Lifetime has redefined the docuseries for a new generation of viewers with its provocative, sometimes controversial focus on headline-grabbing topics and personalities. From limited series such as Surviving R. Kelly — which focused on singer R. Kelly’s history of alleged sexual abuse — to culture-challenging shows like Married at First Sight, the network continues to serve its targeted female audiences in authentic and innovative ways.

Leading the network’s programming charge is Gena McCarthy, executive VP and head of programming, Lifetime Unscripted & FYI, who recently spoke to R. Thomas Umstead, Multichannel News senior content producer, programming, about the basic cable network’s nonfiction programming strategy.

How is Lifetime’s heavy focus on docuseries helping to shape the network brand? We had tremendous success with tentpole documentaries. The gigantic headline that worked from a cultural and female empowerment point of view was Surviving R. Kelly. Because that one was so explosively strong on every possible level, we strategically expanded our approach to the genre, including literally expanding the Surviving franchise with Surviving R. Kelly Part 2: The Reckoning and Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.

How transcendent was the Surviving R. Kelly franchise? The series led to a 40% increase in calls to help lines, which we are incredibly proud of, but it also led us to expanding our reach with other stories. There are many others coming down the pipeline.

Why are Lifetime’s bioseries resonating with female viewers? I think authenticity is key. The stories that resonate best with viewers are those that they are familiar with. Relationships are the North Star for everything from a content point of view on Lifetime right now, so being able to tell these stories through that lens of intimate relationships is something that our audiences want. These stories have such famous — and sometimes infamous — highs and lows and twists, which we learned our viewers crave, whether it's in a movie of the week, a scripted series or a best performing documentary series that we offer, [so] it’s worked really well. We’re also developing biomovies; there is a Wendy Williams movie and documentary that’s coming through, and we’re constantly developing movies that tell the stories of women that have inspiring, controversial and dramatic — but always authentic — life stories that work so brilliantly with our audience.

What’s been Lifetime’s secret to maintaining the success of its iconic brand in the face of competition from female-targeted cable and streaming services? We use a phrase called ‘outrageously relatable characters and stories,’ and when we get it right it leads to incredibly well-performing series like Dance Moms and Married at First Sight, which is the best performing content on the brand. We have a show called Bride & Prejudice, which types into the cultural zeitgeist right now. Having these outrageously relatable stories — all told through a relationship filter that has a provocative bite to it — works incredibly well for Lifetime.

How well is Lifetime positioned for the evolving media landscape? The proliferation of places to watch and what to watch is astonishing and sometimes overwhelming, but what we always talk about on our teams is great content will always win, and great content transcends any distribution platform.

BONUS FIVE

What’s on your DVR? Every episode of Big Bang Theory; women’s NCAA volleyball championships.
Books on your nightstand?Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson; The Witch Elm by Tana French
Favorite food destination? Primanti Brothers: Best comfort food in hometown Pittsburgh, ever. A full meal inside two giant slabs of bread.
Bucket list destination? Fiji — to swim and read 24/7.
Favorite podcast?The Daily

Lifetime tonight will premiere a new primetime block of true crime-based programming, which is not surprising since the genre is making a killing with female viewers.

Networks, from true crime-branded cable outlets such as Investigation Discovery and Oxygen, to general-entertainment services like Lifetime, TV One and Reelz Channel, are reeling in female viewers attracted to dramatic re-enactments of often grizzly crimes — mostly committed by and against women — that are often as thrilling and more unpredictable than fiction-based scripted series.

Women are the majority of viewers for shows in virtually every subgenre of the category, from live trials to story-driven tales of murder for love to documentaries on injustices within the criminal system, according to network executives.

“People don’t think of women as watching crime dramas, which is a stereotype, and this proves that crime can pay with male and female viewers,” said Marc Berman, editor of TV industry website Programming Insider. “That’s been one of the major misperceptions in our business.”

Investigation Discovery currently tops cable networks in drawing adult women 25-54 on a total day basis, according to network executives. General manager Kevin Bennett said ID’s 650 hours of original genre content skews 60% female, with shows such as Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda and Deadly Women, as well as news magazines such as The Real Story With María Elena Salinas — drawing even higher shares of women viewers looking to watch as crimes are solved or to get the story behind a sensational crime.

Related: ID Orders Season Three of ‘People Magazine Investigates’

“All ID viewers are drawn to the high stakes stories of human nature — the twists and turns of a case and the ability to play along and solve the mystery,” Bennett said. “Because it’s real people and real stories you always have that emotional storytelling, and that’s what ID tries to bring consistently.”

