’13 Days in Ferguson’ Primetime Special

CBS presents “13 Days in Ferguson,” a primetime special looking at the protests, riots and aftermath following the 2014 police shooting of a young Black man, airing Friday, August 9th at 10 PM, ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, the day after the episode airs.

The special features Cedric The Entertainer, a St. Louis area native who grew up next to Ferguson, reuniting with his longtime friend, retired lead task force officer Captain Ron Johnson, for an emotional journey, walking the streets of Ferguson in remembrance of the shocking events that took place there a decade ago.

When unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, Jr. was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson following a confrontation in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, the killing triggered outrage, protests and rioting. Assigned to lead law enforcement efforts to defuse the violence was Capt. Ron Johnson, a Black State Police officer with close ties to the community.

“The story of Ferguson is the story of America,” states Cedric. “It’s important to tell this story now with my friend Ron Johnson because, with the benefit of 10 years, we can see the lessons learned, the progress made and the road ahead with more clarity. This is Ron’s elegy.”

“If I was going to step up to be a leader, then I had to accept whatever came, the good and the bad,” Capt. Johnson says. “Leadership is an honor. People are critical of leadership and a leader has to take whatever comes with that, because he or she has been honored to be in that position. And so, whatever came with it, it was a part of it.”

The Ferguson riots and protests were a watershed moment for a racially conflicted nation and for these two lifelong friends. The special also includes the first-ever sit-down discussion between Capt. Johnson and the victim’s father, Michael Brown, Sr.

Airing exactly 10 years after the shooting and the uprising that came in its wake, the special features Cedric and Capt. Johnson revisiting key places and recalling how, in a few hours, the confrontation between protesters and police escalated in a way that would grip the nation. Their frank, emotional and reflective conversations with each other, with Michael Brown, Sr., activists and other key figures in Ferguson, tell a moving story of how the community ultimately came together in a time of crisis.