Here’s the official synopsis for When We Rise:
“When We Rise” chronicles the personal and political struggles, set-backs and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today. The period piece tells the history of the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.
At first glance, When We Rise looks like a hugely promising gambit. The great Gus Van Sant, who is getting over a critical shellacking over the mediocre but by no means awful Sea of Trees, reteams with Oscar-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black for the story of how the LGBTQ (and, eventually, the LGBTQIA) community came to prominence in America. In a bit of a twist, the series is premiering on ABC, with a litany of audacious performers set to play prominent figures in the fight for equal rights, from Guy Pearce and Whoopi Goldberg to Mary Louise Parker and Michael Kenneth Williams. That’s not even mentioning Rachel Griffiths, Rosie O’Donnell, and David Hyde Pierce, and a host of newcomers. It’s a major event series on a network not known for ambition or audacity, and has the chance to be seen even by those who just have basic cable. This could be big.
