On the heels of its groundbreaking deal that made a new home for the critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights, DIRECTV makes television history once again with the bold return of the highly controversial television series Wonderland, the gritty drama that delves into the lives of the doctors of Rivervue, a fictional New York psychiatric hospital.
All eight episodes of the series, including six never-before-seen on television, will air Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning Jan. 14, 2009, only on DIRECTV's The 101(R) Network and DIRECTV on DEMAND.
Revered as a show that was ahead of its time, Wonderland first aired on ABC in the spring of 2000 and was met with both critical praise and controversy. Because of its dark tone and intense nature, it was quickly taken off the air. Now, fans will be able to see the entire series from start to finish with new opening commentary, circa 2009, by Peter Berg (Hancock, Friday Night Lights), the series' creator and executive producer.
"This show was deemed so intense for network television that it was removed from ABC's lineup after just two episodes, so viewers who enjoy quality television were frustrated - now they will get to see what they missed," said Eric Shanks, executive vice president of Entertainment at DIRECTV. "We are proud to add such a provocative and original show to our Network lineup and, as we've seen with Friday Night Lights, Peter Berg is an exceptional story teller who knows how to present compelling drama."
"I'm pleased that Wonderland has been given another chance so that viewers can see these characters' stories evolve," said Berg. "There was so much debate about the portrayal of the mentally ill patients that fans missed the opportunity to see what the show is really about - the complicated lives of the doctors charged with caring for their patients while balancing aspects of their personal life, such as divorce, impending fatherhood and everyday married life."
