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TV This Week

HBO does hard time with Dwayne Johnson

Ignore the pithy title of documentary 'Rock and a Hard Place'

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

March 27, 2017

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With a punny name like “Rock and a Hard Place,” you’d expect tonight’s HBO documentary to be a soft, fluffy film about Dwyane Johnson (“The Rock”) and his workout regimen or something equally inconsequential.

But in reality, the special, which premieres tonight at 10 p.m., focuses on Miami-Dade County Corrections & Rehabilitation Boot Camp, a brutal retreat in Miami where troubled young people can go as a last resort.

It’s designed to help them turn their lives around and keep them out of prison in the future. It’s so intense, not everyone can handle it.

Yet this boot camp boasts an impressive success rate. The center says just 15 percent of participants reoffend, compared to a national average of 70 percent for a previously convicted criminal.

Johnson was inspired by his own troubled youth to pursue the documentary, which he pitched to HBO through his production company. He took it on as a passion project, saying he could personally relate to a lot of the young men going through the program.

Since Johnson has since become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood – he stars in the blockbuster “Fast and Furious” franchise and has an HBO comedy called “Ballers” – that’s pretty good motivation for the kids.

The documentary likely won’t generate big viewership, but it’s part of HBO’s Monday night prestige lineup, with content designed to earn buzz and draw new subscribers. Plus it further forges HBO’s relationship with Johnson, who’s a good guy to be in business with for his movie star credentials.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, MARCH 27
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament” (S)	Can UConn punch another ticket to the Final Four? (Do we really have to ask?)
8 p.m.	Discovery	“Street Outlaws” (R)	This special is dubbed the “fast n’ loud” race, so consider yourself warned.
9 p.m.	MTV	“Teen Mom: Checkup With Dr. Drew” (R)	This will be one of the night’s top shows with 12-24s and 18-34s.
9 p.m.	Bravo	“Vanderpump Rules” (R)	Fifth-season finale. Not to give away too much, but the episode is entitled “Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz.”
9:30 p.m.	CBS	“The Great Indoors” (C)	Hmm. The show didn’t make the extensive list of renewals for CBS earlier this week, and now it’s getting a tryout in a new timeslot. But no pressure.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Rock and a Hard Place” (N)	Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) profiles a tough boot camp in Miami that’s helping young men turn their lives around.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.

Tags: boot camp, dwayne johnson, hbo, hbo documentaries, monday tv this week, rock and a hard place, the rock, tv this week

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