It's time to talk about Bill Cosby.
On Dec. 20, Showtime released a first-look teaser of their upcoming four-part docuseries "We Need to Talk About Cosby."
The new series, directed by Emmy Award winner W. Kamau Bell, follows the rise and fall of comedian Bill Cosby, who was once thought of as "America's Dad," before he was accused of "rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery and other misconduct by more than 60 women as far back as nearly 60 years," according to the series.
"I am a child of Bill Cosby, you know what I mean." says Bell in the clip. "I'm a Black man and a comic born in the '70s. Bill Cosby had to be one of my heroes. But this, this was f--cked up."
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He continues in the teaser, "What do we do about everything we knew about Bill Cosby, and what we know now. How do we talk about Bill Cosby?"
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"We Need to Talk About Cosby," which premieres on Jan. 30, features archival footage, along with interviews with comedians, journalists, cultural commentators and women who share their distressing personal encounters with the 84-year old comedian.
In 2018, Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. His conviction was overturned after he served three years.
The series "peels back complex layers, portraying the genius performer, philanthropist and role model, contrasted by the accused sexual predator that now defines him. It offers viewers the chance to reconsider Cosby's mark in a society where rape culture, toxic masculinity, capitalism and white supremacy are shaping how we re-evaluate sex, power and agency," according to the show's description.
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Bell, who is a stand-up comedian himself, said in a statement, "I never thought I'd ever wrestle with who we all thought Cosby was and who we now understand him to be. I'm not sure he would want me to do this work, but Cliff Huxtable definitely would."
Cliff Huxtable was the beloved patriarch on Emmy -- and Golden Globe -- winning "The Cosby Show," which ran from 1984 to 1992.
We Need to Talk About Cosby premieres Saturday, Jan. 30 on Showtime.
