An upcoming event series from FOX will examine the U.S. criminal justice system and its racial implications.

Shots Fired is toplined by Sanaa Lathan, and also features familiar faces such as actor/singer Tristan (Mack) Wilds and Race star Stephan James. It reunites Lathan with Love & Basketball writer and director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who created Shots Fired and serves as an executive producer alongside her husband, Reggie.

The 10-hour event series will follow the aftermath after a black cop (Wilds) shoots a white, unarmed college student in a small, racially-divided North Carolina town. The Department of Justice sends an investigator (Lathan) and special prosecutor (James) to the town to probe the case, and they suspect a cover-up involving powerful political figures including the state’s governor (Helen Hunt). The story also brings to light a murder of a black teen which was swept under the rug, receiving less media attention than the white teen.

Sanaa has been dropping nuggets about the show via social media.

When the event series was first ordered by FOX, I thought this was an especially bold move for the creators and the network to have a black cop shooting a white teen. However, the trailer brushes off any reservations that I might have had about before seeing the story come to life. It’s hard to not say that the show is inspired by recent shootings that have occurred across the nation in the past few years. The show’s brass is acknowledging that as well, with an official saying in the trailer, “we don’t want another Ferguson”.

The trailer also gives me strong American Crime vibes, which started similarly as an event series, but was picked up for a second, and more recently, a third season after its successes.

We’ll definitely be checking out Shots Fired in the fall. Will you?

Any other upcoming shows you are excited about? Comment below!