All About the Stories

While many of the stories depicted within the true crime category deal with very bloody, grisly acts of violence, Bennett said that what appeals to women are the stories that lead up to the crimes, as well as the justice that is meted out to the perpetrators.

“We are not about car chases and gunfights — we’re really about the emotional impact that these stories [offer] people and also about the mystery side of things,” he said. “These are real stories, so there is a real emotional connection.”

Oxygen has posted double-digit ratings gains among women viewers in total-day ratings since adopting an all true-crime format last summer, according to Nielsen.

Related: Oxygen Greenlights Eight Series Amid Transition to Crime Genre

Executive vice president of programming and development Rod Aissa said shows such as Snapped — now in its 23rd season — as well as upcoming series In Defense Of appeal to women viewers because they tend to get emotionally invested in the victims and sometimes the perpetrator, with audience memebrs often feeling they could find themselves in the particular situation depicted on-screen.

“A lot of women are watching because of the narrative and storytelling that exists in the true-crime stories, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher,” he said. “Women also invest in the victims, so at its best a true crime show is about the pursuit of justice for a victim and they allow the audience to invest in the women in a significant way.”

That doesn’t mean that men are left on the outside looking in at the genre. Aissa said men tune in when the subject matter pertains to their interests, particularly if it’s sports-themed.

The second installment of Oxygen’s two-part March docuseries Aaron Hernandez Uncovered — which profiled the former New England Patriots tight end who in 2017 committed suicide in his jail cell while serving time on a murder conviction — drew more than 1.25 million viewers and set records for a network true-crime program across all adults 18-49 and 25-54.

“There is an opportunity to grow the audience from just strictly female into some other co-viewing opportunities,” Aissa said.

While the audience for Reelz skews majority female, network executives said the genre can draw co-viewing opportunities with the right subjects.

“There certain types of crime stories you can do — if you’re going to do an historical story on Bugsy Siegel, that’s most likely going to attract male viewers,” said Steve Cheskin, senior vice president of programming. “But when you do stories that involve romance triangles or cases where children are involved like the [convicted murderer] Jodi Arias or [accused child murderer] Casey Anthony cases, you get an emotional connection.”

For Reelz, shows such as Copy Cat Killers and Murder Made Me Famous have often pulled in a 70% female audience. Cheskin added that the storylines in those docudramas can be so intense and involving, the genre often mirrors the appeal of scripted programming. “Many of the crime stories and the procedurals on cable and broadcast networks tend to skew female, so it isn’t surprising that these shows would follow that track, except that these are real stories instead of something that’s made up.”

Lifetime will take a stab at the genre beginning tonight (June 18) with a “Justice for Women” true crime-themed programming block hosted by Gretchen Carlson and anchored by the premiere of Live PD Presents: Women On Patrol. The series, a spinoff of sister network A&E’s Live PD docuseries, follows women law enforcement officers from around the country.

Related: How Twitter Engagement Has Cemented ‘Live PD’ as the ‘Cops’ for a New Millennium

Lifetime executive vice president and head of programming Gena McCarthy said the new true crime-themed unscripted series — combined with original films based on real-life crime cases — provides a unique approach to the genre.

“True crime is one of those classic perennial genres with inherent drama, high emotion, compelling twists and turns in the narrative, huge personal stakes and, ultimately, a big puzzle to solve,” she said. “Women love solving all of that and Lifetime women have a long legacy of really enjoying that content from the movies that we’ve done and continue to do based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories.”

If the true crime block — which also features the fourth season premiere of Escaping Polygamy — clicks with viewers, Lifetime will dive deeper into the genre with more scripted and unscripted content, according to McCarthy.

Spreading the Wealth

Other female-skewing and entertainment-based networks are stepping into the genre with content that will appeal in particular to female viewers:

• TV One earlier this month debuted Evidence of Innocence, which profiles true stories of individuals wrongly convicted of crimes.

• The Weather Channel this fall will premiere Storm of Suspicion, about crimes where weather played a central role to the narrative and investigation. While TWC’s audience splits evenly between male and female viewers, network senior vice president of content and programming Nora Zimmett said the true-crime nature of the series will most likely draw more female viewers to the channel.

“True crime has become an incredibly popular genre across media spaces; not only linear television, but podcasts and works of literary nonfiction are exploding,” she said. “We think this show will appeal to both sexes but would not be surprised if there were to be greater interest from women, given that research has shown that more women than men gravitate to the true crime genre.”

