Pilots for television shows come and go. Some shows get picked up and some shows don’t see the light of today. This is television. This is show business. Shots Fired is yet another show that’s trying to make an impression on fans. While slated to be a limited series of 10 episodes, I personally think the length of the show is going to be a reflection of the viewership it gets and reviews it receives. However, before even mentioning what the show is about I’d like to applaud Fox for even airing the series. It’s one of the few racially charged shows you’re going to see on television right now so Fox deserves some credit.
The show depicts two deaths likely linked to a sheriff’s department — one of which receives far more attention from the government. Sanaa Lathan and Stephan James star in the 10-episode series. The saga is tied to a pair of racially charged shootings in a small Southern town. The cast also includes Stephen Moyer, Richard Dreyfuss and Helen Hunt.
Co-creators Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood, who are both black, told the Associated Press that in creating the series, they were inspired by the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and George Zimmerman’s acquittal. But they twisted the expected story, so the police officer who fatally shoots a young man is black, and the young man himself is white. “Just that alone, to be able to challenge people’s points of view just in the way you would look at the story, that was compelling,” Mr. Bythewood told the AP.
I couldn’t be more interested that the creators took this route. It’ll be very interesting to see how it’s received publicly but again, I applaud Fox for taking the leap here and going after a show that tackles real issues.
Check out the trailer below:
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