A&E will examine the life and career of the R&B music icon James Brown as part of a four-part documentary series executive produced by Mick Jagger and Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson. 

The four-part series, James  Brown: Say It Loud will explore the Godfather of Soul’s legacy as a musical force, cultural catalyst and dominant Black creative voice, said network officials. 

The documentary, which will air in 2023 and will be timed to what would have been Brown’s 90th birthday, details how Brown persevered through decades of personal demons, racial injustice and career setbacks to find redemption and become one of the most celebrated and influential artists of the 20th century.

 James Brown: Say It Loud will feature never-before-seen archival footage as well as exclusive interviews with friends, family, collaborators and proteges, said A&E.

Jagger and Questlove will serve as executive producers on the series along with Peter Afterman, David Blackman, Victoria Pearman, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Shawn Gee, Zarah Zohlman and Charlie Cohen. 

“A&E has a long legacy as a home for bold, insightful, and engaging storytelling that pushes boundaries and bring viewers deeper into the lives and worlds they thought they knew,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E in a statement. “We are honored to partner with executive producers Mick Jagger, Questlove, Black Thought, the teams at Inaudible Films, Jagged Films, Two One Five Entertainment, Polygram Entertainment, and director Deborah Riley Draper to continue this tradition with James Brown: Say It Loud to provide audiences with an in-depth look, not only into the extraordinary life of the Godfather of Soul, but also his immeasurable influence as a cultural force in American society.” 

Jagger said of Brown: “He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him. I look forward to bringing  the series to life.”

The announcement comes on the heels of A&E and Lifetime's January Janet Jackson four-part documentary. It also follows a 2014 HBO documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown.■ 

Fox on Wednesday (Dec. 14) will launch its music-themed series Star, the latest entry in a genre that so far this year has hit several sour notes.

The series, which takes over the prime time timeslot of Fox’s hit music series Empire, will look to strike a chord with viewers who tuned out of several cable-based music shows this year.

After much fanfare and a second season green light, HBO’s Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger ’70 s executive-produced rock ‘n’ roll drama Vinyl failed to hit with viewers, and was canceled four months after it premiered this past February.

Showtime hoped viewers would dance to the beat of its drama Roadies, which followed the lives of crew members for major performers. But the network canceled the Cameron Crowe-produced show before it opened for a second season.

FX’s Denis Leary-helmed comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was silenced this past September after two seasons of so-so ratings.

While Empire continues to deliver big ratings for Fox, the task of developing a successful scripted series around the music business is not an exact science, according to Eric Deggans, the media and TV critic for National Public Radio, who is also a musician. While music has broad appeal, Deggans said viewers tend to gravitate to shows that weave music themes into otherwise dramatic, soap opera-esque storylines rather than shows that focus on the nuts and bolts of the music industry itself.

 “I think the way to have a successful show has been shown by Empire and [FX freshman series] Atlanta — you have to figure out ways in which the music is paired with some other attraction so that you get a wide range of viewers,” he said. “When you do feature the music, it has to be strong and authentic.”

Indeed, the Donald Glover-created Atlanta, which focuses on two cousins trying to navigate the ATL’s rap scene, has found an audience. The series’s Sept. 6 premiere drew the network’s second-biggest audience for a series debut, with 3 million viewers. Atlanta has already been renewed for a second season.

CMT is singing the praises of ABC’s cancelled country music-themed Nashville. The cable network will offer an early preview of its season-five premiere on Dec. 15 and  will officially launch the season on Jan. 5.

Star will get its chance to serenade television viewers with the hopes of making beautiful ratings music within a genre that’s delivered mixed results in 2016.

Pictured (from left):Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O'Grady, the stars of Fox's new series Star, premiering Dec. 14.

HBO series Vinyl, a bawdy look at the music business at the intersection of disco, rap and punk rock, will premiere Feb. 14 in the Sunday-9 p.m. slot. The premiere will fill two hours.

Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter is Vinyl's showrunner and, along with Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Rick Yorn, Victoria Pearman, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, John Melfi and Allen Coulter, is also executive producer.

Vinyl has a 10-episode first season. HBO describes it as “a ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco and hip-hop … seen through the eyes of a record label president, Richie Finestra, played by Bobby Cannavale.”

A week later, comedy pair Girls and Togetherness debut, starting at 10 p.m. on Feb. 21. Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Separately, HBO announced it has canceled the Jack Black-Tim Robbins comedy series The Brink.