Melissa Etheridge Docuseries ‘I’m Not Broken’ Set for Paramount+, Focusing on Singer’s Bonds With Female Prisoners and Addiction Issues (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken,” a docuseries focusing on bonds the singer forms with incarcerated women over addiction issues that have affected their lives, will hit Paramount+ later this year, the network announced Thursday.

The two-part series will follow Etheridge as she writes a new song inspired by her communication with five women locked up at a prison in her Kansas hometown, the Topeka Correctional Facility.

The anthem she writes for them is inspired by letters coming from the prisoners discussing their issues with substance abuse, among the other things that brought them there — a topic that Etheridge is fully engaged on, having lost her son to opioids in a headline-making tragedy four years ago. “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,” Etheridge said in a statement. “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.” Paramount+’s description says the the doc will deal with “female incarceration, redemption, substance abuse, generational trauma, grief and healing,” further noting that the Grammy-winning singer forges a bond with the five prisoners through music “as an act of empathy, understanding and hope.” Brian Morrow and Amy Scott are directing “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken,” with Jonathan Lynch of Shark Pig Studios serving as producer.

Among the executive producers include Kathy Rivkin Daum and William Kennedy for BMG Films, Deb Klein for Primary Wave Music, and Bruce Gillmer and Michael Maniaci for MTV.