Cybill Shepherd Steve Guttenberg In ‘How To Murder Your Husband'

EXCLUSIVE: Lifetime has given a green light to How To Murder Your Husband, one of the network’s new Ripped from the Headlines movies announced today, starring Cybill Shepherd (The Client List) and Steve Guttenberg (Ballers, Diner). It’s slated for premiere on Saturday, January 14 at 8 pm/7c.

The project marks Shepherd’s return to Lifetime following her previous starring role in The Client List and a guest-starring role on Drop Dead Diva.

Based on a true story, the movie revolves around Nancy Crampton-Brophy, played by Shepherd, who seemed to have a knack for writing about murder. The Portland-based romance-thriller novelist authored books about relationships that were tumultuous, while using seductive men on the covers to lure in her readers. Often, her books featured women protagonists who fantasized about killing their own husbands or fleeing their husbands and faking their own deaths. And then, in 2022 in a shocking turn of events, Brophy was convicted of killing her own husband.

How to Murder Your Husband is produced by Front Street Pictures and is being distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Judith Verno through Peace Out Productions serves as executive producer. Stephen Tolkin directs from a script which he penned.

Jaime King, Celina Sinden Jay L. Clendenin/Courtesy

Rounding out the Ripped From the Headlines slate are Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias, a follow-up to Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret. Starring Celinda Sinden, the movie follows the convict and the havoc she wreaked while in prison. It premieres Saturday, January 21 at 8p/7c. It is followed by Sherri Papini: I Kidnapped Myself starring Jaime King (Happy Camper) premiering Saturday, January 28 at 8p/7c. The slate concludes with Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation, starring Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), premiering Saturday, February 4 at 8p/7c. The films focus on these notorious women who fanned the flames of news headlines with their behavior.

Details of Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias and Sherri Papini: I Kidnapped Myself follow below.

BAD BEHIND BARS: JODI ARIAS
Premieres Saturday, January 21 at 8/7c

In this follow-up to one of Lifetime’s most successful true crime movies, Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret, we will see a whole new side of the infamous murderess and the story that has captivated the world for nearly a decade. Celinda Sinden stars in the new movie, Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias as Jodi, who has just been arrested and sent to prison while she awaits trial for murdering her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. When she arrived in jail, Jodi charms her way through prison and befriends a couple, Donavan Bering and Tracy Brown. The three inmates became inseparable, Donovan and Tracy doing anything and everything Jodi asked — even letting the murderess tattoo her name on one of them. Donovan was released from prison as Jodi’s trial drew near and agreed to be Jodi’s mouthpiece, posting on her social pages and defending her friend to the world. But when the details of the case and Jodi’s story were no longer adding up and Donovan refused to continue to do her former friend’s bidding, Jodi’s vengeful side emerged.

Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias is produced for Lifetime by Cineflix Productions. Jeff Vanderwal (Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey, I Was Lorena Bobbitt), J.C. Mills (Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy, Summer Qamp), Sherri Rufh (Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey, I Was Lorena Bobbitt), Peter Emerson (Tehran, Reginald the Vampire), Andy Streitfeld, and Kim Clemons are the executive producers. Kim Barker (License to Wed, All About Steve) wrote the script in which Rama Rau (Honey Bee, League of Exotique Dancers) directed. Tracy Brown and Donovan Bering serve as consultants on the movie.

SHERRI PAPINI: I KIDNAPPED MYSELF
Premieres Saturday, January 28 at 8/7c

Jaime King stars as Sherri Papini in the film about the nation-wide, shocking story of a young mother of two, who disappears while jogging near her home, leading to national headlines as concerned citizens searched for her whereabouts. When she reappeared three weeks later on Thanksgiving Day, Sherri claimed she was abducted by two Hispanic women who chained and repeatedly abused her. While Sherri’s return was celebrated, the state never stopped searching for her kidnappers. Four years later, Sherri’s world came crashing down as evidence revealed her kidnapping was all a hoax perpetrated by Sherri herself to spend time with her ex-boyfriend. Sherri was arrested and ultimately sentenced to 18 months in prison for lying to federal agents, creating hysteria in the community and wasting police time and funding with her nearly successful, elaborate scheme. Matt Hamilton (Girl in Room 13) stars as Sherri’s devoted husband, Keith.

Sherri Papini: I Kidnapped Myself written by Katie Boland is executive produced by Tim Johnson, Stacy Mandelberg and Jocelyn Freid and directed by Marta Borowski.

Guttenberg is repped by CAA and Vault Entertainment.