Plot Synopsis

Set in the early 1920s and inspired by real events, THE PORTER is a one-hour drama series that follows train porters Junior and Zeke, nurse Marlene, and performer Lucy, as a tragedy in the community sets them all on starkly different paths to a better life -- and on a direct collision course with each other. While Junior takes advantage of a broken system to pursue money and power in gambling and bootlegging, Zeke fights the railway to change the system from within by unionizing the Black porters. Marlene questions whether her work as a Black Cross nurse is truly serving her community, while Lucy takes her success into her own hands -- whatever the cost. As each pursues their goals, their once unbreakable bonds are stretched to their limits. THE PORTER is a story of empowerment and idealism that highlights the moment when railway workers from both Canada and the United States joined together to give birth to the world's first Black union. They're young, gifted and Black, from Canada, the Caribbean, and the U.S. via the Underground Railroad and through the Great Migration, and they find themselves thrown together north and south of the color line. Set primarily in Montreal, Chicago and Detroit as the world rebuilds after the First World War, this series depicts the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal -- known, at the time, as the "Harlem of the North."

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022 from 10:30-11:30pm ET/PT, BET debuted the first episode of THE PORTER as a series sneak peek in anticipation of the program's U.S. debut the following day on Thursday, May 5, 2022 on BET+, as the streaming service released all eight episodes.