CNN Special Investigations Unit (2007) is a documentary web series in English. On New MovieLinkBD: full story, cast, ratings, season & episode guide, official trailer and where to watch CNN Special Investigations Unit online in HD.
CNN Special Investigations Unit — Storyline
CNN Special Investigations Unit is an American investigative documentary program on CNN weekends.
Expanding upon CNN Presents, SIU focuses on each episode being an in depth investigative report about news stories being covered, commonly featuring a number of interviews with experts on the issue and people who have witnessed the story taking place. The reports are commonly long-form, allowing for the network to cover more information and perspectives than would be available during a 5-minute report on another CNN program, such as CNN Newsroom.
Compared to Presents, the show has taken a slightly larger point of the reporting being done by CNN reporters, the first commercials promoting the program largely showing pictures of anchors and reporters on locations, asking questions to people on the locations. In addition, the look and feel of the show has changed somewhat drastically, adding more emphasis on the graphics used to present the program itself, in addition to the stories being covered. In addition, presentations on SIU are shorter in length than on Presents, which is now used as a special event for larger special reports that take place on a long-term basis.
Since the program's introduction, the network has slowly shifted towards relabeling past Presents presentations into SIU formatted ones, changing the graphics to reflect the new general label given to long-form reporting done by the network.
Cast & Crew
- Starring: Anderson Cooper
CNN Special Investigations Unit — Series Details
| First Air Date | 2007-01-20 |
| Seasons | 7 |
| Episodes | 53 |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Language | English |
| Network | CNN |
| Status | Ended |
| Rating | 8/10 (1 votes) |
CNN Special Investigations Unit — Episode Guide
Season 2004
- E1: The Mystery of Jesus (2004-02-22) — Sigourney Weaver narrates this review of historical evidence and theories regarding the life of Jesus. Included: Jesus' early life; and his betrayal, trial, execution and resurrect
- E2: The First Patient: Health & the Presidency (2004-10-03) — Topic: the physical and mental health of U.S. presidents. Included: the medical care provided to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan.
- E3: The Two Marys: The Madonna and the Magdalene (2004-12-12) — An examination of the roles of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene within Christianity. Included: the historical reality of the two main archetypes of Christian womanhood
Season 2005
- E1: Homicide in Hollenbeck (2005-04-10) — Anderson Cooper examines the gang-plagued L.A. neighborhood of Hollenbeck, which has the highest concentration of gangs in the city. The program includes comments from a 26-year-ol
Season 2006
- E1: Hope & Heartbreak—Inside the Sago Mine Tragedy (2006-01-07) — Anderson Cooper anchors this look at the Jan. 2, 2006, Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia. Included: the rescue effort; how miners are trained.
- E2: 26 Hours of Terror (2006-03-11) — Kyra Phillips examines the March 11, 2005, shooting rampage in the Atlanta courthouse that resulted in four deaths; and how Ashley Smith, who was taken hostage by the alleged perpe
- E3: We Were Warned: Out of Gas (2006-03-18) — Frank Sesno examines what might happen if a major hurricane hit Houston, the center of U.S. energy production, and the disaster was followed by terror strikes at oil installations
- E4: The Last Days of Pope John Paul II (2006-04-01) — Delia Gallagher reports on the final days of Pope John Paul II. Included: interviews with those closest to the pontiff, including Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul II's persona
- E5: Chasing Angelina—Paparazzi and Celebrity Obsession (2006-05-13) — The paparazzi's pursuit of a pregnant Angelina Jolie is the prime example in this look at the world of celebrity media. Included: insights from gossip reporter Ted Casablanca; Peop
- E6: How to Rob a Bank (2006-05-20) — Drew Griffin reports on modern methods of looting bank accounts, such as identity theft. Included: a thief who had more than 100 credit cards under other people's names; an identit
- E7: Wounded Warriors (2006-05-27) — Alex Quade reports on the care wounded soldiers receive, from Iraq to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany to the U.S.
