CBS has trimmed its planned “The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey” miniseries to four hours, TheWrap has learned.
The special was originally planned to air in three two-hour installments over three nights. It will now air only two episodes, with the first set to air on Sunday, Sept. 18 against the 68th Emmy Awards on ABC. The final episode will air the following day.
The final installment was scheduled to air on Sept. 25. In its place, CBS will extend the season premiere of “NCIS: Los Angeles” by airing two new episodes back to back.
The network greenlit new investigative series “The Case Of” back in April, with Ramsey being the first true crime story on deck. Subsequently, Ramsey-related projects at Investigation Discovery, Lifetime and A&E were also announced.
Ramsey, a child beauty pageant contestant, was found murdered in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado, home in 1996. The case remains unsolved to this day.
True crime stories have become incredibly popular in recent years. Cuba Gooding Jr. earned rave reviews as the title figure in the FX limited series “People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” which dramatized the Heisman winner’s trial for murder. And the 10-part Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer” has remained in the public consciousness since its debut last year.
In addition, NBC is currently working on its own scripted true crime series with super-producer Dick Wolf. The first installment of “Law & Order: True Crime” will dramatize the trial of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez for the 1989 murder of their parents. CBS is also developing a limited series on the Patty Hearst kidnapping.