Related: True Crime Confidential

Upstart Law & Crime network, which launched in March, said women make up 60% of the audience tuning in for a slate of predominately live trial coverage.

Women viewers are willing to sit through the trial process and listen to witness testimony to determine guilt or innocence for themselves, network editor in chief Rachel Stockman said.

Stockman said women are more apt to talk about trials on social media: They make up 75% to 80% of the participants within the network’s digital platform and sites.

“Live trials are the biggest soap operas there are,” Stockman said. “You’re with the jurors watching this play out and you’re playing armchair detective trying to figure out how all of this plays out.”

The fervor for true-crime content among audiences in general, and in particular among women, isn’t likely to decline in the near future, according to executives. A recent Oxygen study showed that the percentage of viewers interested in the genre has grown significantly over the past year, with 46% of respondents saying they’re becoming more interested in true crime programming, up 33% year over year, senior vice president of strategy insights and research for NBCU’s Lifestyle Networks Dave Kaplan said.

He doesn’t think the rash of new players in the genre will create oversaturation across the various distribution platforms.

“I think that speaks to the fact that the genre is evolving and that there’s more diversity and content from a number of players,” he said. “People are getting to know the genre in new and different ways, and as a result is sparking this wave of interest. Some networks focus on the investigative/law enforcement side of it, others focus on the actual criminals themselves, others focus on the victims. From what we’re seeing the demand keeps growing, and the supply isn’t necessarily enough to sustain the demand.”

Lifetime has promoted network programming executives Tanya Lopez and Gena McCarthy to executive vice president roles as the network's head of programming Liz Gateley departs the company, the network said Thursday. 

Gateley, in an internal e-mail, said  that she is departing the company to spend more time with her family. Gateley took over the head of programming role for Lifetime in 2015 and launched such shows as UnReal and Mary Kills People.

“So it is with a heavy heart that I must say that I have decided to leave my position at Lifetime,” Gateley said. “This was a dream job for me: to come back to the brand I love, where I started out 17 years ago as Assistant to the Head of Programming, and to BEthe Head of Programming. It was my Working Girl moment.”

Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO, A+E Networks said of Liz Gateley's Departure: "I would like to thank Liz for her enormous contributions to Lifetime, and I am glad she will continue to lend her expertise on some upcoming projects for us. I deeply respect her choice to spend more time with her family.” 

Lopez has been elevated to executive vice president, movies, limited series & original movie acquisitions for Lifetime and LMN. Formerly senior vice president of original movies, Lopez will oversee all original movies for the network. Lopez has overseen the development of numerous hit movies during her tenure at Lifetime, including Steel Magnolias, Flowers in the Attic, I Am Elizabeth Smart, Faith Under Fire and Cocaine Godmother.

McCarthy, who has served as executive vice president of Programming and Development for Lifetime sister network fyi since 2016, will now add the title of Lifetime executive vice presient and Head of Programming and fyi unscripted & head of programming. Prior to fyi, McCarthy served as senior vice president, reality and alternative programming for Lifetime, where she oversaw the development of such shows as Dance Moms, Project Runway All Stars and Bring It!

Joanna Klein will continue to oversee Scripted Series for Lifetime, according to network officials. 

“We are incredibly excited to have Tanya, Gena and Joanna heading up our programming efforts for Lifetime,” said Paul Buccieri, president of A+E Studios and A+E Networks Portfolio Group, and Rob Sharenow, president of programming for A+E Networks in a joint statement. “The passion and creativity they bring to the table is unmatched, and their track records speak volumes, as this team has brought some of the biggest hits in women’s entertainment to Lifetime throughout their careers.”

Gateley's full e-mail appears below, followed by Dubuc's response: 

Many of you know what has been going on in my life in the past several months. With the sudden passing of my beloved nanny of 16 years, a new nanny being a no-show and ghosting me, having stressed-out teenage kids and having to lift my dog to the curb because he has a slipped disk (I kid you not!), there have been some very clear signs from the universe to focus on my family and truly be present every day for my kids and husband, who have very generously supported a career choice that required me to fly across the country every other week for the past three years. So it is with a heavy heart that I must say that I have decided to leave my position at Lifetime. This was a dream job for me: to come back to the brand I love, where I started out 17 years ago as Assistant to the Head of Programming, and to BEthe Head of Programming. It was my Working Girl moment. I am so grateful to Rob and Nancy for this opportunity

During my three years here, I had the privilege to launch UnREAL,making the (at the time) scary decision during my first week here to launch the first three episodes digitally and then lobby for and develop three more seasons of the hit Peabody-winning show. I also had the luck to work with Meghan Hooper White and Sharon Bordas on another show that landed on every “Top 20 of the Year” list: Mary Kills People. With Joanna Klein leading her amazing team, I am proud to have attracted showrunners like Greg Berlanti, Sera Gamble and Jenji Kohan, solidifying Lifetime as a premium scripted destination. I cannot wait for the world to see the upcoming YOU and American Princess.

