We chatted about Oxygen’s true crime rebrand, which kicks in in full force around now, with network leadership and producers from the shows driving its makeover. That includes Jane Lipsitz, executive producer on Cold Justice, the Dick Wolf series that starts on Oxygen July 22. Jane says the Cold Justice crew is “thrilled” about Oxygen’s rebrand.
“We are glad that fans of this genre have a new place to go for quality programming,” she said, “and we are very proud that Cold Justice will be a major part of this rebrand.”
Cold Justice examines murder cases that have gone unresolved for years, with a veteran prosecutor and a group of detectives doing the digging. It previously aired on TNT from 2013 to 2015 and led to 30 arrests, say the producers. Wolf said the show’s aim is “to provide justice for victims and their families in cold murder cases and to give hope to those who had all but given up.”
An ideal case, says Lipsitz, is one where detectives have exhausted their leads and could use a fresh perspective. “Kelly [Siegler, prosecutor] and the Cold Justice team are amazing at putting together circumstantial pieces in a way that perhaps hadn’t been considered before to build a strong case,” she says. “Our goal is really to bring justice to the families that have spent years wondering what happened to their loved ones.”
My story looks at the likes of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and This American Life’s Serial and how they’ve brought new fans to the true-crime world with their slick productions. “There has undoubtedly been a resurgence,” says Lipsitz, “and we are excited to be a part of it.
