That is where the show grows stale — too often, the characters are just cogs in the machine of the movement, and lack depth. When We Rise is a goal-oriented show, so you can't really blame it for having characters that aren't more than agendas in '70s-era clothing. The actors turn in noble performances — Guy Pearce, wieling a cigarette and an eyeroll is downright lethal — but they're turning in A+ papers for history class. In fact, where the show works best is when it turns to archival footage to tell its tale. When Hillary and Bill Clinton visit the AIDS quilt on the White House Lawn, the show provides real footage of the president and first lady approaching the quilt. It's the reminder that, yes, these things happened, and with figures we still recognize that lends the series weight. When Baker v. Nelson is overturned — spoiler alert: That happened — it's footage of same-sex couples getting married that will earn your tears. Where the show lacks in creativity (the dialogue is demonstrative and bare), it curries favor in facts. Because the facts are there, and they'll wreck you just as much as a great performance or a great piece of dialogue.