Lisa Ling's American Stories
Our America With Lisa Ling
Since debuting last month, Our America With Lisa Ling has been dedicated to insightful profiles — telling the stories of faith healers, transgender people and even sex offenders. But perhaps the biggest story now is about the docuseries itself: The show recently became the first on Oprah Winfrey's fledgling network to be renewed for a Season 2. "I'm thrilled," says Ling. "Opportunities to do substantive TV come around only a few times in a lifetime, if ever."
This week, the focus is on the specter of heroin addiction, by shadowing an entire Ohio family hooked on the drug — kids and all. "What's incredible is that even though they've been addicted for so many years, they've somehow managed to maintain a loving relationship," Ling says. But the story doesn't have a happy ending. Just days before Ling spoke with TV Guide Magazine, the family matriarch died from an overdose. "The challenge became too difficult and she essentially took her life," says Ling.
It's such real-life tales, gritty though they may be, that define Our America. "The objective of the series is to take ownership of what it means to be American. And sometimes that means taking ownership of stories that are uncomfortable," says Ling. Still, "It's made me prouder than ever to be an American."
Our America With Lisa Ling airs Tuesday at 10/9c on OWN.
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