Viceland Orders Opioid Crisis Docuseries ‘American Junkie’ For September Premiere

By Denise Petski

Viceland has ordered 10 episodes of American Junkie, a topical docu-reality series about the country’s opioid crisis, a spinoff of indie feature documentary American Relapse, from filmmaker Pat McGee and Jenny Daly’s T Group Productions. American Junkie is set to premiere September 12 at 10 PM on Viceland.

In South Florida, which has become Ground Zero in America’s current drug crisis, addicts from all over the country arrive daily looking to get clean but instead find one the nation’s fastest growing and profitable industries: rehab.
American Junkie follows two recovering addicts, Allie and Frank, who devote their lives to helping fellow addicts in their life-and-death struggle for recovery, rescuing them from the streets and helping them avoid the countless corrupt rehab facilities and sober houses where greed trumps treatment and Millennial addicts have become cash commodities. You can watch the trailer below.

“At Viceland, we make shows that immerse our audience into environments and experiences,” said VP of Current Programming and executive producer Patrick Moses “This show takes the current drug crisis beyond headlines and statistics and makes it human.”

“Addiction is a faceless disease that does not discriminate,” said McGee. “We wanted American Junkie to speak the truth about the opioid epidemic – yes 80% of addicts will relapse, but we found a couple warriors in Frankie and Allie who don’t give up on addicts. They don’t care about the stats; they’re out there dealing hope.”

American Relapse, directed by McGee and Adam Linkenhelt, recently premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and is an official selection for the Fifteenth Other Venice Film Festival.

“Pat is an expert at blending documentary and cinematic storytelling,” said T Group Productions President Jenny Daly. “He’s taken a topic that is raw and tragic and captured it in a hauntingly beautiful way.”

American Junkie is produced by Viceland with Pat McGee Pictures and T Group Productions. Executive producers include Pat McGee, Ian Manheimer, Jaime Manheimer for Pat McGee Pictures, Jenny Daly for T Group and Patrick Moses for Viceland.

Source: Deadline