Moonshiners (TV series)

Moonshiners is an American docudrama television series on the Discovery Channel produced by Magilla Entertainment that dramatizes the life of people who produce (illegal) moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The series dramatizes their liquor production efforts, law-evading techniques and life.[1] There have been claims by local officials that the show is not what it portrays itself to be. Virginia authorities have stated that no illegal liquor is actually being produced by the people depicted in the show. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said in March 2012 that, "If illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action."[2] They also said that they had requested for the producers to add a disclaimer to clarify that the show was only a dramatization, "but the request was overlooked",[2] and the show's producers, Magilla Entertainment, have stated their documentary content is real.[3]

Moonshiners
Logo
GenreDocudrama
Narrated byJeremy Schwartz
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons12
No. of episodes251 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkDiscovery Channel
Original releaseDecember 6, 2011 (2011-12-06) –
present
Related
  • Tickle (2013)
  • Moonshiners: Whiskey Business (2019)

Portions of the show that feature Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton were taken from a documentary film by Neal Hutcheson. Hutcheson's documentary was filmed in 2002 and released the same year with the title This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make.[4] In 2008, a version of the documentary that was edited for television was broadcast on PBS and the Documentary Channel[5] with the title The Last One, and it received a Southeast Emmy Award in 2009.[6] Sutton was arrested in 2007 by ATF agents in Cocke County, Tennessee (led by Jim Cavanaugh of Waco siege fame) for illegally distilling liquor and possession of a handgun by a felon, and was sentenced to eighteen months in jail in 2009. He subsequently died by suicide, apparently to avoid serving the federal prison term.[7]

The show's first season premiered on December 6, 2011.

The twelfth season premiered on November 9, 2022,[8] with a preseason special airing on November 2, 2022.

Series overview
Further information: List of Moonshiners episodes
SeasonEpisodesSpecialsOriginally airedAverage rating
(millions)
First airedLast aired
161December 6, 2011 (2011-12-06)January 4, 2012 (2012-01-04)2.76
2123November 7, 2012 (2012-11-07)January 30, 2013 (2013-01-30)3.03
3137November 5, 2013 (2013-11-05)February 4, 2014 (2014-02-04)2.53
41410November 4, 2014 (2014-11-04)February 3, 2015 (2015-02-03)2.00
5171November 17, 2015 (2015-11-17)March 8, 2016 (2016-03-08)1.85
6175November 15, 2016 (2016-11-15)March 14, 2017 (2017-03-14)TBA
71812November 15, 2017 (2017-11-15)March 27, 2018 (2018-03-27)1.59
81810December 11, 2018 (2018-12-11)July 9, 2019 (2019-07-09)TBA
9174November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)May 9, 2020 (2020-05-09)TBA
10207November 23, 2020 (2020-11-23)April 13, 2021 (2021-04-13)TBA
11212October 20, 2021 (2021-10-20)March 30, 2022 (2022-03-30)TBA
12205November 2, 2022 (2022-11-02)April 10, 2023 (2023-04-10)TBA

Cast

Key:   indicates a season in which a person appeared

CastRoleSeason 1Season 2Season 3Season 4Season 5Season 6 Season 7 Season 8
TimMoonshiner
TickleMoonshiner
Marvin "Popcorn" SuttonMoonshiner
JesseLaw Enforcement Agent
JeffMoonshiner
MarkMoonshiner
LanceMoonshiner
Jim TomMoonshiner
JoshMoonshiner
BillMoonshiner
HowardMoonshiner
ChuckDeputy Sheriff
Mike (MS)Moonshiner
TweedyMoonshiner
ChicoMoonshiner
TylerMoonshiner
WayneMoonshiner
DarleneMoonshiner
Chris ThompsonMoonshiner
DiggerMoonshiner
DavidMoonshiner
PattiMoonshiner
Big ChuckMoonshiner
Mike (TN)Moonshiner
DanielMoonshiner
HenryMoonshiner
KennyMoonshiner

Spinoffs

Tickle
Main article: Tickle (TV series)

In May 2013, it was announced that, in addition to renewing Moonshiners for a third season, Discovery Channel would be purchasing a spinoff about Steven Ray Tickle, to be called Tickle.[9] The series premiered on August 13, 2013.[10]

Moonshiners: Whiskey Business

In February 2019, a new series titled Moonshiners: Whiskey Business was announced through Discovery Channel. The spinoff sprouted from a Moonshiners season seven special titled Whiskey Business, in which Tim Smith travels to help out struggling Missouri Ridge Distillery and keep them in business. The special proved successful and four more episodes were made to air at the end of Moonshiners' season 8. The spin-off started airing March 13, 2019.[11]

Moonshiners: Master Distiller

A new Moonshiners series titled Moonshiners: Master Distiller premiered on March 3, 2020, on Discovery Channel.[12]

Theme song and introduction sequence

The theme song for the show is Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road". The intro montage introduces the cast members, and also shows some of the difficulties they face while making the moonshine. Since season 5, the theme song has been Bleeding Fingers' "Livin' Outside the Law".[13]

References
  1. "About Show : Moonshiners : Discovery Channel". Discovery Channel. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  2. "Virginia Authorities Claim Show 'Moonshiners' Doesn't Show Illegal Moonshining". Fox News. Associated Press. December 30, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  3. Murphy, Meagan (January 4, 2012). "'Moonshiners' Producer Stands By Show's Accuracy in Face of State's Claim Show Is a Hoax". Fox News.
  4. "The Last One – Popcorn Sutton Documentary – Special Edition (2012)". Amazon. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  5. "The Last One - Popcorn and moonshine in North Carolina". The News & Observer. December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014.
  6. "Popcorn Sutton Documentary Wins Emmy Award". The News & Observer. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  7. Landess, Tom (June 1, 2009). "Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, R.I.P." Chronicles. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011.
  8. "Shiners Tested Like Never Before in Moonshiners Season 12".
  9. "Discovery Renews 'Moonshiners', Adds Spinoff 'Tickle' (Exclusive)". May 6, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  10. "New series Tickle premiers on Discovery Channel August 13 at 10pm". Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  11. "Moonshiners: Whiskey Business". Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  12. "May the Best Booze Win: Discovery's All New Series "Master Distiller" Premieres March 3". The Futon Critic. February 11, 2020.
  13. "Livin' Outside The Law - Moonshiners". Discovery. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
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