BET Is Developing a New Edition Miniseries

Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP

Before One Direction, the Jonas Brothers, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Boyz II Men—even before New Kids on the Block—there was New Edition. Formed in 1978 by childhood friends living in Boston’s Orchard Park housing projects, the group would go on to become pioneers of the “boy band” genre, produce popular hits like “Candy Girl,” and even win a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.

Thirty-seven years, several lineup changes, solo and spinoff group endeavors, and reunions later, the band is ready to retrace its steps. BET Networks announced this week that a three-part miniseries focused on New Edition is currently in the works.

“From our beginning in the Orchard Park Projects in Boston to Hollywood and everything in between, just like The Temptations and The Jackson Five—we are ready to retrace our footsteps and show everyone how we got here,” the band said in a statement. “For the fans all over the world, this one’s for you.”

Jesse Collins of Real Husbands of Hollywood will serve as executive producer, and New Edition members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant have signed on to co-produce.

Notably missing from the list is original member Bobby Brown, who, in addition to his career both with the band and on his own, is known for his tumultuous marriage to the late Whitney Houston. The couple’s only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, herself a budding musician, passed away last month.

New Edition’s longtime manager Brooke Payne has also signed on to co-produce the BET miniseries, and Abdul Williams has been commissioned to write the script. A title and director have not been announced, but filming is expected to begin in early 2016. The miniseries will be BET’s first scripted music-focused television movie.