Montreal-based factual studio CMJ Productions II has announced a series development agreement with American baseball writer, statistician and crime book author, Bill James.

Popular Crime will feature James’ unconventional sleuthing techniques as an analytics expert and baseball writer, using his skills to take a fresh look at infamous American crimes. In each episode, James (pictured, left) and his daughter, Rachel (right), will use their unique methodology to dismantle what we thought we knew about notorious crimes, including the cases of JonBenet Ramsey and the Zodiac Killer. The series stems from James’ most recent book, The Man From the Train, in which James and his daughter investigated the Villisca axe murders. Popular Crime joins other titles in CMJ’s crime portfolio including Fatal Vows, The Will:  Family Secrets Revealed, Accident Investigator, Natural Born Outlaws, Guilty Rich, Outlaw Tech and A Stranger in my Home.

“We have a long history of producing true crime series and we are thrilled to grow our roster of talent to include Bill and Rachel James,” said Judith Beauchemin, CMJ Productions president, in a statement. “Bill’s book Popular Crime made us rethink the status quo of the crime stories we thought we knew and we are excited to apply this fresh perspective in the series.”

Elsewhere, CMJ will be bringing the new series Animal Bornography this year’s Realscreen Summit. The series features a live animal birth in each episode, and will be hosted with expert panelists alongside celebrities. On-the-ground vets and zoo keepers will serve as field correspondents, with the aim of giving audiences a live-action experience.