Entertainment Weekend: CBS/Paramount+ An Oprah Special: The Presleys – Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley

CBS presents AN OPRAH SPECIAL: THE PRESLEYS – ELVIS, LISA MARIE AND RILEY, an exclusive primetime special featuring Oprah Winfrey as she sits down with Riley Keough, the granddaughter of the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, for an intimate conversation about her life, her mother Lisa Marie’s life, and her famous family, broadcasting Tuesday, Oct. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).*

In the special, Oprah Winfrey travels to the historic Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., to sit down with Riley, Elvis’s first-born grandchild, in her first in-depth interview since her mother died unexpectedly in 2023. Before her death, Lisa Marie recorded hours of stories from her remarkable, one-of-a-kind life, for a memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown,which Riley finished co-writing and will be on sale Oct. 8.

In this first exclusive interview about the book, Riley shares what the writing process was like and stories and remembrances of her mother. Also featured are never-before-seen family photos and home videos, as well as selections of Lisa Marie’s personal audio recordings, including memories of her father, about whom Lisa Marie begins the book by writing: “I felt my father could change the weather. He was a god to me. A chosen human being.” Riley, herself an Emmy-nominated actress and director, opens up to Oprah about the extreme highs, lows and pressures of being a Presley, and the deep, profound relationship she had with her mother.

The memoir, which Oprah and Riley discuss in detail, is a stunning look inside one of the most famous and legendary American families, detailing Lisa Marie’s idyllic but wild childhood years with Elvis, Elvis’ shocking death, her challenging teen years in the wake of her father’s death, her marriages, her devotion to her children and her agonizing descent into addiction.

AN OPRAH SPECIAL: THE PRESLEYS – ELVIS, LISA MARIE AND RILEY is produced by Harpo Productions. Executive producers are Oprah Winfrey and Tara Montgomery, co-executive producer is Brian Piotrowicz.

*Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.