmask who killed Erin Corwin.
Secrets of a Marine's Wife is produced by Front Street Pictures for Lifetime, with Sony Pictures Television distributing. Judith Verno/Peace Out Productions and Sharlene Martin/Martin Literary & Media Management serve as executive producers. Manu Boyer directs from a script written by Richard Blaney and Gregory Small.
DOOMSDAY MOM
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JUNE 26 at 8/7c
Doomsday Mom is based on the true story of Lori Vallow (Lauren Lee Smith), who gained national attention when her children, JJ and Tylee, were reported missing from their Idaho home in the Fall of 2019. As investigators learned of Lori and her husband Chad Daybell's (Marc Blucas) involvement in a doomsday-prepper group, a trail of mystery was revealed spanning five states and numerous questionable deaths, before the bodies of JJ and Tylee were found in the backyard of Chad's home in June 2020. Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy also star.
Doomsday Mom is produced by Lighthouse Pictures for Lifetime, with Sony Pictures Television distributing. Karen Glass and Tom Mazza of Everywhere Studios and Judith Verno of Peace Out Productions serve as executive producers. Stephen Tolkin wrote the script and Bradley Walsh directs.
Summer of Secrets will kick off on Memorial Day, May 31 with a double feature of movies, A Party Gone Wrong at 8pm ET/PT, and The Secrets She Keeps at 10pm ET/PT. Additional movies in the slate include Cradle Did Fall on Sunday, June 20th and Picture Perfect Lies on June 27th, both premiering at 8pm ET/PT.
A Party Gone Wrong - Memorial Day, 5/31 - 8pm/7c
Inspired by a true story, A Party Gone Wrong follows April (Shellie Sterling) as she finds herself fighting for her life after attending a party with her best friend, Brittney (Kate Edmonds). After drinking too much, April stumbles into a suspicious ride share to take her home but quickly realizes the driver has other plans in mind: stealing her organs to sell them on the black market. A Party Gone Wrong is produced by MarVista Entertainment.
The Secrets She Keeps - Memorial Day 5/31 - 10pm/9c
Despite her mother Diane's (Zoe Cramond) disapproval, 16-year-old Amara (Emily Miceli) gets on a dating app with hopes to find a boyfriend. When she matches with Shane (Keller Fornes), everything is initially fantastic, but soon, Diane and Amara are being stalked and harassed. At first, they're unsure who it could be, but when Diane digs a little deeper into Shane's past, she discovers that he's every mother's nightmare - and she'll have to use all her cunning and courage to save her daughter! The Secrets She Keeps is distributed by Reel One Entertainment.
Cradle Did Fall - Sun, 6/20 at 8pm/7c
Inspired by a shocking, true story ripped from the headlines, a woman poses as an infant photographer in order to befriend a young mother and steal her baby! Cradle Did Fall stars Kristen Robek and Ali Liebert. The film is distributed by Reel One Entertainment.
Picture Perfect Lies - Sun 6/27 at 8pm/7c
Rachel Collins (Megan Elizabeth Barker) is thriving and about to celebrate her sweet sixteenth birthday. But when a shocking murder at her party unravels a dark web of lies in her family, Rachel questions everything she's ever known. She's determined to find out the truth, even if the answers could be deadly. Picture Perfect Lies also stars Laurie Fortier and Matthew Pohlkamp. The film is distributed by Reel One Entertainment.
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Celebrating over 35 years of entertaining audiences, Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning award-winning movies, high-quality scripted series and breakout non-fiction series. Lifetime has an impressive legacy in public affairs, bringing attention to social issues that women care about with initiatives such as the long-running Stop Breast Cancer for Life, Stop Violence Against Women, and Broader Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers, including women of color, to make its content. Lifetime Television(R), LMN(R), Lifetime Real Women(R) and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.
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