“Shots Fired” star Richard Dreyfuss says that viewers will be blown away by how relevant the series is to the current climate of the United States.
“We shot probably the most current show you will ever see,” Dreyfuss said at the Television Critics Association press tour on Wednesday. “You’re going to be reminded of the most current headlines of your life.”
The story follows the story of an African-American officer who shoots a white teenager, and how the shooting echoes through their community. Sanaa Lathan will play an expert investigator who digs into the case, alongside a special prosecutor (Stephan James) sent to the town by the Department of Justice.
The pair must navigate media attention, public debate and social unrest as they try to keep the town from erupting into race riots. Along the way, they are pulled into the mysterious case of an African-American teenager who was killed by police just weeks before the shooting at the center of the series.
Co-creator and executive producer Reggie Bythewood said mystery is central to the message they are trying to convey.
“We have a creed for the show, which is: Get the audience to the edge of their seats and when they’re leaning forward, hit them with the truth,” he said. “Clearly we wanted a show with great characters [that] really dealt with the social issues we dialed into, but the mystery element is kind of the glue that keeps us coming back.”
Undisputed Cinema and Imagine Television are producing “Shots Fired” in association with 20th Century Fox Television.
The project is executive-produced by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo. Prince-Bythewood will direct.
“Shots Fired” will premiere on March 22.