A new CBS series will be testing the compassion and values of a dozen struggling families this summer, by presenting them with briefcases containing more than $100,000, and giving them an option to either keep it all, or share it with someone who might need it more.
The Briefcase will feature hard-working American families, who are feeling the impacts of financial setbacks, when they are presented with a briefcase containing $101,000.
According to TVLine, every week, two families will have 72 hours to learn details about each other’s taxing circumstances and make the difficult decision of what to do with the cash. The catch: they will be unaware that the other family has received the same amount of dough with the same instructions.
“The Briefcase is an eye-opening look into what matters most in people’s lives, taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster ride with a shocking ending each week,” series creator Dave Broome said in a statement. “I’ve been incredibly impressed by just how generous Americans are, even with shrinking paychecks and rising debt, when there’s little left to give.”
“We’re testing the human spirit,” Broome told Entertainment Weekly. “These days, with paychecks shrinking, we wanted to tackle human values in a way in a big and loud way.”
The producer told the industry news site one episode will feature a “right wing, Texas Christian conservative, God-loving, gun-toting” clan. They slowly learn that the other family in the equation is a married lesbian couple who want to use the money to have a baby via intrauterine insemination.
“It’s like, ‘Congratulations, you’ve just won the lottery, but here’s a mirror that comes with it,’” Broome said. “Ultimately it has nothing to do with the money. It has everything to do with who they are.”
The Briefcase will debut May 27 on CBS.