Instead of the supernatural, a nationally broadcasted television show will showcase the more sinister realities of events that have occurred inside the old Missouri State Penitentiary.
A Wednesday night episode of the TLC series "Who Do You Think You Are?" will feature actress Cynthia Nixon as she digs into family history within the depths of the old prison in Jefferson City.
Now in its fourth season, the program "helps celebrities trace their roots" in a partnership with Ancestry.com, according to a Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau press release.
An enigmatic trailer for the episode on TLC's website flashes through brief shots of HBO's Sex in the City star Nixon traipsing around the halls of the penitentiary and poring over documents, apparently at the Missouri State Archives.
An unnamed "courageous woman who suffered terribly" is mentioned repeatedly by the narrator and Nixon herself.
A teary eyed Nixon discusses the bravery of a mystery woman in saying: "She had endured so much."
This brief scene of an emotional Nixon conveys the "wide range of emotion" present on the show, according to Chris Wilson, CVB sports and film sales manager.
"From the trailer, you can infer this episode with the family tree journey touched her in a strong way. She is captivated and taken aback by her ancestor," Wilson said.
Kyle Loethen, a member of the episode's production crew, observed Nixon's reactions to the "very shocking history," he said.
Loethen transported historians from the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to Jefferson City and often received information regarding the history of Nixon's apparent female relative, he said.
"They had done research and let me in on everything. We couldn't say anything to Cynthia. She had to learn of it on camera," Loethen said.
According to Loethen, Nixon's female relative was sentenced for murdering her husband in his sleep with an axe. While in prison, the relative was molested by other inmates and delivered a child in the prison before being granted a pardon by the prison's warden, Loethen said.
The female relative is Nixon's great-great-great grandmother in her "paternal line," according to a brief description of the show on TLC's website.
Loethen described the experience as "unique" for Nixon and said Nixon was "shocked to find out the history of her relatives."
Because of celebrities' astonished reactions to information presented to them on the show, the show often offers glimpses into the authentic personalities of its celebrity stars, Wilson said.
"You get to see a different side of the celebrity. People are used to seeing their entertainment facade. This is their more human, more emotional side. It's endearing to the public," Wilson said.
Wilson characterized the episode as "one part documentary and one part drama."
After initially contacting Wilson with interest in the MSP site, the producers reached an agreement on the show in 2013 and then began filming locally in 2014.
Wilson led producers on a location scout around Jefferson City before reaching an agreement, he said.
According to Wilson, the episode will likely feature attractions one may view on a tour of the MSP, as well as the buildings of the prison. Footage shot locally may also include signage and other attractions, said Wilson, who is bound by a confidentiality agreement restricting the information he can reveal before Wednesday night's season premiere.
Though Wilson supervised the filming of "Who Do You Think You Are?" at various sites around Jefferson City, he has not viewed the episode in its final production.
"I want the final product to be as good as it can be. It makes for a cool experience if the final product represents the community in an accurate manner. I enjoyed being on the set," he said.
Loethen expressed similar sentiments.
"I'm excited to see how it all turned out," he said.
Though Loethen has worked on other film crews in Los Angeles, where he spent 11 years, he especially enjoyed the opportunity to work with a film crew in Jefferson City, he said.
"It's neat to have a film crew in Jefferson City and to have (Nixon) be here. It's cool to have a project like this come through," he said.
In addition to initial economic benefit of the cast and crew spending money in Jefferson City, Wilson believes the city will experience "positive residual effects," as a result of the airing of the episode, he said.
"The show has the potential of reaching millions of viewers. It's exciting to market an area you represent to a lot of potential visitors," he said.
Wilson mentioned the elaborate network of personal connections created by the MSP.
"When we start thinking about an attraction, we think it just connects us within the city, county, state or region. There are components of this area that are far-reaching and affect the people of this world. Watching this reminds us how far this reach is," Wilson said.