CNN has announced a new Original Series with Kevin Spacey. While his fictional character on House of Cards (spoiler alert!) serves as President of the United States, Spacey will narrate six episodes following different candidates and campaigns for the Presidency. Based off the press release, it appears that CNN is using past campaigns for the White House, not following 2016 campaigns as some have reported. CNN did not announce what campaigns will be shown in the episodes. However, CNN said that the series will use “archive footage, interviews with key players and dramatic recreations,” which would imply more modern and contemporary campaigns. The series has a tentative tire of Race for the White House and is scheduled to air in 2016, in time for CNN’s presidential coverage.
CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker has tried to boost CNN’s ratings with taped programming in the vein of documentaries. The series have largely been ratings successes, sometimes taking first in both the 25-54 demo and total viewers. Zucker said in a statement, “When we created the CNN Original Series brand, this is exactly the type of programming we had in mind and Race for the White House will be the perfect complement to our coverage of the 2016 campaigns and election.”
Academy Award®winning actor and producer Kevin Spacey will bring a thrilling, six-part mini docu-series to CNN as part of the network’s slate of Original Series in 2016. Currently titled Race for the White House, the original series will be executive produced by Spacey and Dana Brunetti, and co-produced by Raw and Trigger Street Productions.
The series will be history telling at its most compelling. Using previously unseen archive footage, interviews with key players and dramatic recreations, each episode narrated by Spacey will tell the story of one campaign for the Presidency of the United States.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti bring their world-class talent to CNN,” said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide. “When we created the CNN Original Series brand, this is exactly the type of programming we had in mind and Race for the White House will be the perfect complement to our coverage of the 2016 campaigns and election.”
Each hour will tell the story of a four-year, no-holds-barred battle to become the most powerful person in the world, culminating in a single night of heart pounding tension. From powerful campaign speeches to the dirty tricks and Machiavellian schemes, Race for the White House will capture the drama of how a high-stakes presidential election can turn on a single issue and so much more.