After weeks of strenuous training features time spent on choreography, physical and mental discipline, and singing, inducing a cover of Holding On (When Love Is Gone), Payne prepares the quartet in for a big talent showcase at the Strand Theater, where the winning act will receive a recording contract from Maurice Starr ( Faizon Love) under his independent record label. Payne comes up with the group's name of New Edition, as if they were either a new version or new edition of the Jacksons. However, Payne doesn't sugarcoat them, warning them they will be doing some extra hard work on their path to becoming musical artists. The next morning, the boys arrive on time to meet Payne. The boys sneak into the back alley of a club to convince Brooke to manage them, finally winning him over with an a capella version of The Jackson 5's " I Want You Back". Recognizing they need some guidance, Ricky's sister, Peanut (Bre-Z), suggests they meet with Brooke Payne ( Wood Harris), a manager for several of Boston's rising musical acts. The quartet try to practice at Ricky's house but squabble a fair amount, and are pestered by one of Rickys brothers. The trio made an assumption of the fact he can be pulled away from a girl, whom he has unsuccessfully been trying to impress with his karate skills, so when Ricky attempts to impress the girl himself, Ralph is able to impress her with his hidden singing talent. Initially unsure, the pair agree as long as another kid from the neighborhood, Ralph Tresvant (played as a youth by Jahi D'Allo Winston), can join. The next day, Bobby asks Ricky and Mike to join him on stage the next time he performs, thinking that will help him with his stage fright. Ricky and Mike are impressed by the sound of a vocal group called "The Untouchables", while Bobby's performance is a disappointment as he gets stage fright within the first few seconds of his song. It's a normal day for the people of Roxbury, Boston Orchard Park, Housing Projects ( "O.P."), in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1978.ĭespite his mother's refusal to grant her son permission, a young Ricky Bell (played as a youth by Caleb McLaughlin) sneaks out at night to meet his friend, Michael Bivins ("Mike") (played as a youth by Dante Hoagland), a basketball crazed street kid, to go to a local talent show, where their mutual friend, Bobby Brown (played as a youth by Tyler Marcel Williams) is scheduled to perform. The rise of New Edition - Roxbury, MA - 1978-1983 Payne's narration states that, "Ego, pride, and greed resulted in this blow up of what had once been a successful group of brothers." and decides to rewind the scene nearly twenty years, back to the group's founding in Roxbury, Massachusetts. After briefly walking off stage, an enraged Brown returns and gets into a confrontation with DeVoe, as the musical performance is replaced by a wild brawl among the various New Edition members and their entourages, punctuated by a gunshot. He then directs the disc jockey DJ to begin playing the BBD set. DeVoe goes on stage, thanking Brown for his performance. As Brown - whose decade-long selfishness and severely erratic behavior resulted in his being suspended from the group a decade prior - starts yet another song well after his scheduled time is up. Tensions reach a boiling point at the New Mexico concert. The divisions are still present as, in addition to performing the group's hits, the three solo acts - Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and Bobby Brown - and the trio Bell Biv DeVoe (or BBD,) also have their own scheduled sets. Narration by Brook Payne ( Wood Harris), the group's first manager, sets the stage: all six members of New Edition are back on tour in 1997, almost twenty years after the group's formation, separations, and solo projects. Opening Sequence - Home Again Tour - New Mexico, 1997 ( July 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. All six members of New Edition served as co-producers. It was originally broadcast on BET from January 24 through January 26, 2017, becoming the network's first scripted miniseries. The New Edition Story is an American biographical three-part miniseries about the R&B group New Edition, from their rise to fame as a boy band from the Orchard Park Projects of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to becoming a successful adult act. ( January 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)