Tara Lipinski to produce figure skating drama for Hulu

When a show depicts sports on TV or in the movies, fans can spot inaccuracies right off the bat. But when you get someone who has been on the inside of the sport producing a TV series, you know there will be a line of authenticity.

That’s why the figure skating community has high hopes for a new series for Hulu that’s being produced by 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski (currently of Tara & Johnny fame). According to Deadline, Hulu has a given a script commitment for the series that will provide a behind-the-scenes look at men and women who go for the gold in the sport.

In a statement about the series, Lipinski says she wants viewers to understand what athletes have to endure when they train and practice:

“To the average observer, figure skating appears to be an extremely elegant and undeniably beautiful sport — and for good reason,” Lipinski said. “But when you begin to peel back the layers of this world, a more complex, and even shocking, picture emerges. I’ve dedicated the majority of my life to skating and I can’t begin to describe how much I love my sport. I want to paint an authentic picture of the highs and the lows and the price that some people pay to be part of this world. For over a decade now I’ve been trying to find the appropriate medium, and the right people, to capture the behind-the-scenes life of figure skaters. To me, skating has been portrayed as an inspiring Olympic sport or an over-the-top parody so this will be a version viewers may not have seen before. Jonathan is the perfect person to take many of the things I’ve observed and craft them into a compelling and dramatic series.”

There’s no title yet and no premiere date either, but with established producer Michael Shamberg and writer Jonathan Igla (with Mad Men and Masters Of Sex on his resume) on board, there’s some potential for some interesting episodes. Her role on the series will be executive producer.

Lipinski has certainly branched out since winning the gold in Nagano, Japan. She’s become NBC’s featured figure skating analyst with Johnny Weir and along with Weir, she’ll cover the Rio Olympics for the Peacock and she’s been on the red carpet at both the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl.

[Deadline/Photo courtesy TaraLipinski.com]