ROOTS Event Series Kicks Off HISTORY's Summer Original Programming Lineup

Kicking off with the premiere of the highly anticipated event series "ROOTS," HISTORY is unveiling the most robust summer of original programming in the 21 year history of the network. From the new original scripted series "SIX," to the eight-part docu-drama "Barbarians Rising," to the groundbreaking documentary "DB Cooper," along with new and returning non-fiction series, HISTORY is poised to make history this summer.

"HISTORY's robust summer slate helps build upon the network's position as the leader in factual programming, by widening the net of history to include our recent past," said Jana Bennett, President and General Manager of HISTORY. "This lineup exemplifies the best of historical storytelling about centuries past as well as explosive events of the past few decades."

HISTORY EVENTS:

ROOTS - 4x120min - Premieres Monday, May 30 at 9pm

"ROOTS" is a historical journey of one family and their will to survive, endure and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Spanning multiple generations, the lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte, who is captured in his homeland of The Gambia and transported in brutal conditions to colonial America, where he's sold into slavery. Throughout the series, THE FAMILY continues to face adversity while bearing witness and contributing to notable events in U.S. history, including the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings and eventual emancipation. The story of Kunta Kinte and the women and men who came after him echoes through the history of millions of Americans of African descent, and reveals powerful truths about the universal resilience of the human spirit. "ROOTS" stars Laurence Fishburne, Tip "T.I." Harris, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rege-Jean Page, Anna Paquin, Anika Noni Rose, Forest Whitaker and introduces Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte.

"ROOTS" is an A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original "ROOTS." Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal serve as executive producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are co-executive producers.

BARBARIANS RISING - 4x120min - Premieres Monday, June 6 at 9pm

"Barbarians Rising" tells the story of the rise and fall of the Roman EMPIRE from the perspective of the barbarian leaders who brought it down; a high-impact, visceral journey into the heart of their rebellions against absolute power. The Roman EMPIRE called them "barbarians" - tribes the Romans viewed as beyond the FRINGE of civilization, who lived a brutish and violent existence. But they were also some of the fiercest warriors in history - men and women who rose up to resist so that they might live free, or die. The eight-part/ four-week docu-drama reveals the true story of the 700-year battle to bring down one of the strongest empires the world has ever known, an epic fight for freedom that shaped the world to come. Featuring fully dramatized portrayals of barbarian icons including Hannibal, Spartacus, Arminius, Boudica and Attila, and an eclectic group of experts and contributors to reveal the true history behind the legends.

"Barbarians Rising" is produced for HISTORY by October Films. Adam Bullmore is executive producer, Simon George (HISTORY's "World War II From Space") is executive director, and Michael Waterhouse (HISTORY's "The Bible") is series producer for October Films. Executive producers for HISTORY are Kristen Burns and Russ McCarroll.

SIX - 8x60min - Series Premiere Monday, July 18 at 10pm

Written by William Broyles (Castaway, Apollo 13, Jarhead) and David Broyles, a military special operations veteran, the eight episode first season of "SIX" follows Navy SEAL Team Six, the best of the best, whose 2014 mission to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan goes awry when they uncover a U.S. citizen working as a jihadist fighter with the terrorists. "SIX" stars Barry Sloane ("Revenge"), Kyle Schmid ("Copper") Juan Pablo Raba ("Narcos"), Edwin Hodge ("Chicago Fire"), Brianne Davis ("Jarhead"), Nadine Velazquez (Ride Along 2), DomiNic Adams ("Devious Maids") and Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight; "Justified").

"SIX" is executive produced by William Broyles, David Broyles, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Alfredo Barrios, Jr. (Burn Notice) and George W. Perkins (Live from Baghdad). Bruce C. McKenna (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) will serve as Executive Consultant, and join Barrios, William and David Broyles, and Karen Campbell (Dexter) in writing the episodes. Retired U.S. Navy SEAL Mitchell Hall (Zero Dark Thirty, Lone Survivor) will serve as the series' technical advisor.

NEW SPECIALS:

ALEXANDER HAMILTON (WT) - 1x120min - Premieres Sunday, June 26 at 9pm

This two-hour documentary captures the amazing life and times of our nation's forgotten founding father: Alexander Hamilton. Exploring the iconic American political and financial institutions he helped to create, from the US Mint and Wall Street to the two-party political system, we'll examine Hamilton's enormous influence that still resonates today. Ron Chernow, whose biography Alexander Hamilton served as the basis for the hit Broadway play, along with other notable names including Tom Brokaw and Maria Bartiromo, contribute to an all-encompassing look at one of our nation's most accomplished leaders.

"Alexander Hamilton" is executive produced by Randall Counsman. Executive producers for Peacock Productions are ShaRon Scott, Knute Walker, Colleen Halpin, and Melody Shafir. Executive producer for HISTORY is Stephen Mintz.

DB COOPER - 4x60min - Premieres Sunday, July 10 at 9pm

On November 24th, 1971 a man dressed in a suit and tie hijacked a Northwest Orient flight bound for Seattle, Washington. He said he had a bomb and demanded 200-thousand dollars in cash and four parachutes. Once he got his ransom, the man jumped into the night, never to be seen again. In the more than 45 years since the epic heist, the FBI has looked at over a thousand potential suspects, but the questions remain: Who is DB Cooper? Did he die? Did he live? And is he still out there? Now, in this four hour documentary series, viewers will go on the trail gaining an unprecedented perspective from the FBI, including exclusive access to the evidence, while a former FBI agent and a crime journalist dive deep into the case revealing new information through exclusive interviews with nearly 20 experts and insiders, including the only people ever to come face to face with the hijacker. Plus, a citizen sleuth and his team of forty investigators reveal the findings of their five year investigation arriving at an explosive conclusion.