I am also excited that, with the leadership of Tanya Lopez and Meghan, Lifetime Movies has taken on new levels of brave storytelling (and success in the ratings!) with the award-winning and inspiring true stories like Flint, Surviving Compton, Cocaine Godmother, I Am Elizabeth Smart and Faith Under Fire. I’ll never forget Lifetime’s proud coverage of the historic 2016 Election Live with The View, the launch of unscripted hits like TheRap Game, events like Billboard Women in Music and zeitgeist moments like Glam Masters. My favorite failure, Date Night Live, was a proud galvanizing moment while Project Runwayin its 16th season embraced body diversity with “models of all sizes” for the first time. I know Brie Bryant will do amazing things to launch her inspiring vision in the next chapter of Unscripted at Lifetime.

I also love the new faces of Lifetime — Laverne Cox, Penn Badgley, Shay Mitchell and Catherine Zeta-Jones (and don’t forget Meghan and Harry!) — but perhaps my favorite thing in the world is to give people their first chance at something.   This job gave me the opportunity to give deserving WOMEN their first chances: Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer directing episodic television (and they did a damn good job), Stacy Rukeyser showrunning, Kyra Sedgwick directing Story of a Girl and getting a DGA nomination, and finally, presenting what had to be the first ever 100% all-female series creator panel at TCA. 

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to work with Rob Sharenow and Paul Buccieri to establish the structure of Lifetime’s programming team going forward. I am excited that Tanya Lopez will continue to oversee all the movies including our originals and will be adding acquisitions to her purview.Gena McCarthy will return to Lifetime to lead Unscripted Programming, and Joanna Klein will continue to oversee Scripted Series. I love that Lifetime’s programming future will be controlled by three powerful women who love the brand as much as I do. 

And here’s to the F word. For me, this letter conjures up many fond words.: Fempire. Flint. Faith Under Fire. Our muse: the “Fireheart.” But most importantly, the incredible Friends I’ve made here and will miss. Keep fighting the fight for #MeToo and #TimesUp, as we have always been the leaders of equality for women. In fact, there are some exciting passion projects of mine in this space that we are about to announce, for which I may stay on board.  

You have and will change the world, Lifetime. You have changed mine.

 -------------------------------

Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO, A+E Networks

I would like to thank Liz for her enormous contributions to Lifetime, and I am glad she will continue to lend her expertise on some upcoming projects for us. I deeply respect her choice to spend more time with her family. I also echo Liz’s delight, and I am personally proud that three strong women will be leading Lifetime’s programming teams. Congratulations to Tanya and Gena on their promotion.

Kid chefs are serving up a broad audience plate for cable networks offering adolescent- themed cuisine shows.

From Fox’s kids-themed MasterChef Junior to FYI’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown to Food Network’s Chopped Junior, the kids cooking genre is providing flavorful content that delivers viewers across several demos, according to network officials.

“Part of the appeal for viewers is the wow factor of seeing young kids with such advanced skills for their age in the kitchen,” Gena McCarthy, executive vice president of programming and development for FYI, said. And sophomore series Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown is one of FYI’s most watched shows and skews younger than the network’s more traditional cooking shows.

Kid versions of popular cooking shows such as Chopped Junior not only reach fans of the original but also bring in younger viewers that may not be familiar with those older-skewing series.

NBCUniversal this fall will look to draw kids 2-11 and their parents to its Universal Kids network — a rebrand of preschool channel Sprout — with the October premiere of Top Chef Junior, a spinoff of Bravo’s long-running series Top Chef.

"We are fortunate to be able to tap into the equity of Bravo's Top Chef and evolve the format to deliver the experience kids expect from their content, and to have Top Chef's own Curtis Stone along with Vanessa Lachey - both parents of young kids - starring on the show makes it that much more authentic," said Deirdre Brennan, general manager of Universal Kids. 

