Critic Reviews

The emotional roller coaster never lets up, careening from rage and sorrow to horror in director-cowriter Ava DuVernay's shattering four-part dramatization of the infamous Central Park Five case. ... A flawless cast. [27 May - 9 Jun 2019, p.13]

Impassioned, worthy, and at times very moving. It is also regularly excruciating. A particularly pointed example of a new kind of Must-See TV, When They See Us appeals not to our pleasure centers but to our higher minds, our civic responsibility, our duty to watch for the greater good. It challenges TV’s mandate to be fun.

The four-parter is such a powerfully human take on one of our justice system’s most heinous blunders. Director and co-writer Ava DuVernay doesn’t appeal solely to our conscience; she goes for the emotional jugular. ... All of [the actors] are remarkable; there’s not a glitch in the casting.

The emotional impact of When They See Us cannot be understated. ... It’s not easy watching these kids and their families constantly suffer, but it doesn’t feel like DuVernay is scolding the audience as much as demanding their empathy. ... All of the actors are phenomenal, but special attention has to go to Jerome, who is a revelation as Korey Wise.

The emotional weight of Duvernay’s respect for the physical and emotional facts settled slowly in your stomach. You wanted to cheer when the wrongful convictions were vacated. But the sight of the now grown men returning to their childhood bedrooms hollowed the triumph.

When They See Us is exceedingly difficult to watch. It cut me to my very core. When you see it, I’m sure it will do the same to you.

When They See Us is DuVernay at her best: urgent, unflinching, and political. But like 13th before it, it’s a gutting viewing experience, one that probably benefits from binge-viewing, but makes doing so nearly impossible.

[Creator/director Ava DuVernay] sometimes prioritizes the intellectual over the emotional or intentionally leaves big gaps in time and perspective. But her choices never feel haphazard. The material mines profound outrage, and the note-perfect ensemble lends it heart.

This show stands apart. ... Retaining control of a rapidly beating heart (if at times only narrowly), “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.

Elegant, wrenching four-part reenactment of the Central Park Five saga. ... [Ava DuVernay] never reduces her subjects—five real, live, now-middle-aged men—to statistics or types. (The lawyers are generic by contrast.)