''When They See Us'' is a 2019 American
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
television miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
created, co-written, and directed by
Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...
for
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989
Central Park jogger case
The Central Park jogger case (events also referenced as the Central Park Five Case) was a criminal case over the aggravated assault and rape of a white woman in Central Park in Manhattan, New York, on April 19, 1989, occurring at the same time a ...
and explores the lives and families of the five Black and Latino male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the rape and assault of a white woman in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
, New York City. The series features an ensemble cast, including
Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries ''When They S ...
,
Asante Blackk
Asante Duah Ma'at (born October 20, 2001) known professionally as Asante Blackk, is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the miniseries ''When They See Us'' (2019), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has be ...
,
Jovan Adepo
Jovan Adepo (born September 6, 1988) is a British-American actor. He is known for his role as Cory Maxson in the film adaptation of ''Fences'' (2016), and also had starring roles in the 2018 film ''Overlord'' and as Lionel Jefferson in CBS' '' ...
,
Michael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...
,
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles in the television series ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''The O.C.'', ''Traveler (2007 TV series), Traveler'', ''Dark Blue (TV series), Dark Blue' ...
,
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
,
Blair Underwood
Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''.
Underwood has a ...
,
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
,
John Leguizamo
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (; ; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced ...
,
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress.
Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
,
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash-Betts (), is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show '' C ...
,
Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue L. Ellis ( born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Men of Honor'' (2000), ''The Caveman's Valentine'' (2001), ''Undercover Brother'' (2002), '' Ray'' (2004), '' The Express: The Erni ...
,
Marsha Stephanie Blake
Marsha Stephanie Blake (born May 1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Linda McCray in the Netflix miniseries ''When They See Us'', for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actr ...
, and
Kylie Bunbury
Kylie Bunbury (born January 30, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress.
Life
Bunbury was born in Montreal, Canada, to Kristi Novak and Alex Bunbury, a soccer player. Her father is Guyanese-Canadian. She spent her childhood in England (for two yea ...
.
''When They See Us'' received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its cast. At the
71st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2018, until May 31, 2019, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on September 22, 2019, at the Mi ...
, it received 11 nominations; Jerome won for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie while it was nominated for
Outstanding Limited Series and Ellis, Nash, Blackk, Leguizamo, Williams, Blake, and Farmiga all received acting nominations. The series also won the
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series.
A companion special, titled ''Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now,'' in which the cast, the creator, and the exonerated five are interviewed, premiered on June 12, 2019, on Netflix and the
Oprah Winfrey Network
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel.
The network is led by talk show h ...
.
Premise
''When They See Us'' is based on events of the April 19, 1989,
Central Park jogger case
The Central Park jogger case (events also referenced as the Central Park Five Case) was a criminal case over the aggravated assault and rape of a white woman in Central Park in Manhattan, New York, on April 19, 1989, occurring at the same time a ...
and explores the lives of the five suspects who were prosecuted on charges related to the
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
of a female victim, and of their families. The five juvenile males of color, the protagonists of the series: Kevin Richardson (
Asante Blackk
Asante Duah Ma'at (born October 20, 2001) known professionally as Asante Blackk, is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the miniseries ''When They See Us'' (2019), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has be ...
), Antron McCray (
Caleel Harris
Caleel Harris (born April 19, 2003) is an American actor.
Career
He joined Nickelodeon in 2015, and voiced AJ from '' Blaze and the Monster Machines'', then later in 2016, he provided the voice of Clyde McBride on ''The Loud House'' until season ...
), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse),
Korey Wise (
Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries ''When They S ...
), and Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez), were divided by the prosecutor into two groups for trial. Each youth was convicted by juries of various charges related to the assault; four were convicted of rape. They were sentenced to maximum terms for juveniles except for Korey Wise. He had been held in facilities and served his time in prison.
They filed a suit against the city in 2003 for wrongful conviction and were awarded a settlement in 2014.
Cast and characters
Main
*
Asante Blackk
Asante Duah Ma'at (born October 20, 2001) known professionally as Asante Blackk, is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the miniseries ''When They See Us'' (2019), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He has be ...
as Kevin Richardson
** Justin Cunningham as adult Kevin Richardson
*
Caleel Harris
Caleel Harris (born April 19, 2003) is an American actor.
