NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC UNRAVELS THE CULTURE-DEFINING STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT AND ITS CONTROVERSIAL LEGACY IN "THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH" (W.T.)

From Muck Media, Explosive Docuseries Is an Unprecedented Exploration of the Most Infamous Experiment of the 20th Century With Several Study Participants Speaking for the First Time

(WASHINGTON, D.C. - APRIL 17, 2024) - National Geographic announced today the greenlight of THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH (W.T.), an electrifying documentary series that explores the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment like never before. From director Juliette Eisner, executive producer Alex Braverman and Muck Media, the three-part series unravels the layers of intrigue and controversy surrounding one of psychology's most debated studies from the past 50 years.

The Stanford Prison Experiment was born from psychology professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo's quest to understand the power of situation over human behavior. In 1971, Dr. Zimbardo paid two dozen college-aged participants to live in a mock prison, observing how randomly assigned "prisoner" and "guard" roles influenced behavior. What started out as a self-contained university experiment turned into a media spectacle that captured the imagination and attention of the world, defining our understanding of human nature and forever changing the course of psychology.

There was only one problem: We were never told the whole story of what happened in that "prison."

THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH (W.T.) embarks on a gripping, ticking-clock journey through the six-day Stanford Prison Experiment with a deluge of reveals, new characters and a smoking-gun archive. The series captures the iconic study and its cultural impact like never before, upending the audience's fundamental understanding of human nature and confronting a collective fascination with myth over truth. It takes an innovative approach to this decades-old study by centering the stories of the participants, many of whom are speaking out in detail for the first time. Then, in an unexpected turn, the series brings the participants to a replica film set of the "prison," where they revisit pivotal moments, explore the power of perspective, and attempt to find consensus about what really happened over the course of those six days.

"THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT: UNLOCKING THE TRUTH (W.T.) is an unprecedented documentary series that pushes the boundaries of storytelling while shedding new light on a pivotal moment in psychological history," said Tom McDonald, EVP of Global Factual and Unscripted Content, National Geographic. "Through the voices of those who lived it, we, along with our longtime partners at Muck Media, invite audiences to reexamine the Stanford Prison Experiment and confront the truths that lie beneath the surface."

Through unparalleled access, the series weaves together emotional, poignant and often humorous firsthand accounts from the very participants who were at the heart of the experiment. For the first time ever, original "guards" and "prisoners" are breaking their 50-year silence to offer a candid and unfiltered account of their experiences within the confines of that fateful hallway. The participants come back together for the very first time in an emotional, revelatory reunion to discuss and recreate pivotal moments from the experiment. Additionally, Dr. Zimbardo and his wife, Dr. Christina Maslach, who encouraged him to shut down the project, sit down for interviews that call into question the nature of truth itself. The series offers an unflinching look at Zimbardo's childhood, his motivations for beginning the project, and the notoriety he found in the aftermath.

Directed by Juliette Eisner. Executive Produced by Alex Braverman and Juliette Eisner. For Muck Media, Darren Foster, Cristina Costantini, Jenn Wood and Krista Manis are executive producers. For National Geographic, Josh Cole is executive producer, Bengt Anderson is senior vice president of Unscripted Content, and Tom McDonald is executive vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content.

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About National Geographic Content

Award-winning and critically acclaimed National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, creates and delivers riveting stories and experiences in natural history, science, adventure and exploration. Inspiring a deeper connection to the world, the content studio reaches 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Its diverse content includes Emmy(R) Award-winning franchise Genius, series Life Below Zero and Secrets of the Whales, and Oscar(R)- and BAFTA award-winning film Free Solo. In 2022, National Geographic Content was awarded eight News and Documentary Emmys, in addition to Life Below Zero's Emmy win for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program, it's sixth Emmy overall. For more information, visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or follow Nat Geo on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

About Muck Media

MUCK MEDIA is an Emmy, Peabody and duPont Award-winning production company concentrating on quality storytelling that is often journalistic and always compelling. Muck is the production company behind National Geographic's multi-Emmy-nominated series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller about global black markets; the recently released Science Fair, The Series inspired by the Sundance Festival Favorite and Emmy Award winning feature documentary; and the forthcoming documentary Sally, about the life of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Other recent Muck credits include: the 2024 SXSW Grand Jury winner We Can Be Heroes, about a group of neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed "nerdy" teenagers who find solace at a LARP summer camp; the critically acclaimed feature American Pain (Max) about the rise and fall of twin brothers from Florida who ran the biggest prescription opioid trafficking network in US history; Menudo: Forever Young (Max) which chronicles the fame and tragedy of the most iconic Latin American boy band in history; and Open Wide (Netflix/A24), about a fringe orthodontist whose theories have found a passionate audience online.

About Juliette Eisner

Juliette Eisner is a Los Angeles-based documentary filmmaker who began her career as a producer and whose credits include Amazon's four-part documentary series SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE about the controversial reality TV family, the Duggars, Netflix's five-part series, THE FAMILY, about an underground religious organization infiltrating halls of government, the Netflix series, DIRTY MONEY, about white collar crime, and National Geographic's feature film WATER & POWER: A CALIFORNIA HEIST, about water politics in California. Earlier in her career, Juliette directed a number of web episodes for vice.com, and produced multiple segments of the Emmy-winning news magazine series, VICE on HBO. Her first feature film, LIL BUB & FRIENDZ, about an adorable kitten's unlikely rise to fame, won the Best Online Documentary award at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

About Alex Braverman

Alex Braverman is an award-winning Producer and Director whose credits include the celebrated news magazine series "Vice on HBO", the Netflix Series "Diagnosis" based on the New York Times Magazine column, and "Waffles and Mochi", a children's food and culture documentary series produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Alex's work has been recognized with five Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award. His feature documentary "Thank You Very Much", about famed performance artist Andy Kaufman, won the Venice Classics award for best documentary in 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.