April 19, 2019
The following is a press release from WarnerMedia Entertainment:
WarnerMedia Entertainment today announced the premiere date and showrunner for “Chasing the Cure” (formerly known by its working title “M.D. Live”) from TNT and Lionsgate Television. This is a groundbreaking enterprise anchored and executive produced by award-winning journalist and humanitarian Ann Curry. It brings together a weekly live two-hour television broadcast with a 24/7 global digital platform in an effort to help patients who are suffering from undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or uncured medical mysteries. This enterprise will harness the full power of both television and a multi-platform experience in order to break down medical barriers in service of patients. Additionally, this initiative will foster and empower people across the globe on all screens to become medical detectives.
Debuting Thursday, July 25, “Chasing the Cure” will be simulcast on TNT and TBS from 8-10 p.m. ET.
Joining “Chasing the Cure” as showrunner is Kim Bondy, an award-winning journalist who held top positions at CNN, NBC and Al Jazeera America before becoming Head of Content at Soledad O’Brien’s Starfish Media Group in 2017.
Through a 24/7 digital experience and interactive components including live, second-screen experiences, suggestions, along with highly accredited doctors, will be able to share their experiences, advice and recommendations on what’s happening during the broadcast in real time – all toward helping find cures for people with mysterious conditions.
Additionally, “Chasing the Cure” will cultivate an online community for everyone to dive deeper into each case, not only empowering every one of us to become medical detectives, but also creating a space for people to provide support to people dealing with undiagnosed conditions. Everyone will have the unique opportunity to submit their own cases via an in-take process to be cared for by an around-the-clock engaged community and considered for the live broadcast.
“How could I not want to be part of this project, given the real chance that it will help people suffer less? This collaboration of physicians, journalists and television creators is not only groundbreaking, it could potentially help encourage new ways for people to access care,” says Ann Curry.
“Leveraging the power of a global digital community to help real people solve their medical mysteries is our mission on ‘Chasing the Cure,’” says Michael Bloom, senior vice president of unscripted and live programming for TNT. “With Ann and Kim’s leadership and dedication to powerful, honest storytelling, we plan on delivering significant results to those who are in need of answers or a path to wellness. This is not just a one-dimensional live television experience.”
“The audience will have a chance to proactively make a difference when we launch ‘Chasing the Cure’ this summer, a project that takes a groundbreaking approach to tackling people’s unsolved medical mysteries,” says Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president and head of worldwide unscripted television for Lionsgate. “It is one of those rare initiatives that seeks to inspire with a larger humanitarian purpose, and it couldn’t be in the hands of a better network partner or a more brilliant and respected team.”
TNT has ordered 10 episodes of the series from Lionsgate Television.
“Chasing the Cure” is produced by B17 Entertainment and Motiv8 Media in association with Lionsgate Television with Brien Meagher, Rhett Bachner, Kara Kurcz, Brian Lee and Eric Ortner serving as executive producers along with Curry and Bondy.