''Vice'' (stylised as ''VICE'') is a documentary TV series created and hosted by Shane Smith of ''Vice'' magazine. Produced by Bill Maher, it uses

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

journalist Fareed Zakaria as a consultant, and covers topics using an immersionist style of documentary filmmaking. It premiered on April 5, 2013, on HBO. The show's second season aired in 2014 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series or Special. On May 7, 2014, HBO renewed the series for two more seasons. The 14-episode third season began March 6, 2015, one week after the hour-long "Killing Cancer" aired on February 27. ''Vice'' sixth season aired on April 6, 2018. On March 25, 2015, HBO announced ''Vices renewal through Season 7. The show's cancellation was announced on February 1, 2019, making the sixth season its last season on HBO. However, on September 24, the series was picked up by Showtime and resumed on March 29, 2020. On July 30, 2020, the series was renewed for an eighth season that premiered on March 7, 2021. On February 7, 2022, the series was renewed for a ninth and tenth season.

Synopsis

The show followed ''Vice'' journalists and founders Shane Smith and

Suroosh Alvi Suroosh Alvi (; born ) is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker. He is the co-founder of Vice Media, a digital media and broadcasting brand that operates in more than 50 countries. Alvi is a travelled journalist and an executive producer of film, ...

, and segment hosts Ryan Duffy and Thomas Morton as they went to different parts of the world, interviewing people on political and cultural topics. Subjects included

political assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

s, young weapons manufacturers, child suicide bombers, Indian and Pakistani border politics, the Chinese

one-child policy The term one-child policy () refers to a population planning initiative in China implemented between 1980 and 2015 to curb the country's population growth by restricting many families to a single child. That initiative was part of a much br ...

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, and bonded laborers in Pakistan's brick kilns, featuring the work of human and labor rights activist Syeda Ghulam Fatima.

Correspondents, crew

* Shane Smith – vice co-founder & CEO, executive producer *

– vice co-founder, correspondent, executive producer * Thomas Morton – correspondent * Ben Anderson – correspondent and senior producer *

Vikram Gandhi Vikram Gandhi is an Indian American documentary filmmaker, producer, actor, and journalist. His works included ''Kumaré'' (2011), ''Barry'' (2016), '' Trigger Warning with Killer Mike'' (2019), '' 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez'' (2020)''.'' ...

– correspondent and producer *

Isobel Yeung Isobel Yeung (born ) is a British long-form documentary senior correspondent. She has covered a variety of stories concerning major global issues such as ongoing world conflicts, terrorism, mass detention, and genocide. She has also reported ...

– correspondent and producer * Gianna Toboni – correspondent and producer * Luke Wulf – correspondent and producer * Hamilton Morris – correspondent and producer * Ahmed Shihab-Eldin – correspondent * Bill Maher – executive producer * Eddy Moretti – executive producer * Fareed Zakaria – consulting producer, executive producer * BJ Levin – co-executive producer * Alec MacRae – VP, Production * Eric Weinrib – producer * Kaj Larsen – correspondent * Taylor Wilson – correspondent * Aris Roussinos – correspondent *

Simon Ostrovsky Simon Ostrovsky (russian: Симо́н Остро́вский; born ) is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist. Best-known for his coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian War for ''VICE News'', he reported extensively on events that unfolde ...

– correspondent (2011–2014)

Production

The show was executive-produced by Bill Maher, Shane Smith, and Eddy Moretti, and used

journalist Fareed Zakaria as a consultant.

Release and reception

The first episode aired on HBO on April 5, 2013, and was available for free via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. The series is the first televised program for ''VICE'', featuring ''Vice'' staff as correspondents. Politics, culture, and drugs are the main focuses of the Vice series. The show has received both positive and negative reviews because of its unique, provocative presentation and style. Some compare it to a gonzo type of journalism. Maureen Ryan of ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' wrote a negative review of the show, due to its presentation. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine has written that: "It feels a little like your buddy from the bar just happened to be wandering through eastern Afghanistan with a camera crew." In June 2013, the show was covered extensively in mainstream media for documenting a basketball game with

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n dictator Kim Jong-un. Vice correspondents have filmed from the inside of crack-cooking kitchens in Atlanta to Haitian secret societies in talk of zombie powder. Following controversial topics is what makes Vice different from other news channels.

Viceland

A by-product for millennials called

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...

premiered on February 26, 2016. Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze was added to the Vice team as the network co-president for the production of Viceland. The series gives in-sights on weediquette, Action Bronson's food series, and the evangelic tent-revival scene in the South, and many more.

''Vice News Tonight''

A nightly spin-off called '' Vice News Tonight'' premiered on HBO on October 10, 2016. The program was relaunched in 2020 on the

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

cable network.

Series overview

References

External links

* * {{EmmyAward Informational Series or Special 2013 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2020 American television series debuts 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series HBO original programming HBO documentary films Showtime (TV network) original programming American television series revived after cancellation Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Vice Media Bill Maher