Career
He joined Nickelodeon in 2015, and voiced AJ from '' Blaze and the Monster Machines'', then later in 2016, he provided the voice of Clyde McBride on ''The Loud House'' until season ...
as Antron McCray
**
Jovan Adepo
Jovan Adepo (born September 6, 1988) is a British-American actor. He is known for his role as Cory Maxson in the film adaptation of ''Fences'' (2016), and also had starring roles in the 2018 film ''Overlord'' and as Lionel Jefferson in CBS' '' ...
as adult Antron McCray
* Ethan Herisse as Yusef Salaam
**
Chris Chalk
Christopher Eugene Chalk (born December 7, 1977) is an American actor.
Early life
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, studied at Asheville High School and graduated in 1996 and went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Career
Chalk ...
as adult Yusef Salaam
*
Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries ''When They S ...
as
Korey Wise
* Marquis Rodriguez as Raymond Santana
** Freddy Miyares as adult Raymond Santana
*
Marsha Stephanie Blake
Marsha Stephanie Blake (born May 1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Linda McCray in the Netflix miniseries ''When They See Us'', for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actr ...
as Linda McCray, Antron McCray's mother.
*
Kylie Bunbury
Kylie Bunbury (born January 30, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress.
Life
Bunbury was born in Montreal, Canada, to Kristi Novak and Alex Bunbury, a soccer player. Her father is Guyanese-Canadian. She spent her childhood in England (for two yea ...
as Angie Richardson, an older sister of Kevin Richardson.
*
Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue L. Ellis ( born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Men of Honor'' (2000), ''The Caveman's Valentine'' (2001), ''Undercover Brother'' (2002), '' Ray'' (2004), '' The Express: The Erni ...
as Sharonne Salaam, Yusef Salaam's mother.
*
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
as Elizabeth Lederer
*
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress.
Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
as
Linda Fairstein
Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's offi ...
*
John Leguizamo
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (; ; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced ...
as Raymond Santana Sr., Raymond Santana's father.
*
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash-Betts (), is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show '' C ...
as Delores Wise, Korey Wise's mother.
*
Michael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...
as Bobby McCray, Antron McCray's father.
Recurring
*
Omar Dorsey
Omar J. Dorsey (born December 22, 1975) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' The Blind Side'' (2009), ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and ''Selma'' (2014) playing James Orange. In 2016, Dorsey began starring as Hollingsworth "Hollywo ...
as
Elombe Brath, a community organizer and activist who appears in the media to defend the five
*
Suzzanne Douglas
Suzzanne Douglas (April 12, 1957 – July 6, 2021) was an American actress. She was best known for her role as matriarch Geraldine "Jerri" Peterson on The WB sitcom ''The Parent 'Hood'', starring Robert Townsend, which originally ran from 1995 ...
as Grace Cuffe
*
Christopher Jackson as Peter Rivera, lawyer who represented Raymond
*
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
as Michael Joseph, lawyer who defended Antron
*
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in ''GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...
as Nancy Ryan, a Manhattan ADA originally assigned to the case before it was given to Lederer and later oversaw the overturning of the five's convictions
*
Adepero Oduye
Adepero Oduye ( ) (born January 11, 1978) is an American actress, director, singer, and writer. She is known for '' Pariah'' (2011), '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013), ''The Big Short'' (2015), and ''Widows'' (2018).
Life and career
Adepero Oduye w ...
as
Nomsa Brath, a community organizer and activist who takes on her husband Elombe's cause after his death
*
Aurora Perrineau
Aurora Perrineau is an American actress and model. She is best known for starring as List of Jem characters#Jem and the Holograms, Shana Elmsford in ''Jem and the Holograms (film), Jem and the Holograms'' (2015), the live-action film adaptation o ...
as Tanya, girlfriend of Raymond Santana Jr. (adult)
*
Storm Reid
Storm Reid is an American actress. After playing a small role in the television film ''A Cross to Bear'' (2012), Reid made her acting debut with an appearance in the period drama film '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013). She earned recognition for a s ...
as Lisa, girlfriend of Korey Wise
*
William Sadler as Michael Sheehan
*
Blair Underwood
Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''.
Underwood has a ...
as Bobby Burns, lawyer who represented Yusef
*
Len Cariou
Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor and Theatre director, stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', for which he wo ...
as
Robert Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau ( ; July 31, 1919July 21, 2019) was an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County (the borough of Manhattan), having previously served as United States Attorn ...
*
Chukwudi Iwuji as Colin Moore, lawyer who represented Korey
*
Frank Pando
Frank Pando is an American actor. Pando's screen acting career debuted in 1999 in the TV series ''The Sopranos'' as Agent Frank Grasso. He has since acted in several television shows, movies, and plays, including roles as policemen in '' The Vi ...
as Detective Gonzalez
* Alexandra Templer as Trisha Meili
* Jayce Bartok as Detective Hildebrandt
*
Dascha Polanco
Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie ''In the He ...
as Elena, new wife of Raymond Santana Sr.
Guest
* Allan Greenberg as Howard Diller, lawyer who represented Kevin
*
Isis King
Isis King (born October 1, 1985) is an American model, actress, and fashion designer. Most widely known for her role on both the eleventh cycle and the seventeenth cycle of the reality television show ''America's Next Top Model'', she was the ...
as Marci Wise, Korey's sister, who is a transgender woman
*
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his roles in the television series ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''The O.C.'', ''Traveler (2007 TV series), Traveler'', ''Dark Blue (TV series), Dark Blue' ...
as Roberts
* Gary Perez as Manuel Santana
*
Reece Noi
Reece Noi (born 13 June 1988) is a British-Ghanaian actor. He is best known for portraying Taylor Mitchell in the BBC school-based drama serial, ''Grange Hill'', from 2004 to 2007, and also Noel Parkin and Earl Kelly in the second and fourth s ...
as Matias Reyes
Episodes
Special
Production
Development
On July 6, 2017, it was announced that
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
had given the production ''Central Park Five'' a series order consisting of five episodes. The series was created by
Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...
who was also set to write and direct. Executive producers were expected to include DuVernay,
Jeff Skoll
Jeffrey Stuart Skoll, OC (born January 16, 1965) is a Canadian engineer, billionaire internet entrepreneur and film producer. He was the first president of eBay, eventually using the wealth this gave him to become a philanthropist, particularly ...
, Jonathan King,
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
,
Jane Rosenthal
Jane Rosenthal (born September 21, 1956) is an American film producer. and Berry Welsh. Production companies involved with the series were set to include
Participant Media
Participant Media, LLC is an American Film industry, film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change. The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as ...
,
Harpo Films
Harpo Productions (or Harpo Studios) is an American multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey and based in West Hollywood, California. It is the sole subsidiary of her media and entertainment company Harpo, Inc. The name "Harpo" is ...
, and
Tribeca Productions
Tribeca Productions is an American film and television production company co-founded in 1989 by actor Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal in the lower Manhattan neighborhood of Tribeca.
History
The production company was founded in 1989 ...
. On July 9, 2018, it was reported that the series would consist of four episodes,
Bradford Young would serve as the series' cinematographer, and
Robin Swicord
Robin Stender Swicord (born October 23, 1952) is an American screenwriter, film director, and playwright, best known for literary adaptations. Her notable screenplays include '' Little Women'' (1994), '' Matilda'' (1996), ''Practical Magic'' (1 ...
,
Attica Locke
Attica Locke (born 1974 in Houston, Texas) is an American fiction author and writer/producer for television and film.
Career
A 1995 graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication, Locke was a fellow at the Sundance Institute's Featu ...
, and Michael Starrbury would cowrite each episode with DuVernay.
On March 1, 2019, DuVernay announced the series had been retitled ''When They See Us'' and would be released on May 31, 2019. The announcement was accompanied by the release of a teaser.
Casting
In July 2018, it was announced that
Michael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...
,
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga ( ; born August 6, 1973) is an American actress who is best known for portraying paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring Universe films '' The Conjuring'' (2013), '' The Conjuring 2'' (2016), '' Annabelle Co ...
,
John Leguizamo
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (; ; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced ...
,
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress.
Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
,
Jharrel Jerome
Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor and rapper who is best known for appearing in Barry Jenkins's acclaimed drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries ''When They S ...
, and
Jovan Adepo
Jovan Adepo (born September 6, 1988) is a British-American actor. He is known for his role as Cory Maxson in the film adaptation of ''Fences'' (2016), and also had starring roles in the 2018 film ''Overlord'' and as Lionel Jefferson in CBS' '' ...
had joined the series' main cast.
On August 3, 2018, it was reported that
Niecy Nash
Carol Denise Betts (née Ensley; born February 23, 1970), known professionally as Niecy Nash-Betts (), is an American actress, comedian and television host, best known for her performances on television.
Nash hosted the Style Network show '' C ...
,
Aunjanue Ellis
Aunjanue L. Ellis ( born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Men of Honor'' (2000), ''The Caveman's Valentine'' (2001), ''Undercover Brother'' (2002), '' Ray'' (2004), '' The Express: The Erni ...
,
Kylie Bunbury
Kylie Bunbury (born January 30, 1989) is a Canadian-American actress.
Life
Bunbury was born in Montreal, Canada, to Kristi Novak and Alex Bunbury, a soccer player. Her father is Guyanese-Canadian. She spent her childhood in England (for two yea ...
, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and
Storm Reid
Storm Reid is an American actress. After playing a small role in the television film ''A Cross to Bear'' (2012), Reid made her acting debut with an appearance in the period drama film '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013). She earned recognition for a s ...
had been cast in supporting roles. A week later, it was announced that
Chris Chalk
Christopher Eugene Chalk (born December 7, 1977) is an American actor.
Early life
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, studied at Asheville High School and graduated in 1996 and went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Career
Chalk ...
, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez,
Caleel Harris
Caleel Harris (born April 19, 2003) is an American actor.
Career
He joined Nickelodeon in 2015, and voiced AJ from '' Blaze and the Monster Machines'', then later in 2016, he provided the voice of Clyde McBride on ''The Loud House'' until season ...
, Freddy Miyares, Justin Cunningham and Asante Blackk had filled out the main cast, both as adults and as teenagers.
By the end of the month, it was reported that
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the ...
,
Christopher Jackson,
Adepero Oduye
Adepero Oduye ( ) (born January 11, 1978) is an American actress, director, singer, and writer. She is known for '' Pariah'' (2011), '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013), ''The Big Short'' (2015), and ''Widows'' (2018).
Life and career
Adepero Oduye w ...
,
Omar Dorsey
Omar J. Dorsey (born December 22, 1975) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' The Blind Side'' (2009), ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and ''Selma'' (2014) playing James Orange. In 2016, Dorsey began starring as Hollingsworth "Hollywo ...
,
Blair Underwood
Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''.
Underwood has a ...
,
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in ''GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...
,
William Sadler, and
Aurora Perrineau
Aurora Perrineau is an American actress and model. She is best known for starring as List of Jem characters#Jem and the Holograms, Shana Elmsford in ''Jem and the Holograms (film), Jem and the Holograms'' (2015), the live-action film adaptation o ...
had also joined the cast.
Filming
Principal photography for the series began during the week of August 6, 2018, in New York City, with cinematography by
Bradford Young.
On August 10, 2018, filming took place on
Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
in the
East Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...
area of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
Reception
Audience viewership
On June 25, 2019, Netflix announced that the miniseries had been streamed by over 23 million viewers within its first month of release.
Critical response
''When They See Us'' received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the miniseries has an approval rating of 97% based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Ava DuVernay pulls no punches in ''When They See Us'', laying out the harrowing events endured by the Central Park Five while adding a necessary layer of humanity to their story that challenges viewers to reconsider what it means to find justice in America." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Daniel D'Addario from ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' mentioned in a glowing review of the miniseries, that "''When They See Us'' immerses viewers in a tale with none of the gaudy fun that true crime often offers. It's an achievement and, given its pride of place on a streaming service despite its difficult subject matter, a worthy use of its director’s star power." ''
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
''s Odie Henderson awarded the series a rating of 3 and 1/2 out of four stars, noting that "there’s a lot to recommend ''When They See Us''. It does as much as it can to recast the gaze on Black and brown people, eliciting empathy and the desire for justice. It demonizes the right people and demands your fury over the events presented." Daniel Fienberg from ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' recommended the miniseries in his review by highlighting that "''When They See Us'' is a rigorous attempt to chronicle an epic legal failure and to help restore a sense of the men as individuals, rather than faceless members of a wrongfully accused collective." Commending DuVernay's thematic and thoughtful approach to the subject matter and content, he adds that the series avoids the "typical triumph-over-adversity narrative tropes".
Matt Goldberg of ''
Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.
Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
'' gave it a very positive review, writing: "The emotional impact of ''When They See Us'' cannot be understated." He said further, "I watched ''
The Central Park Five'' earlier this month, and it's a good way to understand the case and its basic facts, but even though
thas interviews with all five men, it doesn't come close to what DuVernay does here with this cast, her craftsmanship, and Bradford Young's stunning cinematography." Lucy Mangan from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' complimented the miniseries, saying it is
In a positive review of the miniseries, Jen Chaney from ''Vulture'' wrote that, "''When They See Us'', Ava DuVernay's sensitively wrought Netflix miniseries about what happened to those boys, strips away the dehumanizing tendency to bunch them together and instead shows what each of them dealt with individually when they were coerced into giving false confessions, forced to do time for a crime they did not commit, and, eventually, exonerated when their convictions were vacated in 2002."
Willa Paskin of ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' gave the series a positive recommendation, writing that "''When They See Us'' may be making an appeal to our duty to attend to this not-at-all-ancient history—but is not, itself, dutiful. In one aspect, in particular, DuVernay's approach is refreshingly unencumbered." Robert Lloyd from ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' praised the series, stating that it is "a story about parents and children as much as it is about justice and race — the series has plenty of contemporary resonance on the latter account — and there is strong work from Niecy Nash, John Leguizamo, Aunjanue Ellis and Michael Kenneth Williams among the older generation."
Armond White
Armond White (born ) is an American film and music critic who writes for ''National Review'' and ''Out''. He was previously the editor of '' CityArts'' (2011–2014), the lead film critic for the alternative weekly ''New York Press'' (1997–201 ...
from ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'' criticized the series in his review, unfavorably contrasting its portrayal of racial tension and violence to period films like ''
Boyz n the Hood
''Boyz n the Hood'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King, and An ...
'' and ''
Do the Right Thing
''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
''.
Accolades
Fairstein reaction and lawsuit
Linda Fairstein
Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's offi ...
, the original New York prosecutor of the case, wrote of the Netflix series in an op-ed for the ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' that it was "so full of distortions and falsehoods as to be an outright fabrication." The lawyer-turned-''New York Times'' bestselling author said she agreed with exonerations of the rape charges against the five — but said "the other charges, for crimes against other victims, should not have been vacated."
John E. Reid & Associates took DuVernay, ARRA, and Netflix to court in October 2019 because the series called the company's once widely used trademark controversial
interrogation technique as "universally rejected." A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit "Because the First Amendment protects non-factual assertions". In March 2020, Fairstein filed suit in the
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against ...
against Netflix, DuVernay, and Locke for
defamation
Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
based on her portrayal in the series. In August 2021, the District Court ruled that some of Farstein's claims of defamation and civil conspiracy may proceed to trial.
See also
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Racism in the United States
Racism in the United States comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are related to each other, are held by various people and groups in the United States, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and ...
Notes
References
External links
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{{Netflix original ended series (2019–present)
2010s American crime drama television series
2010s American drama television miniseries
2010s American legal television series
2019 American television series debuts
2019 American television series endings
American biographical series
American thriller television series
BAFTA winners (television series)
English-language Netflix original programming
Television series based on actual events
Television series set in 1989
Television series set in the 1980s
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Television shows set in New York City
Central Park