The New Edition miniseries premiered on BET Jan. 24 over a span of three nights, each episode totaling two hours.
Since then, New Edition has become a regular household name again.
The series, which chronicles the lives of Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell and Ronnie Devoe, shows the group’s rise from humble beginnings in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to their rocky journey into superstardom. The series was a huge success for BET, bringing 28.4 million viewers, and the numbers continue to grow every day.
New Edition was first formed in 1978 with members Tresvant, Brown, Bivins and Bell, with Devoe joining shortly after. Gill did not join the group until 1987 after Brown’s departure in 1985. The group is known for paving the way for groups such as Boyz II Men, NSYNC, New Kids on the Block and various other quintet ensembles. They rose to fame in the early 1980s, and their first hits include “Candy Girl” and “Mr. Telephone Man.”
New Edition later achieved major success with two of their most well-known songs, “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand The Rain.” The group’s rise to the top was plagued with many hardships including personal disputes, drugs, financial woes and management issues. Members of New Edition also pursued solo projects. Three of the group’s members, Bell, Bivins and Devoe, formed a separate group titled, Bell Biv Devoe. The group became known for their most popular single, “Poison.”
The actors portraying the legendary group from their teen to their later years are Algee Smith (Tresvant), Woody McClain (Brown), Luke James (Gill), Bryshere Gray (Bivins), Keith Powers (Devoe) and Elijah Kelley (Bell). The miniseries has turned the cast into household names, sparking a huge fan base for them. The actors’ obvious chemistry on film is one of the factors that makes this series thrive. The cast does a wonderful job of catching the real essence of New Edition. They were able to embody Ralph’s smoothness, Ronnie’s effortless dancing, Bobby’s confidence, Johnny’s suaveness and the rest of the group’s charisma. Their accurate portrayals of the group from their mannerisms to the dancing and singing were spot on, and earned them praise from celebrities such as Usher and Lebron James.
Junior English major Kharisma Morris explained how refreshing it was to see BET airing quality television programming and how she learned new things about the quintessential boy band. She also reflected on how it brought fans together through social media.
“The premiere was an opportunity for ‘black Twitter’ to come together and watch and make memes and jokes,” she said. “The attractive cast, such as Keith Powers, was also a plus. The eye candy and good acting chops were just icing on the cake.”
In an interview with Hello Beautiful, the cast members expressed how hard they had to work to pack 30-plus years of friendship into four months of filming. They had to go through an intense three-week training session, learn dance moves and mannerisms, and record the group’s most recognizable hits. The actors, three of whom are singers and recording artists, did their own singing for the miniseries instead of lip syncing.
The docuseries has breathed new life into New Edition as a new generation gets to experience their journey and music for the first time, while the older generation gets to experience how they felt the first time they heard a New Edition song. They also get to recall the memories they had while growing up listening to the group. Since the hype of the show, New Edition has received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has announced plans to record a new album and tour. With the success of this miniseries, people will be reliving New Edition’s story for years to come.
