Netflix’s When They See Us Gains Popularity for All the Right Reasons

It’s the best one on Netflix so far.

Netflix has always shied away from creating controversial shows and has focused on creating entertainers like Love, Death, and Robots. Things changed recently when the streaming service provider decided to air When They See Us, a four-part series based on real events that have managed to catch the attention of the masses.

Sadly, the success of When They See Us so soon after the Chernobyl series by HBO reflects the fact that if you want to earn money and fame on TV, you need to show tragedies that happened to real people.

 

For the uninitiated, When They See Us revolves around a true story. A jogger in New York City’s Central Park area was assaulted and raped in 1989. The story focuses on the aftermath of the tragic event and highlights how five teenagers were questioned and convicted by the NYPD. The case proved to be controversial when the teenagers were exonerated years later, and it became clear that they were coerced to admit to the crime. We should also highlight that Matias Reyes, a serial rapist has confessed to the crime in 2001 and DNA evidence supported the confession.

Though When They See Us is nothing like fictional shows like Game of Thrones, it has a unique pull that will keep you hooked. This is the reason why it has become the most watched show on Netflix every day since the past two weeks in the US. We wonder if the ratings of Stranger Things 3, a highly-anticipated show will beat it or not.

 

When They See Us has also gotten the limelight for other reasons as well. The prosecutor of the real case, Linda Fairstein has been dropped from her publisher and has stepped down from various positions in non-profit organizations. The Assistant District Attorney of the case, Elizabeth Lederer has also parted ways with Columbia Law School, primarily because of the backlash she faced after the show was aired.

Even the US President had faced some flak when he insisted that the five were guilty and took out a full-page ad in 1989 in The New York Daily News and insisted that the perpetrators of the assault should be executed. Weird but true.

 

We think that the show is gaining popularity for all the right reasons because it proves that being accused doesn’t mean that you are guilty and those in law enforcement should focus more on evidence rather than bowing to pressure and accusing anyone who is handy! What do you think of When They See Us?