Series synopsis
When We Rise is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on February 27, 2017. It ended on March 3, 2017. It was created by Dustin Lance Black. It stars Austin P. McKenzie, Emily Skeggs, Jonathan Majors and Fiona Dourif.
The personal and political struggles, setbacks 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.
Premise
The personal and political struggles, setbacks 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.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Austin P. McKenzie as Young Cleve Jones
- Emily Skeggs as Young Roma Guy
- Jonathan Majors as Young Ken Jones
- Fiona Dourif as Young Diane Jones
- Rachel Griffiths as Diane Jones
- Mary-Louise Parker as Roma Guy
- Guy Pearce as Cleve Jones
- Michael Kenneth Williams as Ken Jones
Supporting cast
- Ivory Aquino as Cecilia Chung
- Debra Winger as Elena Kagan
- David Hyde Pierce as Dr. Jones
- Whoopi Goldberg as Pat Norman
- Rosie O'Donnell as Del Martin
Guest cast
- Charles Socarides as Richard Socarides
- Daniel Arnold as Jake
- Adam DiMarco as Marvin Feldman
- Willam Belli as Jason Snyder
- Balthazar Getty as David
- Charlie Carver as Michael Smith
- Walter Mack as White Night Rioter (uncredited)
- Murry Peeters as Black Lesbian (uncredited)
- Douglas Smith as Young Man
- Jazzmun as Bobbi Jean Baker
- Jesse Haddock as Phil
- Kristina Hampton as Protester
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 13 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 9 | March 2, 2017 | March 3, 2017 |
| Season 1 | 4 | February 27, 2017 | March 3, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | When We Rise: The People Behind the Story | March 2, 2017 |
| 2 |
Part I 1972: Three people—an Arizona peace activist named Cleve Jones, an African-American sailor Ken Jones in Vietnam, and a Boston women's activist Roma Guy—all move to San Francisco to join the nascent gay community. |
February 27, 2017 |
| 3 |
Part II Roma helps take a stand against the National Organization for Women's attempts to purge lesbians from their ranks. Ken comes to accept—and fight for—his sexuality. After struggling to find San Francisco less welcoming than he'd hoped, Cleve hears of a New Yorker, Harvey Milk, running for election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. |
February 27, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Part I A young peace activist escapes his repressive life in Phoenix and heads to San Francisco, hoping to find refuge and community, but finds that the struggle for survival is just as difficult as it was back home. Elsewhere, NOW purges lesbians from its ranks. |
February 27, 2017 |
| 2 |
Part II Ken, Cleve, and Roma fight an initiative that would ban gays from working in California public schools, while Cleve works on the campaign to elect Harvey Milk as San Francisco City Supervisor. But soon a disease starts killing gay men all over the country. |
March 1, 2017 |
| 3 |
Part III AIDS continues to ravage the gay community. Cleve creates the AIDS quilt in order to get the President's attention, while Diane's daughter Annie struggles with her identity as the child of a lesbian couple and a gay man. |
March 2, 2017 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | February 27, 2017 |
| Last aired | March 3, 2017 |
| Runtime | 43 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 21:00:00 |