When Does ‘The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story’ Premiere on Lifetime?

Lifetime continues its mission to tell the stories of survivors with The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. This new ripped-from-the-headlines film comes from executive producer Elizabeth Smart, the latest in a string of collaborations between the child safety activist and Lifetime. Smart was herself the subject of a Lifetime movie, 2017’s I Am Elizabeth Smart, which aired to mark the 15th anniversary of Smart’s own kidnapping. Now Smart is helping to bring the story of another survivor — Kara Robinson — to life via Lifetime.

The Lifetime adaptation of Robinson’s story stars Katie Douglas as Kara Robinson and also features Cara Buono and Kristian Bruun. But where can you see or stream The Girl Who Escaped? And where can you learn more about the real Kara Robinson? We’ve got you covered.

What time does The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story premiere on Lifetime?

The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET. You also have the option of watching Lifetime live and online via Lifetime’s website, provided that you have a cable login.

And if you don’t have cable, you can watch Lifetime programming live as it airs via a number of live TV streaming services — like frndly, Hulu, Sling TV, and Philo.

Following the premiere of The Girl Who Escaped, Lifetime will air a special documentary — Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story — at 10:00 p.m. ET. This documentary originally aired on Oxygen in 2021.

When will Lifetime rerun The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story?

Following its premiere on Saturday, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET, The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story will rerun at the following times on Lifetime:

• Sunday, February 12 at 12 a.m. ET
• Saturday, February 18 at 6 p.m. ET

How to stream The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story

If you want to see The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story on your own time and not be beholden to a cable schedule, you’re in luck. You will be able to stream The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story on the Lifetime website for free (with ads). It will also be available to watch on-demand via frndly, Hulu, Sling TV, and Philo.

Who is in the Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story cast?

Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia) plays Kara Robinson; Cara Buono (Stranger Things) plays her mother Debra Robinson; Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black) plays serial killer Richard Evonitz; additionally Lisa Marie DiGiacinto (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) plays Sgt. Bonnie Jennings, Erik Athavale (A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe) plays Lt. Aaron Rowland, John B. Lowe (A Kiss Before Christmas) plays Sheriff Dale Stephens, and Gwendolyn Collins (Orphan: First Kill) plays Stephanie Newell.

Is The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story based on a true story?

Yes, and the story was told in documentary form in Oxygen’s Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story in September 2021. If you missed it then, you can watch it when it airs on Lifetime on February 11 at 10 p.m. ET.

The real Kara Robinson was kidnapped in June 2002. She was taken from the front yard of her best friend’s house, where she was watering plants, by a man carrying a gun. He put the 15-year-old Robinson in a plastic storage container and transported her back to his apartment where he assaulted. During her 18 hours as a captive, Robinson memorized key details about her surroundings and then escaped while her captor was sleeping. She was able to successfully lead law enforcement back to the apartment where they arrested the captor — and discovered that he was responsible for a number of other unsolved homicides.

Robinson now works as a motivational speaker and as part of a number of outreach and advocacy groups that work with survivors of kidnapping and assault. You can follow Kara Robinson Chamberlain on Instagram at @kararobinsonchamberlain.

The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET