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An abduction that led to a lifetime search for answers

Kidnapped from a Chicago hospital shortly after his birth in 1964, Paul Fronczak was found nearly two years later in New Jersey and believed to have been returned to his relieved family. The Lost Sons, a new CNN Film narrated by Fronczak, takes viewers along for his emotional search for answers about what happened to him, questions about his true identity, and who his family is.

“My story is about solving a basic mystery of identity, the puzzle of all human life: what is it that makes us, us?” says Fronczak.  “What I discovered is that the truth can sometimes be devastating, but living a lie isn’t living at all.” Check out the trailer here. Watch the premiere on Sunday, September 26 @ 9 PM ET and join our exclusive screening and conversation, moderated by CNN Anchor Kate Bolduan, on Wednesday, September 22 @ 12 PM ET!

Our panelists include:

• Liesel Evans, Creative Director of UK Factual and Executive Producer of The Lost Sons
• Ursula Macfarlane, Director and Filmmaker of The Lost Sons

Reserve your spot here and get access to behind-the-scenes info of the film. 

The real story behind the "People's Princess" 

Next month, CNN Original Series will debut the new six-part documentary Diana. It re-examines the life of an icon through the lens of modernity: reframing her story to discover the real woman behind what we think we know. Drawing on a new generation of voices, including interviews from those close to her, the series is a fresh take that reveals a princess unlike any other. 

A woman more complex than history has acknowledged, and a feminist role model who showed vulnerability and strength, Diana was truly a blueprint for the modern woman. Watch the premiere on Sunday, October 10 @ 9 PM ET.

Uncovering hard truths on This is Life 

Award-winning journalist Lisa Ling returns for season eight of This is Life on Sunday, October 10 @ 10 PM ET. As the country tries to reckon with the events of this tumultuous year, there are two questions on everyone’s mind: “How did we get here?” and “How do we go forward?” To help make sense of it all, Ling takes a deep dive into our collective past to uncover hard truths and find some answers.

“History is so often told through the eyes of the victors,” said Ling. “It can be dehumanizing to people whose stories are overlooked and leaves out surprising and inspiring events that add dimension to our country’s past and give us road maps for the future. On this season of This Is Life, we explore consequential moments in American history that didn’t make it into the books. Our hope is that we will become better informed about the contributions of all of our fellow Americans.”

Cue the applause!

CNN Original Series has received 2 Emmy® Awards in the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Award competition. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy wins Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special in its first season and Sterling K. Brown wins the Emmy® for Outstanding Narrator in Lincoln: Divided We Stand – his first time being nominated in this category. Watch Searching for Italy and Lincoln on demand via HBO Max. 
 
Congratulations also to our Original Series nominees: United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell received a nomination for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy was also nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

We're raising a toast to Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15, by rewatching some of our favorite Original Series episodes. First up, United Shades of America. In “Puerto Ricans and Puerto Rico” (Season 2, Episode 6), Kamau unlocks some of the myths of Puerto Rico, with an epic journey from New York City to the captivating island itself. Watch the episode on demand via CNNgo and watch the full series on HBO Max. 

Hispanic Heritage Month gives the US an opportunity to recognize and celebrate members of our communities and their ancestors who hail from Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, Central and South America and Spain. Why does the celebration start in the middle of September? Find out here.