As executive producer Will Packer puts it, “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” is a thrilling love letter to the city of Atlanta. It blends the grit of the American dream with the hustle and fight against overwhelming odds. The cast infuses the story with vibrant energy, making Atlanta not just a backdrop but a central character, paying homage to the city’s evolution and cultural significance.

The limited series, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast of the same name, tells the infamous story of how a daring armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed one man’s life and ultimately reshaped Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” Kevin Hart stars as hustler Chicken Man, who hosts an exclusive afterparty for gangster Frank Moten, played by Samuel L. Jackson. With a guest list of the nation's wealthiest, the night spirals into Atlanta’s most notorious criminal heist. Suspected of orchestrating the crime, Chicken Man fights to clear his name, seeking the help of his former rival, J.D. Hudson, portrayed by Don Cheadle. Taraji P. Henson plays Vivian, Chicken Man’s sharp and loyal partner, while Terrence Howard plays Cadillac Richie.

Bryan Smiley, president of Hartbeat and an executive producer of the series, explains that his goal is for the audience to be transported back to 1970s Atlanta, immersing themselves in the era's vibe and energy. “It’s interesting because we shoot a lot of amazing content in the city, but oftentimes, it’s not about the city. I know this is not about Atlanta, but it is a really big character in our story,” he says. “Ultimately, we want people to escape, go on this journey with us, and be transported back to 1970s Atlanta with the music, hair, and wardrobe, and really just have a really good time.”

Creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer Shaye Ogbonna shares that his primary aim is for the audience to walk away from the series having learned something valuable. “I want them to say, ‘I didn’t know Atlanta had this going.’ For me, when Ali went to the 1996 Summer Olympics and lit that torch, I have a different perspective on that now, knowing Ali’s relationship to the city. I want this to be a history lesson,” he adds.

Both Hart and Cheadle play important roles in the show. While trying to understand and embody his character’s role, Hart says he did not necessarily have to speak with anyone who knew Chicken Man. “There were conversations and information through the podcast that I think was very valuable,” he tells BET. “In my early talks with the other creators, writers, showrunners, and producers, there was a bandwidth of information that was given to me, and I was able to decide with the director at that time as to how I saw myself taking on the character. We kinda landed on the nice page of what we felt our performance line was. So, when you have a version of what you wanna do, and it's received, I think that's where you can say, ‘Okay, the best part of the research was done because this is what I came back with.’ If I would have come back and said, ‘Here's what I wanna do,’ it would have been like, ‘Well, no. You can't do that, Kev. I don't think that's the best way,’ I think I would have to do a lot more digging. Thankfully, I didn't, and the line that we ended up landing on was one that we could stay true to and build off of. I'm very happy with the decision that we made.”

Cheadle, who plays one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives, says the researching was one of the best parts of the process for him. “I was playing a real guy, so there's actual research material that I could look at. I could look at interviews, read stuff about him, talk to people who knew him, and just really investigate this period of time in Atlanta, where the city was really changing and becoming one of the first chocolate cities to really take off. And this incident was central in that sort of awakening period for the city,” he says.

He also emphasized how working on this film was like a reunion for him. “What was a lot of fun for me was that I've worked with all these guys before. It was cool to come together in one piece, a piece like this with great production value and a really cool story. All these characters are very interesting and different,” Cheadle continues. “I’m on the other side of the series for a long time, then later in the series, we all kinda get to be in the same room. That was a lot of fun.” 

Jackson is one of the few veteran actors on set who hadn’t previously collaborated with most of his co-stars, except Cheadle. “All those people are friends, and all knew each other from the business and from being around each other. The only person I’ve actually worked with from the group was Don Cheadle. Don is an amazing scene partner and amazing actor,” he says. “I respect all those other people we were there with and look forward to actually being in scenes with them and working with them the way we did. It was as fulfilling and as much fun as I thought it would be. It’s gotta be fun for us, or it won’t be fun for you.”

Chlöe Bailey, who portrays Lena Mosley, and Sinqua Walls, who plays McKinley Rogers, are among the series’ standout guest stars. “It is mind-boggling,” Bailey says. “I'm constantly pinching myself, even doing this press run, even seeing the posters, knowing that I'm a part of something with such legends and my peers who did such a phenomenal job. I just really feel grateful to be a part of it. Walls agrees and adds, “Just the opportunity to be with this collection of people from the icons to my peers, who are becoming icons, it's been phenomenal to watch and learn and grow with each other and build a deeper connection. Sometimes, we all have these moments as we continue to rise where we see each other in passing, but we don't get a chance to connect. But, now, we're kind of fortifying bonds greatly. And for me, that's where I become an even greater supporter and an even greater fan. That's been the dopest part for me.”

Packer emphasizes how grateful he was to help assemble a cast of this caliber. “As a producer, this is what you put in the work for so that you can have a project that is on this level. We have global superstars, and everybody holds their own. We’ve got the amazing cast of legends that people know, and then we’ve got folks who are on the come-up. We got that next generation of folks like your Melvin Gregg’s, your Dexter Darden’s, your Sinqua Wall’s, your Chlöe Bailey’s,” he says. “You’ve got a great balance of folks that you seen before that are household names and folks that will become household names. I hope that this will become a series that will stand the test of time, and you’ll be able to look at this years from now and go, ‘Wow, look at young so and so doing their thang up against the Sam Jackson’s and Kevin Hart’s of the world.’” 

You can now watch “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” every Thursday on Peacock.