Hello Sunshine's 'The Rise' Doc Series Sets Next Two Films

EXCLUSIVE: Hello Sunshine, alongside Ally Financial and the Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ If/Then Initiative, announced today the next chapter of The Rise, the documentary series chronicling the growth of women’s sports. Two highly anticipated feature-length documentaries – The Inaugural Season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League and The Gold Medal Girls of X Games – will premiere February 16, 2026, exclusively on Peacock.

Following the December debut of WNBA 2024: The Year That Changed Everything and The New Moneyball, these two new installments continue The Rise’s behind-the-scenes look at the athletes, investors, and visionaries reshaping the sports world in real time. As women’s sports reach unprecedented levels of cultural relevance and commercial success, Hello Sunshine’s documentary teams have embedded with leagues and athletes at pivotal inflection points.

The Inaugural Season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League features professional tennis player Billie Jean King. A defiant group of elite female ice hockey players – Olympians and World Champions – spent years fighting for a league worthy of their talent. After lots of rejection, these women caught the attention of King and Dodgers owner Mark Walter, and a new professional women’s hockey league was eventually born. This documentary follows the historic inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the relentless athletes who drove the league to the first championship.

The documentary also features Alex Carpenter, Aerin Frankel, Sophie Jaques, Brianne Jenner, Stan Kasten, Hilary Knight, Ilana Kloss, Marie-Philip Poulin, Amy Scheer, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Natalie Spooner. It is directed and executive produced by Patty Ivins Specht (Billie Jean King’s Groundbreakers (PBS), Wynonna Judd: Between Hell & Hallelujah (P+)). Additional executive producers include Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Jayna Hefford, Amy Scheer, Kasey Barrett, and Azon Juan.

The Gold Medal Girls of X Games features Olympic gold medalist Arisa Trew. For 30 years, X Games has been at the intersection of youth sport, music, fashion, gaming, and creator-driven storytelling. The Gold Medal Girls of X Games drops into the sun-soaked, rebellious world of Southern California skate culture, following four teenage phenoms on the road to X Games Ventura 2024. These girls are winning medals in addition to shaking up the exclusive, male-dominated community and ushering in a new era of skateboarding.

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The documentary features Tony Hawk, Arisa Trew, Shiloh Catori, Reese Nelson, Jada Ward, Amelia Brodka, Lyn-Z Hawkins Pastrana, Selema Masakela, and Trevor Ward. It is directed and executive produced by Patty Ivins Specht (Billie Jean King’s Groundbreakers (PBS), Light In the Water (Logo)). Additional executive producers include Josh Rakic, Jeff Moorad, Vince Castellanos, and Pete Dellaria.

Hello Sunshine’s Reese Witherspoon, Sara Rea, Zoe Fairbourn, Sue Kinkead, Lyda Hill, Ty O’Neil, and Nicole Small serve as executive producers across The Rise, with Ashlyn Harris acting as consulting producer.

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