Showtime Releases Trailer for ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’ Documentary Series From W. Kamau Bell

Showtime just debuted the first trailer for W. Kamau Bell’s docuseries about Bill Cosby and the sexual assault allegations surrounding him.

The four-part documentary series, set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival later this month, is titled We Need to Talk About Cosby. Directed and produced by the United Shades of America host and comedian Bell, the doc examines the comic’s own personal history with the disgraced Cosby and the sexual battery and misconduct allegations leveled against the now-84-year-old by over 60 women.

“Bell, who grew up idolizing Cosby, unpacks how Cosby’s desire for power, which propelled his professional success, could be the same driving force that motivated his alleged crimes against women,” reads the official synopsis for the doc. “We Need to Talk About Cosby 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.” 

Actress Eden Tirl, one of the women allegedly preyed on by Cosby, opens the trailer by suggesting people in the industry were well aware of the Cosby Show star’s behavior before the allegations got the spotlight.

“You can’t do what he did unless you have other people supporting what you’re doing,” Tirl said. Featuring interviews with Cosby’s accusers as well as comedians who looked up to him in their youth, the series will begin airing Jan. 30 on Showtime.

Last year, Bill Cosby was released from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction. 

Watch the trailer above.