With Record-Breaking Ratings Success in January, Investigation Discovery Keeps Momentum Going, Launching Five New Original Series in February and March

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the fastest-growing audience in all of cable and currently in more than 70 million homes, America's leading investigation network will capitalize on its ratings success with the launch of five captivating new original series in the span of four weeks. From following the lives of criminals on the run to exposing the dark underbelly of certain cities, ID is filling its primetime lineup with gripping new series that feature compelling investigations and edge-of-your-seat whodunits. ID has enlisted dynamic personalities to help tell these stories, including "The Sopranos" star Steve Schirripa, hosting the recently announced NOTHING PERSONAL which explores the sinister world of contract killings.  

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"As the sole network devoted to true stories of mystery, justice and intrigue, Investigation Discovery prides itself on the highest quality storytelling," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager, Investigation Discovery. "The programs we're launching in the next few weeks span from the serious mission seeking long-delayed closure with THE INJUSTICE FILES to the wild pursuit of perpetrators on the lam with CUFF ME IF YOU CAN, showcasing the wide range of captivating programming that our viewers have come to expect from ID."  

In addition to the slate of original series, Investigation Discovery will debut the next installment of the ID FILMS strand, COCAINE COWBOYS. In this documentary, filmmaker Billy Corben paints an incredible picture of how smugglers and distributors transformed Miami into the drug and murder capital of the country, fed by Colombia's Medellin cartel.

NEW SERIES

SINS AND SECRETS

World Premiere Six-Part Series: Thursday, February 17 at 10 PM ET

In SINS & SECRETS, the location of the crime is a central character in each case. Each immersive one-hour episode shows how a crime alters the community in which it occurs, and reveals how the people and place are irrevocably changed by the terrible aftermath. Cities spotlighted in the series include Aspen, Nantucket, New Orleans, Knoxville, Albuquerque and Shreveport.    

THE INJUSTICE FILES

World Premiere Three-Part Series: Friday, February 18 at 9 PM ET

In commemoration of Black History Month, Investigation Discovery proudly presents a search for justice in some of the most senseless crimes of the Civil Rights era. In February 2007, the FBI officially launched a new investigative effort called the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, tasked with taking a fresh look at investigations of racially-motivated homicides that occurred prior to 1970.  Since then, more than 100 cold cases have been identified for this initiative. Teaming filmmaker Keith Beauchamp (The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till) and special agent Cynthia Deitle, the FBI's Civil Rights Unit Chief, each of the three episodes reopens cold cases from our country's past in an effort to bring attention to these important investigations and bring justice to the victims' families.  

CUFF ME IF YOU CAN

World Premiere Six-Part Series: Tuesday, March 1 at 10 PM ET

After committing a crime, some perpetrators are willing to go to great lengths to escape their destiny behind bars. CUFF ME IF YOU CAN recounts true stories of cunning, determined and resourceful criminals who try to live their lives running from the law by escaping the country, changing their identity and even altering their appearance. This series interviews the criminals' real family members and loved ones, some of whom have aided these individuals trying to avoid capture, as well as the actual police and detectives who have worked tirelessly to track and capture the fleeing offenders.  

NOTHING PERSONAL

World Premiere Six-Part Series: Wednesday, March 9 at 10 PM ET

The motive in murder-for-hire plots may vary from case to case, but for the hired hit man it's always business as usual. Plunge into the sinister undertaking of contract killings in NOTHING PERSONAL, Investigation Discovery's new series about mafia disloyalties, romantic infidelities, stale friendships and the trio of characters at their center: the conniving "client," the professional murderer, and the victim who never saw it coming. Each one-hour episode of NOTHING PERSONAL is hosted by true crime aficionado Steve Schirripa, whose mobster character Bobby Baccalieri was famously whacked on The Sopranos. Schirripa, who grew up on the fringes of the mob, had schoolmates who grew up to become hit men or unfortunately succumbed to the work of hit men. Seamlessly woven into the presentation of each story, Schirripa's commentary exposes viewers to a thing or two about the business of crime.

FBI: CRIMINAL PURSUIT

World Premiere Eight-Part Series: Friday, March 11 at 10 PM ET

FBI: CRIMINAL PURSUIT profiles the modern Federal Bureau of Investigation and explores the determination required to solve some of the most mystifying cases of the 21st Century. The challenges range from combating arsonists to tracking down terrorists, and the goal is always to bring the culprits to justice. This series not only showcases the heroes behind high-profile investigations, but the role high-tech investigative techniques play in solving these extraordinary cases.

ID FILMS

COCAINE COWBOYS  

Documentary Premieres Saturday, February 26 from 9-11 PM ET

When brutal Colombian cocaine lords moved to Miami in the early '80s, they brought with them a form of decadence, drugs and debauchery that hadn't been seen since the Prohibition days. This stylized, riveting documentary reveals how smugglers and distributors changed a once sleepy retirement community into the epicenter of a $20 billion business fed by Colombia's Medellin cartel, and transformed Miami into the drug and murder capital of the country. With COCAINE COWBOYS, filmmaker Billy Corben paints a dazzling portrait of a cultural explosion in this true story that inspired "Scarface" and "Miami Vice."

CUFF ME IF YOU CAN is produced by Indigo Films Entertainment with David Frank as executive producer for Indigo and Thomas Cutler as executive producer for Investigation Discovery. SINS & SECRETS is produced by Jupiter Entertainment with Stephen Land and Deborah Dawkins as executive producers for Jupiter and Thomas Cutler as executive producer for Investigation Discovery. THE INJUSTICE FILES is produced by CBS Eye Too Productions with Susan Zirinsky as executive producer for CBS and Diana Sperrazza as executive producer for Investigation Discovery.  NOTHING PERSONAL is a Cineflix (NP) Inc. production with Simon Lloyd and Steve Schirripa as executive producers for Cineflix, and Diana Sperrazza as executive producer for Investigation Discovery. FBI: CRIMINAL PURSUIT is produced by M2 Pictures with Mike Sinclair as executive producer for M2 and Thomas Cutler as executive producer for Investigation Discovery. COCAINE COWBOYS is a rakontur production with Billy Corben as director and producer, Alfred Spellman as producer and David Cypkin as co-producer for rakontur, and Ron Simon as supervising producer for Investigation Discovery. Sara Kozak is vice president of production and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager for Investigation Discovery.  

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID), America's leading investigation network, is the source for fact-based investigative content about culture, history and the human condition. Currently the fastest growing network in television ID creates the highest quality investigative programming focused on fascinating stories of human nature from the past to the present. As the premier authority in real investigations, ID is expanding partnerships with established news organizations and production companies to bring the strongest analytic, factual investigative and current affairs programming to more than 70 million U.S. households. For more information, please visit investigationdiscovery.com

SOURCE Investigation Discovery