Vice (TV series)

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For other uses, see Vice (disambiguation).
Vice
Vice title screen.png
Title card from seasons 1–3
GenreDocumentary
Created byShane Smith
StarringShane Smith
Theme music composerNick Zinner, Ben Vida & Hisham Bharoocha
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes126 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Bill Maher (seasons 1–6)
  • Shane Smith
  • Suroosh Alvi
  • Fareed Zakaria
  • Eddy Moretti
  • BJ Levin (seasons 1–4)
  • Tim Clancy (season 4–present)
Running time27–43 minutes
Production companies
  • Bill Maher Productions (seasons 1–6)
  • Vice Original Series
  • HBO Entertainment (seasons 1–6)
  • Showtime Networks (seasons 7–present)
Distributor
  • HBO Enterprises (seasons 1–6)
  • Warner Bros. Television Distribution (seasons 1–6)
  • CBS Television Distribution (seasons 7–present)
Release
Original networkHBO (seasons 1–6)
Showtime (season 7–)
Picture format1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio formatDolby Digital 5.1
Original releaseApril 5, 2013 (2013-04-05) –
present (present)
External links
Website

Vice (stylised as VICE) is a documentary TV series created and hosted by Shane Smith of Vice magazine. Produced by Bill Maher, it uses CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria as a consultant,[1] and covers topics using an immersionist style of documentary filmmaking. It premiered on April 5, 2013, on HBO. The show's second season aired in 2014 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series or Special.[2]

On May 7, 2014, HBO renewed the series for two more seasons. The 14-episode third season began March 6, 2015, one week after the hour-long "Killing Cancer" aired on February 27. Vice's sixth season aired on April 6, 2018.[3] On March 25, 2015, HBO announced Vice's renewal through Season 7.[4]

The show's cancellation was announced on February 1, 2019, making the sixth season its last season on HBO.[5] However, on September 24, the series was picked up by Showtime and resumed on March 29, 2020.[6]

On July 30, 2020, the series was renewed for an eighth season that premiered on March 7, 2021.[7][8]

Synopsis[]

The show followed Vice journalists and founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi, and segment hosts Ryan Duffy and Thomas Morton as they went to different parts of the world, interviewing people on political and cultural topics. Subjects included political assassinations, young weapons manufacturers, child suicide bombers, Indian and Pakistani border politics, the Chinese one-child policy, climate change, and bonded laborers in Pakistan's brick kilns, featuring the work of human and labor rights activist Syeda Ghulam Fatima.

Correspondents, crew[]

  • Shane Smith – vice co-founder & CEO, executive producer
  • Suroosh Alvi – vice co-founder, correspondent, executive producer
  • Thomas Morton – correspondent
  • Ben Anderson – correspondent and senior producer
  • Vikram Gandhi – correspondent and producer
  • Isobel Yeung – correspondent and producer
  • Gianna Toboni – correspondent and producer
  • Luke Wulf – correspondent and producer
  • Hamilton Morris – correspondent and producer
  • Ahmed Shihab-Eldin – correspondent
  • Bill Maher – executive producer
  • – executive producer
  • Fareed Zakaria – consulting producer, executive producer
  • – co-executive producer
  • – VP, Production
  • Eric Weinrib – producer
  • Kaj Larsen – correspondent
  • Taylor Wilson – correspondent
  • Aris Roussinos – correspondent
  • Simon Ostrovsky – correspondent (2011–2014)

Production[]

The show was executive-produced by Bill Maher, Shane Smith, and Eddy Moretti, and used CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria as a consultant.[1][9]

Release and reception[]

The first episode aired on HBO on April 5, 2013, and was available for free via YouTube.[10] The series is the first televised program for VICE, featuring Vice staff as correspondents.

Politics, culture, and drugs are the main focuses of the Vice series. The show has received both positive and negative reviews because of its unique, provocative presentation and style. Some compare it to a gonzo type of journalism.[11][12] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post wrote a negative review of the show, due to its presentation.[13] Rolling Stone magazine has written that: "It feels a little like your buddy from the bar just happened to be wandering through eastern Afghanistan with a camera crew."[14] In June 2013, the show was covered extensively in mainstream media for documenting a basketball game with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Vice correspondents have filmed from the inside of crack-cooking kitchens in Atlanta to Haitian secret societies in talk of zombie powder. Following controversial topics is what makes Vice different from other news channels.[15]

Viceland[]

A by-product for millennials called Viceland premiered on February 26, 2016. Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze was added to the Vice team as the network co-president for the production of Viceland. The series gives in-sights on weediquette, Action Bronson's food series, and the evangelic tent-revival scene in the South, and many more.[16]

Vice News Tonight[]

Main article: Vice News Tonight

A nightly spin-off called Vice News Tonight premiered on HBO on October 10, 2016. The program was relaunched in 2020 on the Vice cable network.

Series overview[]

Main article: List of Vice episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
110April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)June 14, 2013 (2013-06-14)HBO
212March 14, 2014 (2014-03-14)June 13, 2014 (2014-06-13)
314March 6, 2015 (2015-03-06)June 26, 2015 (2015-06-26)
418February 5, 2016 (2016-02-05)July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01)
529February 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)October 13, 2017 (2017-10-13)
630April 6, 2018 (2018-04-06)December 14, 2018 (2018-12-14)
713March 29, 2020 (2020-03-29)June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21)Showtime
815March 7, 2021 (2021-03-07)TBA

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "About Vice". HBO. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  2. ^ "HBO's 'VICE' Wins Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series or Special". Sounds & Picture. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. ^ Evans, Greg (March 7, 2018). "HBO Sets 'Vice' Season 6 Premiere Date; Actor Michael Kenneth Williams To Investigate Juvenile Justice System". Deadline. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Roots, Kimberly (March 26, 2015). "VICE Renewed for Four Expanded Seasons at HBO, Adds Daily Newscast". TVLine. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  5. ^ Hagey, Keach (February 1, 2019). "Vice Media eliminates 10% of its workforce, including its flagship HBO show". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (September 24, 2019). "Showtime Acquires 'Vice' Weekly Newsmagazine For Spring Premiere". Deadline.
  7. ^ "Showtime(R) Renews Emmy(R) Nominated Documentary Series "Vice" for a Second Season". The Futon Critic. July 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Showtime to Premiere Second Season of "Vice" on Sunday, March 7 at 8 PM ET/PT" (Press release). Showtime. January 14, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  9. ^ "HBO gave us our own TV show". Vice.com. Vice Media. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  10. ^ "Watch the first episode of our HBO show". Vice.com. Vice Media. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Goodman, Tim. "Vice brings its brand of provocative, let's-go-find-danger journalism to HBO as a half-hour newsmagazine". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  12. ^ Flint, Jos. "HBO's 'Vice' news targets Gen Y with edge and absurdity". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  13. ^ Ryan, Maureen. "'Vice' On HBO: News And Stuff, Bro-Style". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  14. ^ Van Syckle, Katie. "HBO Courts Danger With Gonzo 'Vice' Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  15. ^ Green, Penelope (11 June 2015). "Nesting, the Vice Media Way". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  16. ^ D'Addario, Daniel (8 March 2016). "A Vice TV Network Shows the Limits of Rebelliousness". Time Magazine. 187 (8): 79.

External links[]

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