--- ---  # Watch an Exclusive Clip From Jesse Williams and Shonda Rhimes' New Show _America Divided_ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jul 25, 2016 11:00 AM UTC  Actor Jesse Williams accepts the Humanitarian Award during the 2016 BET Awards in Los Angeles, California U.S. June 26, 2016\. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok Actor Jesse Williams accepts the Humanitarian Award during the 2016 BET Awards in Los Angeles, California U.S. June 26, 2016\. REUTERS/Danny MoloshokDANNY MOLOSHOK—REUTERS by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jul 25, 2016 11:00 AM UTC Before Jesse Williams played a doctor on _Grey’s Anatomy_, he worked as a teacher. In _America Divided,_ an upcoming EPIX documentary series airing in September_,_ Williams returns to the classroom to report on growing problems in America’s schools, heading to St. Petersburg, Fla. for an in-depth look at that school system’s student achievement gap and the so-called [school-to-prison pipeline](https://www.aclu.org/fact-sheet/locating-school-prison-pipeline). In this exclusive clip from the series, which lays bare inequality in America, Williams talks to a public defender about minors in the criminal justice system who are asked to waive their Miranda Rights. While they may have heard this phrase on TV, teenagers don’t necessarily understand what it means to waive their rights, especially when a police officer is the one asking them to do it. Such waivers can have serious legal implications, but the decision is frequently made when parents aren’t in the room. _America Divided_ is a five-part documentary series that illuminates inequalities in education, housing, healthcare, labor, criminal justice and politics. In addition to Williams, the show is executive produced by Norman Lear, Shonda Rhimes and Common. Other high-profile correspondents include _Daredevil_ actress Rosario Dawson, who will explore the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., and actor Peter Sarsgaard, who will look at the country’s addiction crisis. Jesse Williams, Shonda Rimes: America Divided on Epix Clip ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4418135/jesse-williams-shonda-rhimes-america-divided/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4418135/jesse-williams-shonda-rhimes-america-divided/"},"headline":"Watch an Exclusive Clip From Jesse Williams and Shonda Rhimes' New Show America Divided","datePublished":"2016-07-25T11:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:56:25.491Z","description":"Shonda Rimes, Norman Lear and Common produced the new EPIX series","url":"https://time.com/4418135/jesse-williams-shonda-rhimes-america-divided/","keywords":["Television","shonda rhimes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d17316c21429461/69889ede3c1639c72f45e285/jesse-williams-epix.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d17316c21429461/69889ede3c1639c72f45e285/jesse-williams-epix.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jesse Williams accepts his award during the 2016 BET Awards in Los Angeles","caption":"Jesse Williams accepts his award during the 2016 BET Awards in Los Angeles","creditText":"DANNY MOLOSHOK—REUTERS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4418135/jesse-williams-shonda-rhimes-america-divided/","name":"Watch an Exclusive Clip From Jesse Williams and Shonda Rhimes' New Show America Divided"}}]}] ```