The Way Down
GenreDocumentary
Directed byMarina Zenovich
Music byIsobel Waller-Bridge
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
  • Marina Zenovich
  • P.G. Morgan
  • Nile Cappello
  • Ross Dinerstein
  • Luke Dillon
  • Chrissy Teigen
Producers
  • Ann Finnegan
  • Gina Scarlata
CinematographyNick Higgins
Editors
  • Erin Perri
  • Natalie De Diego
Running time40-55 minutes
Production companies
  • Campfire
  • Huntley Productions
  • PMZ Pictures
Original release
NetworkHBO Max
ReleaseSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30) –
April 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)

The Way Down is a 2021 American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Marina Zenovich. It follows Gwen Shamblin Lara, the founder of a diet program Weigh Down Workshop, and Remnant Fellowship, a new Christian group led by Shamblin Lara and located in Brentwood, Tennessee. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered with the first three on HBO Max on September 30, 2021, with the last two premiering on April 28, 2022.[1][2]

Plot

The series follows Gwen Shamblin Lara, the founder of a diet program Weigh Down Workshop, and The Remnant Fellowship, a church founded by Shamblin Lara.[3]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"The Kingdom"Marina ZenovichSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)
2"A Family Affair"Marina ZenovichSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)
3"Seen But Not Heard"Marina ZenovichSeptember 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)
4"Revelations"Marina ZenovichApril 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)
5"The Way Forward"Marina ZenovichApril 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)

Production

Nile Cappello began researching Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship, spending months getting to know former members.[4] Cappello brought the project to Campfire, who agreed to produce the series, and asked Marina Zenovich to direct.[5]

The producers had reached out to Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship for an interview, but all declined.[6] However, the church posted a response to the miniseries on the RemnantFellowship.org website.[7] During the final stages of post-production on the series, Gwen Shamblin Lara died in a plane crash. Afterward, people who had been unwilling to speak about their experiences with Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship reached out to Zenovich.[8]

References

  1. ^ "The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin Debuts September 30 (Official Trailer + Key Art)". WarnerMedia. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  2. ^ White, Peter (March 12, 2022). "'The Way Down': HBO Max Explores More God, Greed & Cult In Second Part Of Gwen Shamblin Docuseries – SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Bjornson, Greta (September 23, 2021). "New Trailer for HBO Max Docuseries The Way Down Explores 'Cult' of Late Diet Guru Gwen Shamblin". People. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Horton, Adrian (September 29, 2021). "'This is a cult': inside the shocking story of a religious weight-loss group". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Adams, Liam (September 30, 2021). "Director of new HBO docuseries on weight loss church wants to help people 'get out'". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Williams, Phil (September 28, 2021). "HBO Max series examines Brentwood's Gwen Shamblin, Remnant Fellowship". WTVF. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Truth About The Way Down HBO Documentary". remnantfellowship.org. 30 September 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Sperling, Nicole (July 14, 2021). "Plane Crash Complicates HBO Max Documentary on Diet-Inspired Church". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2021.

External links

Max original programming
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