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]
The Way Down | |
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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 |
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Original release | |
Network | HBO Max |
Release | September 30, 2021 April 28, 2022 | –
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.[3]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
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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 |
Nile Cappello began researching Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship, spending months getting to know former members.[4] Cappello brought the project to Campfire, who agreed to produce the series, and asked Marina Zenovich to direct.[5]
The producers had reached out to Gwen Shamblin Lara and The Remnant Fellowship for an interview, but all declined.[6] However, the church posted a response to the miniseries on the RemnantFellowship.org website.[7] 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.[8]