When They See Us is a new Netflix miniseries directed by Ava DuVernay based on the true story of the Central Park Five!
Let’s find out some more facts about this new miniseries that is gonna shook you to the core!
- When They See Us is a 2019 American drama web television miniseries
- It is created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix
- It was originally called Central Park Five
- It premiered on May 31, 2019
- The series was based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case
- It explores the lives of the suspects who were prosecuted and their families
- The five juvenile males of color, the protagonists of the series (Antron, Kevin, Yusef, Raymond, and Korey), were convicted by juries of charges of rape, assault, and related crimes in two separate trials in 1990
- They were sentenced to maximum terms
- Korey, at 16, was sent to adult prison
- After the assailant was identified by confession, DNA evidence, and other evidence in 2002, the convictions of the five men were vacated by the court
- A legal position in which the parties are treated as though no trial has taken place
- By that time, all the men had served their sentences
- The state withdrew all charges against them from the 1989 case
- The series features an ensemble and recurring cast including Jharrel Jerome, Jovan Adepo, Michael K. Williams, Logan Marshall-Green, Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, and Kylie Bunbury
- The series received acclaim upon its release for its performances and casting
- On June 7, 2019, it was announced that a special, titled Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now, will premiere on June 12, 2019 on Netflix and the Oprah Winfrey Network
- When They See Us extends from 1989
- When five Harlem teens were arrested and prosecuted on charges in the Central Park jogger case, through their convictions and sentences
- To 2002, when another man was identified as the assailant and their convictions were vacated by the court
- To 2014, when they received a settlement from New York City for their suit for wrongful convictions and emotional distress
- On July 6, 2017, it was announced that Netflix had given the production Central Park Five a series order consisting of five episodes
- The series was created by Ava DuVernay
- Who is also set to write and direct
- Executive producers were expected to include DuVernay, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh
- Production companies involved with the series were set to include Participant Media, Harpo Films, and Tribeca Productions
- On July 9, 2018, it was reported that the series would consist of four episodes
- Bradford Young would serve as the series’ cinematographer
- And that Robin Swicord, Attica Locke, and Michael Starrbury would cowrite each episode with DuVernay
- On March 1, 2019, DuVernay announced the series had been retitled When They See Us
- Αnd would be released on May 31, 2019
- The announcement was accompanied by the release of a teaser
- In July 2018, it was announced that Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Jharrel Jerome, and Jovan Adepo had joined the series’ main cast
- On August 3, 2018, it was reported that Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Storm Reid had been cast in supporting roles
- A week later, it was announced that Chris Chalk, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez, Caleel Harris, Freddy Miyares, Justin Cunningham and Asante Blackk had filled out the main cast
- Βoth as adults and as teenagers
- By the end of the month, it was reported that Joshua Jackson, Christopher Jackson, Adepero Oduye, Omar Dorsey, Blair Underwood, Famke Janssen, William Sadler, and Aurora Perrineau had also joined the cast
- Principal photography for the series began during the week of August 6, 2018, in New York City, New York, with cinematography by Bradford Young
- On August 10, 2018, filming took place on Madison Avenue in the East Harlem area of Manhattan
- The miniseries received widespread acclaim upon its release
- The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 93% based on 43 reviews
- With an average rating of 8.33/10
- The website’s critical 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, it has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100
- Based on 23 critics
- Indicating “universal acclaim”
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