"DB Cooper" is produced by LMNO for HISTORY.

THE RISE AND FALL OF EL CHAPO - 1x120min - Premieres Monday, August 8 at 8pm

Killer, drug smuggler, folk hero, HOUDINI of jailhouse escapes - Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman continues to make headline news.

But now "The Rise and Fall of El Chapo" takes an in depth look at the man behind the myth and how his international drug cartel impacts us right here at home. In this two-hour documentary, we'll learn how a poor Mexican orange-seller with a third-grade education rose to lord over a multi-national drug cartel with billion dollar profits. HISTORY traces his rise to become "Public Enemy Number One" for the U.S. agents on a mission to bring him down and stanch the flow of illegal narcotics into the heart of America. This special documentary features rarely seen footage of the prison escape that stunned the world... as well as the cat and mouse chase that followed. Through on-the-ground access to the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, viewers get a first-hand look at the intricate drug smuggling tunnels that have become El Chapo's trademark. We'll hear from a host of voices connected to the kingpin including his beauty queen wife, Emma Coronel, former undercover DEA Agent Mike Vigil, former senior official and legal advisor to both the Dept. of Justice and Homeland Security, Peter Vincent and investigative reporter, Anabel Hernandez.

"The Rise and Fall of El Chapo" is produced by Peacock Productions for HISTORY.

NEW & RETURNING NON-FICTION SERIES:

OZZY AND JACK'S WORLD DETOUR - 10x60min - Series Premiere Wednesday, July 27 at 10pm

"Ozzy & Jack's World Detour" stars heavy metal legend, Ozzy Osbourne and his son, Jack. In this new 10-episode hour-long non-scripted series, the self-proclaimed history nerds hit the road in a father-son journey they've waited years to take. There will be no roadies, no tour buses and no boundaries. Just a bucket list of iconic and historically significant spots that includes Mt. Rushmore, Stonehenge, The Alamo, Roswell, The Jamestown Settlement and Sun Studios and a hit list of some fascinating sights and people that they've read about. From a Cold War era Missile Silo to Bletchley Park; from gold miner Rattlesnake Randy's stream of dreams to vintage tank collector Allan Cors' private museum of working war machines, Ozzy and Jack get their eyes and hands on history.

The series is produced for HISTORY by T-Group Productions with Osbourne Media. Jenny Daly, Jack Osbourne, R. Greg Johnston, Peter Glowski and Rob Lobl serve as executive producers. Matt Ginsburg is the executive producer for HISTORY.

COUNTING CARS - 14x30min - New Episodes Premiere Tuesday, July 5 at 9pm

On the HISTORY series Counting Cars, Danny and his team restore, customize and sell cars in a hurry, scrambling to keep their Las Vegas shop in the black. From vintage Thunderbirds to classic Corvettes, toy cars to souped-up sidecar motorcycles, Danny and the crew of Count's Kustoms will stop at nothing to find and flip the greatest rides of all time. The upcoming season will see the crew take on some of their baddest rides yet including a custom supercar for Guns N Roses guitarist DJ Ashba, and surprising flip for rock legend Dee Snyder. Plus we'll get a look inside the epic car collection of Mr Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton.

"Counting Cars" is produced for HISTORY by Leftfield Pictures. Executive producers for Leftfield are David George, Brent Montgomery, Shawn Witt, Simon Thomas, and Danny Koker. Ed de Rivaz serves as executive producer for HISTORY.

BIG EASY MOTORS - 14x30min - Series Premiere Tuesday, July 5 at 10pm

There's undiscovered treasure in the bayous of Louisiana and Charles Handler knows how to find it. From a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible to a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT, Handler and his team find long-forgotten piles of junk into dazzling custom cars. He searches all over Louisiana for one-of-a-kind classics, invests his own money to fix them up, and then sells them at auction. These treasures can sell for big money so there's a huge profit to be made, if everything goes according to plan. Each episode, based in New Orleans, will feature amazing vehicle restorations and high STAKES auctions where everything's on the line.

"Big Easy Motors" is produced by Glass Entertainment Group for History. Executive producers for Glass Entertainment Group are Jairus Cobb, Nancy Glass, Shannon Biggs, Eric Neuhaus, and Edward Trent Robinson. Zachary G. Behr and Russ McCarroll serve as executive producers for HISTORY.

FORGED IN FIRE - 8x60min - Season 2 Premieres Tuesday, August 23 at 9pm

"Forged in Fire" returns for season three with an increased episode order from 10 one-hour episodes to 16. The hit competition series features world-class bladesmiths creating many of history's most iconic edged weapons, from the War Hammer to the Egyptian Kopesh. In each episode, four master bladesmiths will put their skills and reputations on the line, trying to avoid elimination while using traditional and state-of-the-art tools and machinery to turn raw metal into authentic, fully functional classic bladed weapons of yesteryear. In the hands of these gifted craftsmen, every weapon is not just a lethal instrument of war, but also an elegant work of art. The colorful histories of these weapons will be told throughout the forging process, and then the weapons will be assessed and tested by a panel of internationally recognized judges. Season three will kick off with a championship edition, bringing back former contestants to settle once and for all who is the best of the best in the forge in a lightning round of epic proportions.

"Forged in Fire" is produced for HISTORY by Outpost Entertainment, a LeftfieLD Entertainment company. Tim Healy and Jim Pasquarella are executive producers for HISTORY. Jodi Flynn, David George, Shawn Witt and Simon Thomas are executive producers for Outpost Entertainment.

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