When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

97% Tomatometer 86 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings

In 1989 a jogger was assaulted and raped in New York's Central Park, and five young people were subsequently charged with the crime. The quintet, labeled the Central Park Five, maintained its innocence and spent years fighting the convictions, hoping to be exonerated. This limited series spans a quarter of a century, from when the teens are first questioned about the incident in the spring of 1989, going through their exoneration in 2002 and ultimately the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014. The cast is full of Emmy nominees and winners, including Michael K. Williams, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, and Blair Underwood. Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Ava DuVernay co-wrote and directed the four episodes.

Watch on Netflix Stream Now

Where to Watch

When They See Us — Season 1

When They See Us — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (86) Critics Reviews
When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Matthew Gilbert Boston Globe [Ava] DuVernay skips around, sacrificing some of the legal particulars and chronologies in order to maintain the intimacy and focus of her storytelling. Dec 3, 2019 Full Review When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Perri Nemiroff Perri Nemiroff (YouTube) There's no changing what happened in the past, but programming like this, that tell these stories from these perspectives...they can make a difference on so many levels. Rated: 4.5/5 Jul 2, 2019 Full Review When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Wenlei Ma News.com.au When They See Us gives voice back to those who aren't always allow to speak. Jun 21, 2019 Full Review When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Elisa Guimarães Collider When They See Us is a gut-wrenching retelling of the events surrounding the 1989 Central Park jogger case... Feb 2, 2024 Full Review When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Eddie Harrison film-authority.com '...a glossy and compelling drama...' Rated: 4/5 Apr 13, 2021 Full Review When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Victor Pineyro Seventh Art Studio It transcends by reflecting the biggest of injustices, from a personal and emotional level. Unmissable. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 9/10 Aug 20, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (80) audience reviews

Benjamin H A deeply emotional and utterly gut-wrenching miniseries that is exquisitely directed and acted, When They See Us is a layered and authentic presentation of the tragic event that happened but most importantly it manages to illustrate the humanity of the Central Park Five with loads of thematic depth and reflective strength. That final scene with the five boys holding hands got me really touched. Essential viewing in my opinion. My only tiny gripe with this is that a few things could have been developed a bit more clearly in terms of after they go to jail.That's it. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review Paulina S It's a piece of art, the way it's portrait and how it transmits all the emotions at once, if you're gonna watch it you definitely gonna cry. Really sad it's based on true events but it really shows the reality of our world. The acting was perfect. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review Scott W Wow ! The director really wallops a punch with her direction on this extremely sad story . Especially with Wise. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/24 Full Review Lukas K Ava DuVernay's Netflix series "When They See Us" follows the 1989 Central Park jogging case in which five innocent teenagers were accused of raping a woman.The series really tears you down emotionally and makes the viewers doubt the judiciary.The series would have been good without the fact that it's a true story, but the fact that it actually happened gives it a whole different flavor.The acting is superb, even from a young cast, and you can really feel the desperation the boys experience during their trial.This mini-series masterpiece shouldn't be missed by anyone who likes good drama! Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Anyone who would object that this mini series is not worth watching should reevaluate their life priorities. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant, raw, and informative as hell. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

When They See Us — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Ava DuVernay Creator Michael Kenneth Williams Bobby McCray Vera Farmiga Elizabeth Lederer Felicity Huffman Linda Fairstein Niecy Nash Delores Wise Chris Jackson Peter Rivera
Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired May 31, 2019 Part One In the spring of 1989, five boys of color are arrested, interrogated and coerced into confessing to the attack of a woman in Central Park. Details Episode 2 Aired May 31, 2019 Part Two As the jogger case stirs tensions nationwide, the boys' families and their lawyers prepare for a bitter legal battle against the city of New York. Details Episode 3 Aired May 31, 2019 Part Three The boys struggle with the difficult reality of life behind bars; years later, Raymond, Anton, Yusef and Kevin return home as men in a world that has changed. Details Episode 4 Aired May 31, 2019 Part Four At age 16, Korey starts a brutal journey through the adult prison system; a shocking turn of events reveals the truth of the crime, long ignored. Details

More Like This

View All Popular TV on Streaming

Narcos: Mexico 90% 70% Narcos: Mexico TRAILER for Narcos: Mexico Fauda 100% 86% Fauda Crime Diaries: Night Out % % Crime Diaries: Night Out The Search % 0% The Search Black Space % 62% Black Space Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related TV News

View All Related TV News
Black History Month TV Calendar 2021 1917‘s Sam Mendes Wins Best Director at 2020 Directors Guild Awards, Cements Place As Oscar Favorite Best-Reviewed Movies and TV Shows 2019

Videos

View All videos

When They See Us — Season 1

When They See Us: Limited Series Teaser - The Story of The Central Park 5 Continues When They See Us: Limited Series Teaser - The Story of The Central Park 5 Continues 1:08 When They See Us: Limited Series Trailer When They See Us: Limited Series Trailer 2:39 When They See Us: Limited Series Teaser When They See Us: Limited Series Teaser 1:00 View more videos

Photos

View All When They See Us — Season 1 photos

When They See Us — Season 1

When They See Us When They See Us When They See Us View more photos

Director
Ava DuVernay

Creator
Ava DuVernay

Executive Producer
Ava DuVernay, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Rosenthal, Berry Welsh, Robert De Niro

Screenwriter
Ava DuVernay

Network
Netflix

Rating
TV-MA

Genre
Drama, Crime

Original Language
English

Release Date
May 31, 2019
More Top TV Picks Netflix
When They See Us: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Neely Ledner

Last Updated:

Views: 6589

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (42 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Neely Ledner

Birthday: 1998-06-09

Address: 443 Barrows Terrace, New Jodyberg, CO 57462-5329

Phone: +2433516856029

Job: Central Legal Facilitator

Hobby: Backpacking, Jogging, Magic, Driving, Macrame, Embroidery, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.