EMMY(R)-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE SHOW "VICE" RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON FEB. 5, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

SHANE SMITH HOSTS; SHANE SMITH, EDDY MORETTI, BJ LEVIN AND BILL MAHER EXECUTIVE PRODUCE; FAREED ZAKARIA IS A CONSULTING PRODUCER

VICE kicks off its 18-show fourth season FRIDAY, FEB. 5 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT), immediately following a new edition of "Real Time with Bill Maher," with other editions debuting subsequent Fridays at the same time. HBO partners with VICE on the Emmy(R)-winning weekly news magazine series.

VICE takes viewers around the globe as its correspondents investigate the stories not being told elsewhere. Reporting on the world's most pressing issues, the show uses an immersive documentary approach to bring a unique perspective to the events shaping our future. This season, VICE investigates such topics as Boko Haram, gene editing, the Syrian refugee crisis, euthanasia, gay rights and the plight of Afghan women.

Hosted by VICE Media founder Shane Smith, the series is executive produced by Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti, VICE's chief creative officer, BJ Levin and Bill Maher, with CNN's Fareed Zakaria serving as consulting producer.

Season four features returning and new correspondents. Joining Shane Smith again are VICE Media co-founder Suroosh Alvi; conflict-zone journalist, documentary filmmaker and author Ben Anderson; Emmy(R)-nominated producer and correspondent Gianna Toboni; filmmaker and producer Vikram Gandhi; and veteran VICE correspondents Isobel Yeung, Hamilton Morris and Thomas Morton. New correspondents include Emmy(R)-nominated journalist and Middle East expert Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and Kaj Larsen, an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs.

Upcoming shows:

Show #37 (season 4, edition 1)

Debut: FRIDAY, FEB. 5 (11:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: Feb. 5 (1:00 a.m.), 6 (5:00 a.m.), 9 (5:30 p.m.), 10 (9:00 p.m.) and 11 (4:25 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Feb. 7 (4:30 p.m.) and 10 (12:30 a.m.)

"Boko Haram": The terrorist group Boko Haram is responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria. Now, the government is determined to drive these militants from the country. But is the hunt for insurgents causing as much harm as it's preventing? Former Navy SEAL and new VICE correspondent Kaj Larsen travels to Nigeria to see what this cat-and-mouse game means for the people caught in the middle of the fight.

"Unnatural Selection": For centuries, scientists have been working to change the genetic traits of plants and animals. Now, the new gene-editing method CRISPR has made that process astonishingly simple - so simple it could easily be used on humans. Isobel Yeung reports from Brazil, Scotland, China and the U.S. on the technological advances that could reshape evolution as we know it.

Show #38 (season 4, edition 2)

Debut: FRIDAY, FEB. 12 (11:00-11:30 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: Feb. 12 (1:00 a.m.), 13 (2:35 a.m.), 16 (5:30 p.m.), 17 (8:30 p.m.) and 18 (5:00 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Feb. 14 (6:00 p.m.) and 17 (11:35 p.m.)

"Escape to Europe": With the war in Syria now in its fifth bloody year, half the country's population has been displaced, and four million have fled. Many are heading to the safety and relative prosperity of Europe, but getting there is a long, life-threatening journey. New VICE correspondent Ahmed Shihab-Eldin follows the refugee trail from the Syrian border to Europe, meeting Syrians determined to find a better life.

"Cycle of Terror": The bloody ISIS attacks in Paris stunned the world. And as rumors circulated that one of the attackers may have posed as a Syrian migrant, politicians in Western countries, including the U.S., raced to declare their territory off-limits to refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq. Gianna Toboni travels to France and around the U.S. to see how the global reaction to the violence in Paris is affecting the fight against terrorism.

Show #39 (season 4, edition 3)

Debut: FRIDAY, FEB. 19 (11:00-11:30 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: Feb. 19 (1:00 a.m.), 20 (3:00 a.m.), 23 (6:45 p.m.), 24 (9:00 p.m.) and 25 (3:10 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Feb. 24 (12:15 a.m.)

"Right to Die": When California enacted the End of Life Option Act amid fierce debate last October, the number of terminally ill Americans with the right to a doctor-assisted death effectively quadrupled. But in parts of Europe, euthanasia is also administered to people other than the terminally ill, including those with autism, depression and personality disorders. VICE explores the moral, political and personal questions raised by how and when we end our lives.

The series is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO and HBO On Demand.

VICE is the world's preeminent youth media company and content creation studio. Launched in 1994, VICE now operates in more than 30 countries and distributes its programming to hundreds of millions of viewers each month across digital, linear, mobile, film and socials. VICE includes: an international network of digital channels; a television and feature film production studio; a magazine; a record label; an in-house creative services agency; a book-publishing division; and a newly announced TV network. VICE's award-winning programming has been recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Peabody Awards, Sundance Film Festival, PEN Center, Cannes Lions, Frontline Club, Knight Foundation, American Society of Magazine Editors, LA Press Club and Webby Awards, among others.