'Scandal's' Shonda Rhimes & ‘Jeffersons’ Director Team Up for Docu-Series

Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes and legendary sitcom producer Norman Lear .have teamed up for a documentary series on economic and social inequality in the U.S.

The series, called America Divided, is set to air on Epix in the fall.

The intention is to examine the imbalances in the U.S. and how they affects citizens -- including celebrities.

"This series cuts to the heart of the inequality crisis, exploring life-and-death struggles around the economic, social, and political divide," Rhimes and Lear said in a statement. "Our aim is to expose the damage extreme inequality inflicts on all Americans, reveal its systemic causes, and celebrate real-world heroes fighting for solutions."

Executive producers include rapper and activist Common, who will also front one of the part in the series. America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Zach Galifianakis, Jesse Williams and Lear himself will also appear and/or front their own pieces.

Common will explore his hometown, Chicago, and its criminal justice scandals, and Lear will investigate New York's housing crisis.

"Addressing the ramifications of inequality is hugely important to me," Common said in a statement. "The more we explore the subject and build a dialogue around the issues, the more we can do to create change."

Lear, who recently called himself a "bleeding-heart conservative," addressed provocative topics like racism, poverty, abortion and unemployment as the producer of sitcoms such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford & Sons, Good Times and One Day at a Time in the 1970s.

"You will not f- with my Bill of Rights, my Constitution, my guarantees of political justice for all," he said. "But does my heart bleed for those who need help and aren't getting the justice that the country promises them and the equal opportunity the country promises? Yes."

Lear will be honored this year by the National Association of Television Program Executives with the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award. And Rhimes will receive the 2016 Norman Lear Achievement Award from the Producers' Guild this month.

In a statement, Rhimes said: "The promise of the American dream was a united country where everyone is treated equal. That promise has clearly been broken; all you have to do is look around to see that our reality has been built on the back of inequality," she said. "It's my hope that this series will inspire audiences to be part of a change that leads us into a stronger, more equal future."

Rhimes appeared on PBS's Finding Your Roots Tuesday evening, along with Maya Rudolph and Keenen Ivory Wayans. Watch a clip below.

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Shonda Rhimes, Common, Amy Poehler
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