CNN’s Jake Tapper Reveals Second Season of ‘United States of Scandal’

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Jake Tapper is broadening his definition of American impropriety.

The CNN host, who presented a fresh perspective on news coverage through the documentary series “United States of Scandal” last year, is set to come back on March 9 for another season. This time, he’ll continue investigating political misconduct while also delving into other topics.

During the previous season, we delved deeply into D.C. politics and numerous scandals related to personal conduct,” Tapper remarks in an interview. For our upcoming broadcasts, however, we’ve made a conscious effort to broaden our perspective and explore a broader range of topics such as sports, popular culture, and business. I believe viewers will find this new approach engaging.

Amid financial constraints, “Scandal” represents one of CNN’s initiatives to continue its documentary programming. Under the leadership of Jeff Zucker, who headed CNN for a decade, the network expanded into non-fiction programming, leading to the creation of popular travel documentaries by Anthony Bourdain and Stanley Tucci, as well as critically acclaimed documentary films on diverse topics such as Glen Campbell, orcas in captivity, among others. A CNN documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny even won an Oscar.

As a dedicated movie enthusiast, I’ve noticed a shift in CNN’s approach recently. Instead of reaching out to external production studios and hosts for collaborations as extensively as before, they seem to be leaning more on their internal resources. This move suggests a focus on self-reliance, which is quite intriguing.

One example of this new strategy in action is Tapper’s Sunday night series. This show has been a hit, consistently outperforming competitors among the demographic that advertisers crave the most – adults aged 25 to 54. This success story underscores the fact that even with this recalibrated model, CNN can still make a significant impact.

The second season of “Scandal,” consisting of six episodes, will feature discussions between Tapper and Anita Hill on the examination of Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court nomination process; a conversation with former Ohio congressman Bob Ney regarding his experiences with corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff; an interview with Anna Delvey, the notorious swindler; a talk with Floyd Landis about the fall from grace of cyclist Lance Armstrong; a discourse with former Senator Larry Pressler concerning ABSCAM; and a conversation with Sherron Watkins, who blew the whistle on corporate fraud at Enron.

These tales captured attention with dramatic headlines, but as Tapper points out, during the chaos of a developing news story, a clear perspective can easily get overlooked. Moreover, when a scandal is unfolding, people are rarely accessible for interviews. Consequently, his interviews often shed light on details and aspects that were previously missed or forgotten since the events initially captured public interest.

CNN viewers enjoyed the series ‘United States of Scandal’ due to its unique perspective on stories that were previously considered tabloid fodder. As Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vice president for talent and content development, put it in a statement, ‘This season, Jake Tapper brings his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and deep understanding of our nation’s economic, political, and cultural past to explore scandals that still resonate in some of America’s most powerful institutions today.’

The series titled ‘United States of Scandal’ is executive-produced by Aaron Saidman and Eli Holzman at IPC, with Jake Tapper as the host, Meaghan Rady serving as showrunner, and Amy Entelis, Lyle Gamm, and Katie Hinman contributing from CNN.

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2025-02-06 18:47