BIOrhythm

Straight-ahead biography series are a staple of cable network programming. BIOrhythm, MTV’s original biography series, breaks the mold in content and style. The night-and-day differences in presentation owe to the fact that MTV’s audience is young, restless and generally equipped with a limited attention span. BIOrhythm is for them. The weekly half-hour series utilizes music, rapid-fire editing and brief on-screen captions to reach the hearts and minds of this elusive audience. It’s easier to interest teens in the life stories of Jim Carrey, David Spade, Master P or Brandy and BIOrhythm does this effectively. But the true power of the series is in its efforts to tell the stories of Martin Luther King Jr. and the holocaust. The series does a superb job of using the music of Rob Zombie, Sonny and Cher, Dusty Springfield, even Peggy Lee to illuminate Dr. King’s life. And holocaust survivor Bert Strauss’ powerful memories of Nazi Germany at times are driven home by heavy metal music. The producers of BIOrhythm, led by Jeff Olde and Suzanne Gladstone, have heightened the value of the series with efforts to teach as well as entertain teens. For addressing serious historical figures and events, and for developing inventive new approaches to television biographies, a Peabody to goes to MTV Networks for BIOrhythm.