The Way Down (TV series)
| The Way Down | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | Marina Zenovich |
| Music by | Isobel Waller-Bridge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Nick Higgins |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 40-55 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Max |
| Release | September 30, 2021 – April 28, 2022 |
The Way Down is an American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Marina Zenovich. It follows Gwen Shamblin Lara, the founder of a diet program Weigh Down Workshop, and Remnant Fellowship, a new Christian group led by Shamblin Lara and located in Brentwood, Tennessee. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered with the first three on HBO Max on September 30, 2021, with the last two premiering on April 28, 2022.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]The series follows Gwen Shamblin Lara, the founder of a diet program Weigh Down Workshop, and The Remnant Fellowship, a church founded by Shamblin Lara.[3]
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Kingdom" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 2 | "A Family Affair" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 3 | "Seen But Not Heard" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 4 | "Revelations" | Marina Zenovich | April 28, 2022 |
| 5 | "The Way Forward" | Marina Zenovich | April 28, 2022 |
Production
[edit]Nile Cappello began researching Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship, spending months getting to know former members.[4] Cappello brought the project to Campfire, who agreed to produce the series, and asked Marina Zenovich to direct.[5]
The producers had reached out to Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship for an interview, but all declined.[6] However, the church posted a response to the miniseries on the RemnantFellowship.org website.[7] During the final stages of post-production on the series, Gwen Shamblin Lara died in a plane crash. Afterward, people who had been unwilling to speak about their experiences with Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship reached out to Zenovich.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin Debuts September 30 (Official Trailer + Key Art)". WarnerMedia. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (March 12, 2022). "'The Way Down': HBO Max Explores More God, Greed & Cult In Second Part Of Gwen Shamblin Docuseries – SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ Bjornson, Greta (September 23, 2021). "New Trailer for HBO Max Docuseries The Way Down Explores 'Cult' of Late Diet Guru Gwen Shamblin". People. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Horton, Adrian (September 29, 2021). "'This is a cult': inside the shocking story of a religious weight-loss group". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Adams, Liam (September 30, 2021). "Director of new HBO docuseries on weight loss church wants to help people 'get out'". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Phil (September 28, 2021). "HBO Max series examines Brentwood's Gwen Shamblin, Remnant Fellowship". WTVF. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "The Truth About The Way Down HBO Documentary". remnantfellowship.org. 30 September 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Sperling, Nicole (July 14, 2021). "Plane Crash Complicates HBO Max Documentary on Diet-Inspired Church". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
External links
[edit]- The Way Down at IMDb
