The series is outstanding enough for how it contextualizes Cosby’s legacy, especially for Black America, and the charges against him, which Cosby denies. ... But [W. Kamau Bell] also has a sharp critic’s eye as a performer himself. ... It’s in bringing the two sides together that “We Need to Talk About Cosby” does something too rare in cases like this. It holds Cosby’s achievements and his wrongs close, and it recognizes that there may be unresolvable dissonance between the two.

In presenting the issue with a level of nuance that's often elusive, Bell and company have significantly advanced it.

One of his best decisions, and what really elevates the series, is how cleverly he eschews the “fall from grace” structure. ... We don’t just need to talk about Cosby, we need to hear about Cosby, and hearing what he did from the mouths of the people he did it to has incredible power.

This was no cut-and-paste runthrough of the rise and fall of a former national treasure. It was a serious attempt to understand why and how it happened, how one of the country's darlings landed in court accused of serially drugging and raping women.

The recurring theme in Mr. Bell's rigorous, riveting program is that Mr. Cosby's image precluded a belief in his guilt: No one this nice could have done these things. ... Most of the time, he's a clear-eyed documentarian. Once in a while, tears cloud his vision.

By generously sampling Cosby’s greatest hits, by praising Cosby’s philanthropy, Bell masterfully builds us up in between damning indictments. He reminds us of the “monument to Black excellence” that was “The Cosby Show,” its cast and even its set, and of Cosby’s place at the center of American culture. Remembering how high the man rose, how trusted he and his “brand” became makes his fall more disheartening, the reluctance to believe his accusers and the whispers easier to understand.

We Need To Talk About Cosby deserves praise for holding the comedian to account. But that credit must in the first instance go to the women who spoke out and who are interviewed on camera. Bell, however, wants to tell a story that is bigger than Cosby. And the film he has made feels at once excessive and lacking focus.