The Way Down (TV series)
2021 American documentary television miniseries
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The Way Down is an 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] (Trailer Part 1[3]) (Trailer Part 2[4])
| The Way Down | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | Marina Zenovich |
| Music by | Isobel Waller-Bridge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Nick Higgins |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 40-55 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Max |
| Release | September 30, 2021 – April 28, 2022 |
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.[5]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Kingdom" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 2 | "A Family Affair" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 3 | "Seen But Not Heard" | Marina Zenovich | September 30, 2021 |
| 4 | "Revelations" | Marina Zenovich | April 28, 2022 |
| 5 | "The Way Forward" | Marina Zenovich | April 28, 2022 |
Production
Nile Cappello began researching Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship, spending months getting to know former members.[6] Cappello brought the project to Campfire, who agreed to produce the series, and asked Marina Zenovich to direct.[7]
The producers had reached out to Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship for an interview, but all declined.[8] However, the church posted a response to the miniseries on the RemnantFellowship.org website.[9] 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.[10]