Kelly Jenrette On CBS's 'Manhunt: Deadly Games': 'It's A Wonderful Opportunity To Revisit The Past'

(CBS Local)-- It's been 24 years since a domestic terrorist attack injured over 100 people and killed one person at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. CBS is taking a look back at this event through the lens of its new TV show called "Manhunt: Deadly Games," which is a scripted true-crime anthology series that chronicles one of the most complex manhunts on U.S. soil.

The show features actors like Cameron Britton, who plays security guard Richard Jewell, Judith Light as Bobbi Jewell and Kelly Jenrette, who embodies several real-life FBI agents in her character Stacy Knox. The actor is honored to be a part of this show for a number of different reasons.

"I went to school to be a forensic psychologist and then I saw all the science classes I would have to take and I said I'd rather play one on TV," said Jenrette, in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "When this FBI role came around, I was excited and the icing on the cake was that it was covering the 1996 Olympic bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia where I was born and raised. I get to participate in two of the things that mean a lot to me. It was amazing to be a part of the process."

Jenrette actually has a picture with her mother holding the Olympic torch from 1996. In fact, Jenrette's brother was also a part of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 1996 Olympics. Fortunately, the actor and her family members were not at Centennial Olympic Park on the night of the terrorist attack. Jenrette believes this show comes at the right time for our country.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to revisit the past and to remind ourselves of the mistakes that were made in the past with the Richard Jewell case," said Jenrette. "To tell this story of this hero, who was turned into a villain, but was actually a hero is such a beautiful story. It's tragic and heartbreaking in its own way as well. My father is a retired police officer and I gleaned a lot of information from him. Stacy Knox is not a real character during that time, she is a compilation of characters. Just to be able to do the research and understand what it was like for a Black FBI agent in the 90s and a Black female FBI agent was pretty challenging. All of that was kind of layered into my character as well."

Watch "Manhunt: Deadly Games" Monday nights at 10 p.m. EST/PST on CBS.