Jay Z and Weinstein Television have announced the television premiere of TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, which has now been set to air on Spike TV in early 2017. Spike has now released the first trailer for the series and it looks as captivating as expected.
The six-part documentary depicts the story of Kalief Browder, a 16-year-old African-American student from New York City who spent three years on Rikers Island — including over 1,000 days in solitary , even though he was never convicted of any crime. The story is one that’s heart-breaking and it will be brought to life on the screen through the use of first-person accounts, archival footage, and cinematic recreations from Browder, his family and friends along with help from politicians and social justice reformers who cite Browder’s case as an example of why there needs to be strong change in the country’s criminal justice system. After several failed attempts, the teen ultimately took his own life two years after being released due to the severe depression he suffered as a result of tragic case.
The series is one of the first products of the joint venture between Jay Z and Weistein Television, a deal that was originally announced a few months back. At the time, Jay, one of the executive producers, explained the decision to tell Browder’s story because it depicted “a failure of the judicial process.”
He called Browder a young man “who lost his life because of a broken system. His tragedy has brought atrocities to light and now we must confront the issues and events that occurred so other young men can have a chance at justice.”
Time: The Kalief Browder Story will premiere on Wednesday, March 1 from 10:00-11:00pm EST.
