CBS‘ summer schedule just got a little more serious. On Monday, the network announced the debut of two true-crime documentary series, Whistleblower and Pink Collar Crimes, which both start this month.
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Whistleblower kicks off on Friday, July 13 at 8 p.m. ET. Each episode centers on a true David vs. Goliath story about everyday heroes who expose illegal wrongdoings by major corporations trying to rip-off the Average Joe. These people put their careers on the line to help others fight against corporate greed. Topics include cases involving Kool Smiles and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Alex Ferrer, an attorney and former judge and police officer, hosts the series. 48 Hours veteran Susan Zirinsky is an executive producer on the series, alongside Ferrer and Ted Eccles.
Pink Collar Crimes focuses on real crimes involving women you would least expect to be criminals, from mothers to country club chairwomen. They all took risks to endanger their lives for the sake of getting rich quick. Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, hosts the series. It premieres on Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. ET.
The first episode of Pink Collar Crimes centers on the case of a soccer mom who robbed banks right after she dropped her kids off from school.
Both shows are CBS Television Studios production.
The term “Pink Collar Crime” gained attention during the 1990s, when Dr. Kathleen Daly used the phrase to describe embezzlement crimes carried out by people with limited opportunities, according to PinkCollarCrime.com. It can be used to label crimes involving men, but they are usually carried out by women. FBI statistics show that the number of embezzlement crimes carried out by men has only climbed by 4 percent since 1990, but Pink Collar Crimes have jumped 40 percent in the same time period.
The true crime shows are not the only new programs occupying CBS’ summer schedule. The eye network is still airing new episodes of Elementary, the Sherlock Holmes series starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, and Salvation on Mondays. New Big Brother episodes air on Wednesdays, Sundays and Thursdays. New episodes of TKO: Total Knock Out air on Wednesdays.
CBS has had success with original crime shows, notably with the long-running 48 Hours.
In 2016, the network made waves with The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsay, which centered on the mysterious death of the 6-year-old girl 20 years later. When that show was ordered, CBS planned to use it to launch an anthology series focusing on different cases every season, but a second year never materialized.
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