Ratings That Really Cook
Food Network is enjoying ratings success from several kids-themed shows, including Chopped Junior which, in its fourth season, posted double-digit ratings increases during its first quarter 2017 run compared to the same period last year, according to the network.

In addition, Food’s Kids Baking Championship — which finished its third season this past March — was the most-watched program with respect to co-viewing in its time slot among cable networks, with nearly 30% of adults 25-54 watching with their kids, said network officials.

“Ultimately, our goal remains growing our core demo [adults 25-54], though when we hook the whole family at 8 p.m. with shows designed for A25-54 viewers that also attract kids, it’s a win-win and we keep the parents watching as the night progresses,” said Allison Page, general manager, U.S. programming and development for Scripps Networks Interactive, which owns Food Network.

Courtney White, senior vice president of programming for Scripps, said kids-targeted food shows retain the same format as their adult counterparts, but have the added appeal of featuring very talented and competitive preteens and teens who take cooking seriously.

“One of the biggest challenges is remembering that these kids are skilled, with a real passion for food, which deserves to be taken as seriously as any of our adult chefs — including not patronizing their exceptional talent with easier challenges and/or softer judging,” she said.

Maintaining Positive Tones
While the kids may rival the adults in the kitchen, the competitions on kids-themed shows such as MasterChef Junior or Chopped Junior are not nearly as dramatic and intense as their adult counterparts, which helps expand the brand’s audience base.

“Families can turn to these shows and feel very comfortable that they are going to get programming that’s not going to have a lot of negativity and the cutthroat competition approach,” said Isaac Holub, co-founder and executive producer for production company Lucky 8 TV, which produces Food's Kids BBQ Championship along with Turn Card Content. “They know its going to be an entertaining, positive experience.”

A batch of reality competition shows involving adolescent chefs are dishing out ratings for FYI, Food Network and other cable programmers.

From spinoffs of hit culinary shows such as Fox’s MasterChef Junior and Food Network’s Chopped Junior, to newer offerings such as FYI’s Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown, shows featuring young chefs are providing networks with content that appeals across several demographics. This new flavor of cooking show also skews younger than more-traditional fare.

“There is a cultural phenomenon going on now with kid cooks and having a passion and growing talent for cooking,” Gena McCarthy, executive vice president of programming and development for FYI, said.

For Food Network, shows like Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Junior don’t just appeal to the network’s core adult 18-49 viewer, but also to younger audiences that don’t typically watch the network, according to Didi O’Hearn, senior vice president of programming for the Food Network and Cooking Channel.

Nearly 30% of the adult 18-49 audience for Kids Baking Championship during its freshman run in 2015 watched with their kids, making it the top co-viewed show on cable during its Monday 8 p.m. time slot, according to Food.

Chopped Junior finished its freshman campaign earlier this year as Food Network’s third-most-watched show among both adults 24-54 and adults 25-34, illustrating the genre’s appeal across younger and older audiences.

“Our ultimate goal remains growing our core demo, [but] when we look at the whole family at 8 p.m. with our shows, we benefit from engagement with that core demo, as well as the best type of sampling as far as multigenerational family co-viewing,” O’Hearn said.

Sophomore series Man vs. Child is FYI’s most watched food-themed show and one of its most-watched shows in primetime. McCarthy said the network often schedules episodes in weekend blocks to reach tweens and teens who may not be watching primetime TV.

“Part of the appeal for viewers is there’s a ‘holy crap’ factor when you’re watching these 10-year-old kids with such demonstrative talent in the kitchen — that cuts through in a visual media,” she added. “At the same time, it also appeals to foodies because it’s smart, aspirational and there’s tons of takeaways wrapped in the package.

“It becomes a young brand for FYI and has dual appeal, especially when kids watch with their parents,” McCarthy added.

Both FYI and Food are looking to serve up new shows featuring kid chefs. FYI recently greenlit a second kids-themed cooking show, Stove Tots, produced by Jeff Collins, producer of Lifetime’s Dance Moms, and set to air in 2017. The series follows young cooks and their families as they prepare for and compete in cookoffs across the U.S. (It also greenlit a new non-kids culinary competition series, Man vs. Master.) McCarthy said FYI is looking at other kids’-themed cooking shows, too.

Along with the mid-August launch of Food Network Star spinoff series Food Network Star Kids, Food Network is planning two holiday-themed specials this fall: Kids Halloween Baking Championship and Kids Sweets Showdown, according to O’Hearn.