SHOWTIME^® SPORTS DOCUMENTARY FILMS PRESENTS BOYS IN BLUE

DIRECTED AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY

EMMY^® AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER PETER BERG

Docuseries Follows High School Football Team Coached by Police Officers in North Minneapolis

in the Aftermath of the Police Killing of George Floyd

Four-Part Series Premieres on Friday, January 6 at 8 PM ET/PT

Courtesy of SHOWTIME

NEW YORK – November 17, 2022 - SHOWTIME Sports Documentary Films announced BOYS IN BLUE, a searing four-part docuseries from Emmy-winning filmmaker Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor) that spotlights North Community High School and its football team in North Minneapolis during the 2021 season as the players come of age in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. The series will premiere on Friday, January 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and episodes will air each Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. All four episodes will also release on demand and on streaming platforms for SHOWTIME subscribers on January 6. 

To watch and share the trailer, visit: https://youtu.be/wyJygZIofc8.

BOYS IN BLUE focuses on North High School’s Polars football team, where mostly Black student-athletes are coached and mentored by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. The series follows the team as they navigate life after the tragic police killing of Floyd, a milestone event in American history that set off a national movement for social justice and police reform. Despite their differences, the officers and students find common ground on the field and kinship in the drive to win a state championship, establishing what they believe is a safe harbor from the violence and civil unrest of their community. As players and coaches return to the field with visions of championship glory, their sense of normalcy and optimism are tested like never before.

"Having lived in Minneapolis/St. Paul, I could not reconcile the city I loved so much with the horrific murder of George Floyd, and I felt compelled to find a way to personally respond,” said Berg. “Spending a year with the North High Football team has provided me access into the soul of a beautiful American community that was deeply suffering. We have captured the wins and the losses, on the field and off. We have been trusted by so many teachers, coaches, parents and students, all living in the immediate wake of the George Floyd murder, and the complexities of trying to survive and find joy in very challenging times. I have so much love and respect for the Minneapolis North community and it is my hope that through BOYS IN BLUE we may get fresh understandings of these issues and find paths to empathy and hope."

An acclaimed director, producer, writer, and actor, Berg is also the founder of the scripted entertainment production company, Film 44, and co-founder of unscripted entertainment production company, Film 45, and commercial production company, Film 47. His directing credits include Very Bad Things, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Hancock, Battleship, the WGA-nominated Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, Mile 22 and Spenser Confidential. For television, he is widely known for creating and executive producing the television series adaptation of Friday Night Lights, The Leftovers and Ballers, all of which showcase Berg’s signature style of multi-dimensional characters, captivating settings and layered plotlines.

The series is directed by Berg, who also executive produced via Film 45 with partners Matthew Goldberg and Brandon Carroll, alongside Rob Ford. The series is produced by Mandon Lovett and co-executive produced by Emily Webster Jackson, Giselle Rodriguez, Ryan Schiavo and Andre Gary.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount, owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME^®, which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL^™ and FLIX^®, as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV^®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com. 

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