Plot Synopsis

Created and executive produced by hip-hop hit maker Irv 'Gotti' Lorenzo, TALES is a one-hour, scripted anthology series that weaves classic and current hip-hop songs into visual narratives, using lyrics from some of hip-hop's greatest hits. Each episode is led by a different director and written by a different screenwriter, allowing the story to reimagine the meaning of each original song while taking viewers on an adventure into some of the stories that play inspiration to the most iconic hip-hop hits. The two-hour premiere episode recreates NWA's "Fuck the Police", focusing on the controversial killing of a young white boy at the hands of two black police officers -- and a District Attorney's struggle to convince the one witness to testify in court -- and then flipping the biases and stereotypes of today's society. The lyrics of other rap classics like Notorious B.I.G.'s "I Got A Story to Tell", Meek Mill's "Cold Hearted" and Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen" serve as the thematic backdrop for each cautionary tale in subsequent episodes. The rotating star-studded cast includes Woody McClain, Keith Powers, Boris Kodjoe, Jennifer Freeman, Elise Neal, MC Lyte, Lance Gross, Christian Robinson, Matthew Noszka, Chet Hanks, Clifton Powell, Michelle Hayden, Michelle Mitchenor, Lil Duval, DC Young Fly, Rico Ball and more help bring the music to life. After a three-month break, TALES returned with new episodes on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT on BET, immediately following the 2017 BET HIP HIP AWARDS. The fall premiere, "Trap Queen," inspired by the lyrics of Fetty Wap's Trap Queen, tells the story of devoted love: Crystal discovers that her boyfriend, the love of her life, Reggie, is running drugs out of the strip club they own.

The sophomore season of TALES premiered on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 from 9-11pm ET/PT on BET, with a simulcast on BET Her, MTV2, and MTV Classic. The two-hour debut episode, "Brothers," brings a new and exciting twist for the series, by serving as the launchpad for an unreleased Kanye West song featuring Charlie Wilson. To bring the "Brothers" story to life, these TV and film veterans appear: Elijah Kelley, Draya Michele, Isaiah Washington, Thomas Q. Jones, LisaRaye McCoy, and Cynthia Bailey. The second season includes nine additional episodes that feature timeless hits including Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," Migos' "Slippery," Nas' "I Gave You Power," Mary J. Blige's "My Life," Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Life," Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow," Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "Deep Cover," Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," and XXXtentacion's "Moonlight."

TALES returned for its 10-episode third season debuted on Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT on BET, with a simulcast on BET Her. (Season 3 of TALES was originally scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT, but the episode was pulled from the schedule at the last minute.) In the season opener, "Fight the Power," prosecutor Stokely Overton finds himself against two police who have killed an innocent youth; as he pursues the case, Stokely's father's life as a political prisoner blurs the lines between past and present. Season 3 episodes also feature these songs: "Act Up" by the City Girls; "Hot In Herre" by Nelly; "Renee" by the Lost Boyz; "C.R.E.A.M." from Raekwon and the Wu Tang; and more.
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BET and BET Her premiered "Survival of the Fittest," the Season 3 finale of TALES at 9pm ET/PT on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. Kidnapped by a group of rogue police, four Black activists are forced into a hunt in which they are the prey; the only way that they can survive is for the prey to become the hunters.