- E8: No Survivors: Why TWA Could Happen Again (2006-07-15) — An examination of the July 17, 1996, tragedy involving the Paris-bound TWA Flight 800, which exploded 12 minutes after taking off from New York's JFK International Airport. Include
- E9: The Town That Fought Back (2006-09-30) — Kathleen Koch reports on how the people in Bay St. Louis, Miss. (her hometown) are faring a year after Hurricane Katrina leveled their homes.
- E10: Combat Hospital (2006-11-11) — An examination of the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, where five doctors, 14 nurses and 22 medics treat U.S. and coalition casualties, as well as civilians and insurgents.
Season 2007
- E1: The War Within (2007-01-20) — Christiane Amanpour examines Muslim extremism in the U.K. Included: the alienation many Muslim youths experience in Western societies.
- E2: The Journalist and the Jihadi (2007-02-10) — Christine Amanpour narrates report on the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, whose investigation of Islamic militants resulted in a fateful meeting with Omar Shei
- E3: MLK: Words That Changed a Nation (2007-02-17) — Soledad O'Brien profiles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., via interviews with former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and activist Dorothy Cotton. Also: how part of K
- E4: Ambush at the River of Secrets (2007-03-03) — A report on a Jan. 26, 2005 ambush on the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.
- E5: Fatal Journey (2007-03-10) — An examination of the March 2, 2007, accident in Atlanta involving a charter bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team. Seven people died, including the driver and his wif
- E6: Death Squads (2007-03-17) — John Roberts examines the Shia death squads operating in Iraq and their alleged connection to government officials. Included: insights from former Iraqi interior minister Bayan Jab
- E7: Grady's Anatomy (2007-03-24) — The world of young doctors is examined at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital, one of the busiest Level 1 trauma centers in the region, through the eyes of four interns and CNN's Dr.
- E8: What Is a Christian? God, Faith and Hard Science (2007-04-06) — A look at the tenets of Christianity and how they apply to science. Included: whether science and religion can coexist. Anderson Cooper hosts.
- E9: Chasing Life (2007-04-14) — Based on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's 2007 book “Chasing Life,” this episode features the CNN chief medical correspondent's look at longevity. Included: the importance of diet and exercise;
- E10: Massacre at Virginia Tech (2007-04-21) — Soledad O'Brien anchors an account of the rampage at Virginia Tech that claimed the lives of 32 people, plus the gunman. Included: a minute-by-minute account; how the shooter acqui
- E11: We Were Warned: Edge of Disaster (2007-04-28) — Anderson Cooper hosts this look at how prepared the U.S. is to face another Hurricane Katrina-level natural disaster or terrorist attack. Included: “soft” targets in the nation's f
- E12: Month of Mayhem (2007-05-12) — CNN International anchor Michael Holmes reports on what life is like in Iraq. Included: bombings in markets and at universities; attacks on civilians and military troops.
- E13: Danger: Poisoned Food (2007-05-19) — Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates the safety of the nation's food supply, which the CDC estimates is responsible for causing some 76 million people to become sick every year, with an a
- E14: Battlefield Breakdown (2007-06-30) — John King reports on the unintended consequences of the Iraq War, which include more than 3500 American dead; a cost of some $500 billion; and the fact that two-thirds of the Army'
- E15: Criminally Insane (2007-07-14) — Soledad O'Brien reports on criminally insane felons and why the warning signs in individuals are sometimes missed. Included are interviews with Lionel Dahmer, serial killer Jeffrey
- E16: Road to Ruin: Are We Safe? (2007-08-03) — The Minnesota bridge collapse is investigated by Soledad O'Brien, Drew Griffin, Jim Acosta and Ted Rowlands.
