Paramount+ announced a new two-part docuseries Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken, centered around the Grammy-award winning rockstar and activist penning an original song inspired by letters sent from incarcerated women in her Kansas hometown.
Directed by Brian Morrow and Amy Scott, the docuseries will premiere on the service later this year.
Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken tells an inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music when five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Kansas, write letters to Etheridge that she uses as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them. Having recently lost her son to opioids, Etheridge works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction while connecting with these women who, so often, are forgotten by society.
Additionally, the docuseries explores themes of female incarceration, redemption, substance abuse, generational trauma, grief and healing. With female incarceration rates up 700 percent since 1980, Etheridge bonds with the women through the conduit of music as an act of empathy, understanding and hope.
“I’m excited for audiences to join me on this powerful journey and hear these remarkable stories filled with pain and struggle but also hope and healing,” said Etheridge. “I hope that this docuseries shows viewers the challenges that women face in our prison system while also serving as a resource to those who currently are struggling.
Additionally, Etheridge will serve as a presenter at the 2024 “CMT Music Awards” on Sunday, April 7th (8:00-11:00 PM ET/PT), which airs live from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center on the CBS Television Network. The show will also stream live on Paramount+ for subscribers with the The Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® plan, and will be available the following day on-demand on Paramount+.
Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken is produced by Jonathan Lynch for Shark Pig Studios. Executive producers include Kathy Rivkin Daum and William Kennedy for BMG Films, Deb Klein for Primary Wave Music, Bruce Gillmer and Michael Maniaci for MTV Entertainment Studios and Melissa Etheridge.