EPIX Relaunching as MGM+ This Weekend; Announces Slate of New Shows
Your TV experience may be getting less EPIX, but it’s about to get a lot more epic. The premium cable channel EPIX and its sibling streamer EPIX NOW are set to be relaunched as an all-in-one linear channel and on-demand streaming service called “MGM+” on Sunday, Jan. 15.
“It’s a new beginning for our service, as we introduce MGM+ and its distinctive brand promise to viewers on January 15. MGM+ will deliver on its iconic and beloved studio legacy, with cinematic, sophisticated, and transportive storytelling that audiences love,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “We are growing our rich library of content, comprised of original television series and blockbuster films that celebrate the MGM brand.”
The rebranded service was first announced by MGM's parent company Amazon in September 2022. Amazon completed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM and its content library in March 2022.
The launch of the new MGM+ will be accompanied by the third season premiere of “Godfather of Harlem,” starring and executive produced by Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker.
Godfather of Harlem
Loosely based on infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy attempts to regain his piece of Harlem.
The MGM+ service will provide an expansive library of film titles from MGM and other major Hollywood Studios. The library of titles includes blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick;” MGM hits “No Time to Die” and “House of Gucci;” and beloved franchises like James Bond and Rocky. The service also offers fan favorites like “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Platoon,” “Robocop,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “The Lost City,” “Barbershop,” “The Pink Panther,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” “A Quiet Place,” and “Father of the Bride.”
MGM+ also announced a new slate of shows currently being developed specifically for the new service. Subscribers should get excited, because the following new shows will be headed to MGM+ in the near future.
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“The Emperor of Ocean Park” (scripted): From John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television, The Emperor of Ocean Park is a thrilling, suspenseful take on Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel. Set in the worlds of D.C. politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland’s quiet life as an Ivy League law professor whose world is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and constant conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a former failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play.
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“Hoodlum” (scripted): Based on the 1997 MGM film written by Chris Brancato, this drama series set in the 1930s follows the true story of Harlem numbers queen Stephanie St. Clair’s rise to prominence and mentorship of Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson.
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“Earth Abides” (scripted): When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into barbarism … or extinction. Based on the novel by George R. Stewart.
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“American Classic” (scripted): American Classic is a half-hour comedy about a man desperately trying to save himself, his family, and his hometown in the only way he knows how—by putting on a show. Broadway star and notorious narcissist Richard Bean (Kevin Kline) suffers a spectacular public meltdown, and decides to return home to the family-run theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance.
When he arrives, he’s shocked to find that his brother (Jon Tenney), and his brother’s wife (who also happens to be his former lover), have turned his temple of art into a dinner theater—with the emphasis on dinner. To make matters worse, his hometown of Millersberg is teetering on the edge of economic disaster. Inspired, Richard vows to put on a show so great that it will save the theatre, the town, and, most importantly, his career. But with the family and town in chaos, the constant threat of financial ruin, and Richard’s enormous ego, will they even make it to opening night?
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“Ark” (scripted): It’s 2030, the oceans have risen rapidly, and soon, the entire planet will be submerged. But the discovery of another life-sustaining planet light-years away gives hope to those who remain alive. Only a few will be able to make the generations-long journey, and those who don’t make the cut face a watery death.
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“Hollywood Black” (docuseries): Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen, and in the credits. It is a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood and a powerful reexamination of a quintessentially American story—in brilliant color. Culture Machine’s Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) and Kyle Laursen, Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi (Godfather of Harlem), and RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, and Jon Kamen (Summer of Soul) will all serve as executive producers.
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“Hot Stuff” (docuseries): Mention the word “disco” to most people and it brings back memories of a plastic music fad, the movie Saturday Night Fever, and the infamous NYC club Studio 54. Yet there is so much more to the story. Hot Stuff is a four-part docuseries that dives into what was nothing less than a liberation movement. From its birth in underground gay clubs, where DJs broke new music on their twin turntables, disco, with its infectious 4/4 beat and powerful basslines, exploded on the scene. From rampant hedonism to rule-breaking fashion, to a bevy of divas with luscious vocals, disco marked a transformation in the look and sound of a society ready for change. Was disco the forgettable fast-food of pop music, or was it a cultural revolution that still resonates today?
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“The Devil Within” (docuseries): This four-part, true-crime docuseries is based on the hit Cavalry Audio podcast The Devil Within, which follows the mysterious murder of Betty Ann Sullivan during the height of the Satanic Panic. Filled with twists, turns, and iconic legends, the series fuses true crime with horror. Simply put, what started as a dark, small-town murder investigation quickly spiraled into a paranormal mystery.
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“Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood” (docuseries): When best-selling crime novelist Michael Connelly discovered that Scott Thorson, best known as Liberace’s lover and author of the tell-all “Behind the Candelabra,” held the keys to the infamous Wonderland Murders, he only had one problem: Thorson’s stories sounded too unbelievable to be true. As the stories got weirder and wilder, and Thorson’s own “nine lives” stretched beyond the Wonderland Murders themselves, Connelly struggled with how far to follow this unreliable narrator.
MGM+
MGM+ is a video streaming service that features original TV shows like the Emmy-winner “Godfather of Harlem,” the romantic adventure “Billy the Kid,” the contemporary sci-fi horror thriller “FROM,” and dramas “Rogue Heroes” and “Belgravia.” The service also has a library of Hollywood movies. This same service was previously called EPIX NOW.