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Discovery Channel is headed deep in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas.
The network has greenlighted a new series, titled Clash of the Ozarks, that’s set to premiere Feb. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The six-part show is set in the town of Hardy, which is described as something right out of the Wild West. According to Discovery, “This lack of progression has turned Hardy into a land where emotions and territory conflicts outweigh a law-abiding society as the townspeople fight to protect what is theirs.” There, two local families are locked in a feud that dates back many generations.
More from the release:
The war began over a hundred years ago at a town dance, when a member of the Evans family started a fight that allegedly resulted in three deaths. The bad blood between the Evanses and the Russells escalated steadily throughout the years, and today, tensions are running higher than ever, forcing all who live in Hardy to pick a side — with Crowbar or Kerry.
Crowbar Russell is the patriarch of the Russell family. Everyone in Hardy has their own story of how Crowbar got his name, but one thing is certain: Crowbar and his clan are not to be messed with. Crowbar’s ancestors moved to the Ozark Mountains to avoid being drafted into the Civil War. Once safely in the mountains, they married into the Cherokee nation and developed a deep bond with the land. Today, the Russell family owns hundreds of acres in the area, which they are prepared to defend at all costs. Known for stocking up on homemade canned goods and being the best anglers in the state, the family works hard at being self-sufficient. Everyone in town knows the Russell clan and many see them as outlaws, but others see them as generous and hard-working church-goers. Crowbar seeks only to work his land and hunt for what he needs to survive. He wants his family to continue doing things the way that they always have, and thus he is opposed to any form of change or progress that might disrupt his way of life. It is for this reason that he has great disdain for Kerry Wayne Evans.
Kerry Wayne Evans’ family has been in Hardy for six generations, dating back to the 1850s. Raised on the south side of the tracks in a tiny one-room house, Kerry’s family struggled to make ends meet. They survived by working hard and learning to live off the land. The Evanses are forward thinkers who are fiercely protective of everything they have worked for. Kerry believes people should police themselves and be self-sufficient rather than relying on the authorities. This outlook has gotten him beaten, stabbed and arrested more times than his scars reveal. He is a savvy businessman whose sole purpose is to bring progress to the sleepy town of Hardy, and to improve life for those that live there. This means change, a word not everyone is comfortable with — least of all Crowbar Russell — and Kerry’s intentions aren’t entirely selfless. He has a fondness for money, and he’ll do just about anything to build up his empire.
The series also will focus on other locals, including Jimmy Haney, a mountain man who doesn’t own a pair of shoes and hasn’t lived in a house for years, and Sevella, a tough gun-toting elderly woman who is fiercely protective of her family and is rumored to be clairvoyant.
Clash of the Ozarks is produced for Discovery by Leftfield Pictures, where Brent Montgomery and David George are executive producers with Ryan Pender and James Dugan as co-executive producers. For Discovery, Joseph Schneier is executive producer with Max Micallef as coordinating producer.
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