The stars and director of the new BET+ series Perimeter are bringing viewers back to ’90s Atlanta.

Directed by Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story co-director Armani Ortiz, Perimeter follows interconnected stories of people living and loving in Atlanta, during the time of the city’s explosion onto the modern cultural scene. Trey Mangum, Blavity/Shadow and Act’s managing editor, talked with stars Ava Mone’t, Tatyana Ali and Ortiz about what fans can expect.

Ortiz said his inspiration was his own journey into the history of Atlanta.

“I’m originally from New York and when I moved down to Atlanta, we were working on the Tyler Perry documentary and I started doing research on Atlanta and seeing all these little pockets of culture and how in the ’90s it was starting to form into the beautiful city that it is today,” he said. “It has a long history of Black [mayors] and the Olympics were right around the corner in 1996. With the drug game and the epidemic that was happening in New York and in Atlanta as well, all of these things were hitting at the early ’90s. I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe no one has ever made a series or a movie about this, especially in the early ’90s.'”

Watch the full interview below. Perimeter is now streaming on BET+. Here’s more about the series from the synopsis.

In Atlanta, in the 1990’s a complex web of personal stories unfolds. Paige, a promising Spelman sophomore, veers off her path to success when she falls for a “bad boy” just before the pivotal “Freaknik” event. Adulthood disrupts their lives, pulling Paige, her long-term boyfriend Malcolm, and newcomer Romeo into a series of challenges. Amidst Atlanta’s global Olympic spotlight, eventual mayor Robert Dawn’s rise to power comes at the price of personal sacrifices and moral dilemmas. These interconnected stories set off a transformative chain reaction in the city, echoing Dante’s words: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Perimeter

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