Why This Matters: Chasing the Cure, in which those suffering from misdiagnosed illnesses can seek real-time help, is TNT's bold twist on the live programming genre.
WarnerMedia has unveiled a bold programming franchise with a big name attached. Ann Curry anchors Chasing the Cure, which will feature 10 live, 90-minute episodes that essentially crowdsource solutions for Americans suffering from undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed, illnesses. The aid comes from a panel of doctors and, at times, viewers themselves.
The show is simulcast on TNT and TBS, and streams on ChasingtheCureLive.com.
Curry, former co-host on NBC's Today, has done it all in TV news, and most of it twice interviewing world leaders, reporting on wars and humanitarian crises. Curry said the series is uniquely enterprising as it uses both weekly television and 24/7 digital media to help the stricken unearth solutions.
Ann Curry
I don't think anyone has ever done what we're doing with something like this, she told B&C before the show's Aug. 8 premiere. I think we're breaking ground in the way we're doing it. We are in a rare moment when people want to know, want to see, that America has a wealth of compassion and kindness.
Turner and Lionsgate are partners on Chasing the Cure. WarnerMedia executives were searching for a fresh franchise, preferably live, and Lionsgate execs, including Jennifer O'Connell, pitched what became Chasing the Cure. (O'Connell has since joined WarnerMedia as executive VP of HBO Max.)
Kevin [Reilly, president of TBS and TNT and chief creative officer, WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer] and I were looking for an opportunity to create tentpole-like programming that fit perfectly with sports, movies and dramas, TNT/TBS senior VP of unscripted series and specials Michael Bloom said.
Chasing the Cure has what Bloom called unlimited engagement opportunities throughout the week, thanks to ChasingtheCureLive.com. It also has a positive message, and the chance to positively affect the nation's ill and underserved.
All it needed was the ideal host. Bloom said the WarnerMedia execs kept envisioning an Ann Curry type fronting the show, so they reached out to Curry. She's a journalist, a humanitarian, an empathetic storyteller, Bloom said. She's not a host she's an anchor.
After thinking on the offer for a bit, Curry said yes. We felt like we hit the jackpot, Bloom said.
Live Is Thriving
Those suffering from mysterious illnesses share their cases on the digital portal. The show features a panel of doctors offering their insights on the maladies from the Crowd Cure Center; during the TCA Summer Press Tour, Curry mentioned a network of 52,000 physicians. Coupled with viewers who may share common ground with the ill, WarnerMedia executives hope it helps solve patients' ongoing medical mysteries. It connects people to medical professionals that they might not otherwise be able to connect with, said Curry.
Curry is an executive producer. Kim Bondy is showrunner and executive producer. The head of Soledad O'Brien's Starfish Media Group, Bondy has worked at Al Jazeera, at CNN and with Curry at NBC News.
Bondy said the opportunity to tell stunning stories and help people in need drew her to Chasing the Cure. The show gives voice to the voiceless, she said. People are in medical nightmares and no one has heard them.
She was eager to work with Curry again. Ann's ability to connect with people on a real, human level is unparalleled, said Bondy.
While not every network has NFL action, several are increasing their live programming as an opportunity to deny the DVR and keep viewers from clicking to sedentary stuff on Netflix. Live series this summer include Fox's First Responders Live, which debuted June 12, and motorcycle stunt special Evel Live 2, which aired on History July 7. Wildlife docuseries Yellowstone Live began on Nat Geo June 23, and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah went live July 30-31, coinciding with the Democratic presidential debates.
TNT viewers get their dose of real-time action with the network's NBA programming. TNT also features March Madness hoops, UEFA Champions League soccer, the SAG Awards and will debut live All Elite Wrestling in the fall. It felt like viewers expect live programming on TNT, said Bloom.
Some TV personalities blanch at the thought of going live, as Chasing the Cure does, with the occasional pre-shot patient package or interstitial. But Curry is comfortable. The idea of live is second nature for Ann, Jon Klein, former CNN U.S. president and president of artificial intelligence platform Vilynx, said.
Klein sees Curry as an ideal fit. Her whole brand is tied up in caring about people, he said. There is a humanity to her reporting that stood out among broadcast anchors. Chasing the Cure will let her show her empathetic side.
What Happens After Today
Curry's news credentials are unparalleled. She's reported on conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, nuclear tensions in North Korea and Iran and humanitarian crises such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and tsunamis in Japan in 2011. Her interviews have included Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, along with other world leaders such as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Syria President Bashar al-Assad.
Curry was on Today for 15 years before signing off in 2012.
She hosted and executive produced documentary series We'll Meet Again on PBS, about people caught in transformative events, including the Holocaust and the civil-rights movement. The show premiered in January 2018 and went for two seasons. Paula Kerger, PBS president and CEO, pointed to the host's exceptional reporting, strong intuition and grace.
Curry does not watch much TV, saying her
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Why This Matters: Chasing the Cure, in which those suffering from misdiagnosed illnesses can seek real-time help, is TNT's bold twist on the live programming genre.
