Jeff VanVonderen, an intervention specialist for a decade and a therapist for 26 years, pitched the show to A&E. He is a main character in the show's pilot, conducting an intervention with family and friends to get an addicted person -- including those addicted to gambling or shopping -- to seek treatment.

"I don't care about the drama of it. I cared about the result," said VanVonderen.

He said five years ago, television would never have aired a show like Intervention. "The medium has come to a place where you can do this," he said.

VanVonderen expects the show to attract viewers who know someone with an addiction. "They love someone who is in trouble, they're at the end of 10 years of trying to help and feeling there's nothing they can do. Seeing this show might tell them there is something they can do," he said.

Sam Mettler, the producer at GRB Entertainment who conceived of "Intervention," said three-quarters of the show is "classic documentary."

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