- E17: Growing Up Diana (2007-08-21) — Soledad O'Brien examines Princess Diana's early years. Included: inside her childhood home; where she and Prince Charles first met; how her parents' divorce impacted her; and remar
- E18: Children of the Storm (2007-08-29) — CNN's Soledad O'Brien and Spike Lee help 11 Gulf Coast teens tell their Katrina-recovery stories in video-diary form. Filmed between January and August 2007, the entries detail the
- E19: Narco State: The Poppy Jihad (2007-09-08) — Anderson Cooper reports on Afghanistan, where the Taliban is using profits from the poppy trade to fuel its resurgence. Included: efforts by NATO and U.S. forces to eradicate the d
- E20: Afghanistan: Lifting the Veil (2007-09-15) — In this powerful follow-up to the 2001 “CNN Presents” episode “Beneath the Veil,” about life for Afghan women under the Taliban, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy traversed Afghanistan to see
- E21: Judgment in Jena (2007-09-22) — Kyra Phillips reports on the “Jena 6” case, in which six black Jena, La., high-school students are being prosecuted for injuring a white classmate during a schoolyard brawl, while
- E22: Fed Up: America's Killer Diet (2007-09-22) — Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines diet's impact on the brain and the rest of the body. Included: Dr. Mark Jacobsen (Center for Science in the Public Interest); Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa); La
- E23: Ahmadinejad: Soldier of God (2007-09-29) — Christiane Amanpour profiles Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and discusses modern-day Iran. Included: an interview with Ahmadinejad about Iran's nuclear program.
- E24: The Minds of the D.C. Snipers (2007-10-10) — Soledad O'Brien examines the Beltway sniper case that terrorized the mid-Atlantic region in October 2002. Included: comments from the families of convicted snipers John Allen Muham
- E25: The Noose: An American Nightmare (2007-10-23) — Kyra Phillips reports on an upsurge in incidents in which nooses are displayed in an attempt to intimidate black people. Included: the historical significance of the noose; insight
- E26: Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling (2007-11-07) — An interview with WWE chairman Vince McMahon accents this look at pro wrestling, whose participants are more likely to die young than their counterparts in other professional sport
- E27: Bloodspilled (2007-11-10) — Problems facing the Veterans Administration are examined via the experiences of Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, a former Blackhawk pilot and double amputee, who is the director o
- E28: Amanpour Reports: Czar Putin (2007-11-30) — Christiane Amanpour examines modern-day Russia, which critics say has devolved from democracy to autocratic rule under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.
- E29: Iran: Fact or Fiction (2007-12-07) — A look at what's known about Iran in light of the NIE report about its nuclear capabilities. Included: remarks from former secretary of state Madeleine Albright; former Afghanistan
- E30: Pakistan: Terror Central (2007-12-28) — A report on terrorism in Pakistan, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Season 2008
- E1: On Deadly Ground: The Women of Iraq (2008-03-15) — Arwa Damon reports on how the Iraq War has impacted Iraqi women. Included: inside al-Kadhimiya, a women's prison.
- E2: Busted: Mortgage Meltdown (2008-03-28) — The reasons for the housing crisis are investigated in this collaborative effort with "Fortune" magazine, which features "Fortune" managing editor Andy Serwer, CNN's Gerri Willis,
- E3: Campus Rage (2008-04-11) — The safety measures colleges have implemented to prevent further campus rampages are examined. Included: whether students should be permitted to have guns on campus; the Northern I
- E4: Amanpour Reports: Notes From North Korea (2008-05-10) — Christiane Amanpour travels to North Korea with the New York Philharmonic for its February 2008 performance in Pyongyang. Included: a tour of a nuclear facility; a visit with a Nor
- E5: Amanpour Reports: Buddha's Warriors (2008-08-02) — Expanding upon her award-winning investigative series God’s Warriors, CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour reports in a new documentary that examines the nexus
- E6: Fit to Lead (2008-10-11) — Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the toll that serving as president has taken on the health of past commanders in chief. Also: what the medical records of John McCain and Barack Obama r
- E7: Fall of the Fat Cats (2008-10-18) — The opulent lifestyles led by some Wall Street insiders, including Lehman Brothers chairman and CEO Richard S. Fuld Jr., are explored. Also: an interview with one-time stockbroker
Season 2009
- E1: Watching Your Money (2009-05-09) — Abbie Boudreau and Drew Griffin report on stimulus spending, including controversial transportation projects, mayoral "wish-lists" and mortgage bailouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seasons does CNN Special Investigations Unit have? 7 season(s) with 53 episodes.
Where can I watch CNN Special Investigations Unit? See the Where to Watch section above for current streaming options.
