Plot Synopsis

Through the use of original interviews and archival footage, BOILING POINT is a six-episode docuseries that chronicles how far Black Americans have come and the battle lines that remain today, while acknowledging the brave everyday American heroes, past and present who have fought for progress. Have we come to a moment of reckoning, an overdue awakening on systemic racism? Sparked by the horrific death of George Floyd, protesters took to the streets across the nation, demanding accountability and change in policing. Yet, the current movements against police brutality, voter suppression, segregated schools, environmental racism and mass incarceration unfortunately are not new. For decades, Black Americans have been fighting for America to live up to its ideals. Each hour-long episode of BOILING POINT is driven by never-before-seen footage drawn from the unparalleled CBS News archives. Along this journey, the viewer also witness the evolution of television journalism in covering civil rights stories, including the rise of the evening news, the dawn of the home movie/caught-on-tape era and finally, the cellphone camera/social media revolution. The special will feature first-person witnesses and participants, family, reporters on the scene, thought leaders, legislators and current activists including Andrew Young, journalist Wesley Lowery, Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries, journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, Professor Carol Anderson, Rev. Raymond Scott, Professor Ibram X. Kendi, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, Professor Jody Armour, Professor Marc Lamont Hill, activist LaTosha Brown, Professor Michael Eric Dyson, retired Lt. General Russel Honore and others. The six life-changing moments highlighted in this series include:

- L.A. Riots: The acquittal of four officers in the Rodney King beating trial that lit a firestorm of unrest and rang the alarm on a troubling history of excessive force by police (1992)

- Bloody Sunday: The assault on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama that galvanized public opinion and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act (1965)

- Attica: The violent inmate uprising that exposed a broken system of incarceration in America (1971)

- Hurricane Katrina: The natural disaster that sparked questions and a bitter uproar about how race and class may have influenced the government's response to the crisis (2005)

- Stand in the Schoolhouse Door: The defiant attempt by Governor Wallace to stop Black students from enrolling at the University of Alabama that laid bare divisions over desegregation (1963)

- George Floyd: The terrible and tragic killing of George Floyd that sparked the largest wave of protests in American history, strengthening long-standing calls for greater police accountability and improving the relationship between police and the communities they serve.

BOILING POINT premiered on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT on BET, with a simulcast on BET Her. After two Sunday episodes, BOILING POINT moved to Tuesdays at 11pm, beginning March 2 and aired in that timeslot through the finale on March 23.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 23, 2021 at 11pm ET/PT, BET premiered "George Floyd," the finale of BOILING POINT. The fatal shooting of a Black youth and ensuing street violence that sparked a national debate on militarization of police and their relationship with the community.