You may have heard of the film Sing Sing, the riveting new A24 drama that has won acclaim for its portrayal of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical stage shows at New York's Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison. And tonight, you'll get to learn more about one cast member from that film—actor, legal reform activist and onetime Sing Sing inmate JJ Velazquez—in the new docuseries The Sing Sing Chronicles, which centers on the wrongfully convicted man (who served nearly 24 years in prison before being exonerated) and his surprising connection with veteran crime reporter Dan Slepian.
With the first two episodes airing tonight, November 23, beginning at 9pm Eastern Time on MSNBC as part of a special two-night event, The Sing Sing Chronicles was directed by Dawn Porter and pieced together from an archive of more than 1,000 hours of footage filmed from 2002 to present day. Along with telling the story of the decades-long bond between Velazquez and Slepian, the four-episode exposé also delves into four different homicide cases and the history of wrongful convictions at the notorious New York correctional facility.
“I began my film career documenting public defenders working in the criminal legal system. During that time I saw firsthand how difficult it is for anyone accused of a crime to truly get justice, but I could never have imagined the scope and scale of injustice captured by Dan Slepian’s cameras over the course of 20 years,” said Porter in a statement, per Variety. "This series allowed me to highlight the work of legal advocates, journalists and the remarkable men who let us tell their stories. We owe the greatest debt to reporters like Dan Slepian who do not turn away when they see injustice unfolding before them. It is an honor to help tell their story.”
To tune into tonight's airing of The Sing Sing Chronicles—as well as the final two episodes, to follow on Sunday, November 24th at 9pm ET—you're going to need access to MSNBC. The network is included with most cable packages, but you can also tune in via live TV streaming services, such as DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and Sling TV. You can also stream MSNBC shows on Peacock.
Check out the official trailer above before tuning in to The Sing Sing Chronicles tonight on MSNBC.
