Every single critics' review I read before watching the series premiere of 'Shots Fired' made it sound like I was about to view an awful mini-series. And I'm SO glad I didn't pass on seeing it due to their harsh critiques, or I would have missed out on a really thought provoking TV show!
Although this is yet another entry in a recent series of programs regarding race relations, I found 'Shots Fired' to be more compelling than a similar show, 'American Crime'. In an intriguing reversal of current events, the show opens with black cop Joshua Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds) shooting a white kid during a traffic stop, claiming that he was trying to grab his gun. People immediately start accusing Beck of racial profiling, believing he only pulled the teen over because he was in a black neighborhood...so he must be buying drugs.
Sensing a community uproar, the Governor (Helen Hunt) calls in the Department of Justice to handle the investigation. This brings Preston Terry (Stephan James) ~ who is fresh out of law school, and his seasoned investigator Ashe Akino (Sanaa Latham) to town.
This 10 part mini-series looks to cover police corruption, racial discrimination, political aspirations of current office holders, and the problems of systemic racism. I found the first episode to be very compelling, seeing different angles of a police shooting ~ from an almost all white police department, to an almost all black community.
But one thing is for sure ~ I'm certainly glad I didn't listen to the critics first on this one!
Although this is yet another entry in a recent series of programs regarding race relations, I found 'Shots Fired' to be more compelling than a similar show, 'American Crime'. In an intriguing reversal of current events, the show opens with black cop Joshua Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds) shooting a white kid during a traffic stop, claiming that he was trying to grab his gun. People immediately start accusing Beck of racial profiling, believing he only pulled the teen over because he was in a black neighborhood...so he must be buying drugs.
Sensing a community uproar, the Governor (Helen Hunt) calls in the Department of Justice to handle the investigation. This brings Preston Terry (Stephan James) ~ who is fresh out of law school, and his seasoned investigator Ashe Akino (Sanaa Latham) to town.
This 10 part mini-series looks to cover police corruption, racial discrimination, political aspirations of current office holders, and the problems of systemic racism. I found the first episode to be very compelling, seeing different angles of a police shooting ~ from an almost all white police department, to an almost all black community.
But one thing is for sure ~ I'm certainly glad I didn't listen to the critics first on this one!