Netflix Renews True Crime Documentary Series as Hollywood Strikes Continue

The series is set to begin filming its second season later this year, as renewed talks in the writers strike are to begin next week.

By Ashley Turner

Netflix has renewed Missing: Dead or Alive?, a show featuring the search efforts conducted by South Carolina Sheriff's Department officers for those who have vanished under suspicious circumstances, reports Deadline. The true crime series has jumped to the top of the streaming service's Global Top 10 lists in nearly 20 countries, spending two weeks as the top show in both the UK and U.S. The second season is headed towards production in South Carolina later this year, producing another four episodes.

Although Missing was filmed in the U.S., it is just one of many Netflix shows that have developed out of Netflix's UK headquarters. A documentary about Albert Einstein's connection to Hitler and the bomb was unveiled by the streamer at the Edinburgh TV Festival, as well as a World War 2 documentary series narrated by John Boyega from Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story indie 72 Films, according to Deadline.

The documentary series' renewal comes amidst the ongoing Hollywood writers strike, which is set to see renewed contract talks next week. In a press release released on Thursday, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group that represents studios, streaming services, and production companies in labor negotiations, announced that talks with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) would once again resume.

This decision follows a series of failed negotiation attempts that began on May 1. In addition to putting heavy financial and logistical strain on studios, it also affects the wider workforce, which includes thousands of additional employees, and is the first significant labor action in 15 years within the Hollywood industry. The WGA, whose members include more than 11,000 writers working in television and film, is advocating for higher pay, residuals, and greater control over how their creative work is used. The industry has been severely affected by the strike. Production on a number of television shows and movies has been delayed or canceled since the strike started, resulting in severe economic losses worth millions of dollars. 

With negotiations set to resume, anticipation and caution prevail, but many factors must also be taken into account. With the strike still ongoing, there are many important considerations for both sides. AMPTP released a statement Thursday that sent an optimistic message: "Every member company of the AMPTP is committed and eager to reach a fair deal, and to working together with the WGA to end the strike." Despite this, the discrepancy between the writers' demands and what the AMPTP appears willing to offer remains a substantial barrier.

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