BET ANNOUNCES SLATE OF ORIGINAL SUSPENSE THRILLERS TO AIR EVERY TUESDAY STARTING AUGUST 31

BET's "Summer of Chills" Film Lineup Features an Array of Black Star Power including Paula Patton, Lauren London, LisaRaye McCoy, Loretta Devine, Wood Harris, V. Bozeman, Columbus Short, Deborah Cox, Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi and more!

NEW YORK, NY, AUGUST 24, 2021 - As summer temperatures soar, BET will 'chill' viewers with a slate of primetime suspense thrillers premiering on BET and BET Her every Tuesday across five weeks starting Tuesday, August 31. The film list includes three BET Original Movies (Always & Forever; Twice Bitten; Karen) and the linear debut of two BET+ Original Movies (Influence; Sacrifice). Each film features tantalizing plot twists and gripping storylines that will bring audiences to the edge of their seats! Watch the exclusive supertrailer of BET's "Summer of Chills" lineup on BET's YouTube Channel here.

The premiere and encore broadcast schedule of the of the films include:

ALWAYS & FOREVER premieres Tuesday, August 31st at 10pm/9c | encore 9/3 at 10/9c: After a tragedy reunites Nicole with her childhood friends, they each find themselves in danger, targets of a deranged stalker. Nicole knows this can't be a coincidence. The secrets of their past are coming back to haunt them. This thriller stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robbie Jones, Loretta Devine, Wood Harris, and Lauren London.

TWICE BITTEN premieres Tuesday, September 7th at 10pm/9c | encore 9/10 at 10/9c: LisaRaye McCoy stars in this whodunit about a sexy conman targeting his next mark, for his latest swindle. His routine scam hits a snag when suspicion mounts and the scheme spirals into desperation, betrayal, and murder. Twice Bitten also stars Kevin A. Walton, Shanica Knowles, Dorian Gregory and Ledisi.

KAREN premieres Tuesday, September 14th at 10pm/9c | encore 9/17 at 10/9c: An entitled, racist, Caucasian woman (Taryn Manning) pulls out all the stops to rid her precious neighborhood of the peaceful African American couple (Cory Hardrict; Jasmine Burke) who just moved in next door. Additional cast includes Greg Alan Williams, Lorenzo Cromwell and V. Bozeman.

INFLUENCE premieres Tuesday, September 21st at 10pm/9c | encore 9/24 at 10/9c: From New York Times best-selling author, Carl Weber, comes the story of the Hudson's - a family of African American lawyers led by famed attorney Bradley Hudson. Along with his son Lamont, daughter Desiree and new wife Carla, they are handed the task to defend Grammy Award Winning singer Savannah who has been charged with the murder of her husband Kyle Kirby. Influence stars Roger Guenveur Smith, Kellita Smith, Nadine Ellis, Gary Dourdan, Broderick Hunter, Columbus Short, Todd Anthony, Drew Sidora, Deborah Cox, Anthony Hamilton, and Bebe Drake. Influence is a BET+ Original Film that originally debuted on February 20, 2020.

SACRIFICE premieres Tuesday, September 28th at 10pm/9c | encore 10/1 at 10/9c: Featuring a star-studded cast including Paula Patton, Erica Ash, V. Bozeman and Marques Houston, this legal thriller follows entertainment lawyer, and all-around power player, Daniella Hernandez as she navigates the unruly lives of her rich and famous clients. The reputation of Daniella and her clients proves problematic to LA law enforcement and fractures the relationship with her sorority sister turned nemesis District Attorney Beverly Rucker. The movie also stars Juan Antonio, Altonio Jackson, Nelson Bonilla, Michael Toland, James Trevena Brown, Liliana Montenegro, and Josué Ramon Gutierrez. Sacrifice is a BET+ Original Film that originally debuted on December 19, 2019 and has been picked-up as a BET+ Original Series set to launch later this year.

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About BET:

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.