Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now Pt. 1
This special podcast episode features conversations with When They See Us creator, co-writer and director Ava DuVernay together with the talented cast of the four-part docu-drama from Netflix. Since its release on May 31st, Netflix says When They See Us has been the most-watched series on the platform. Based on a true story, When They See Us is an historical account of the five teenagers wrongfully convicted of sexual assault in Central Park in 1989. The four-part series focuses on the young men – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – who were sentenced between five and 15 years in prison and juvenile detention centers. In 2002, all five men were exonerated of their crimes after DNA evidence and a confession from the lone attacker, Matias Reyes, proved their innocence. Vanity Fair said, “But even the most eloquent and evocative documentaries don’t involve the viewer as deeply as a brilliant acting performance, the kind that DuVernay gets from Jharrel Jerome (as Korey Wise), Marquis Rodriguez (Raymond Santana), Ethan Herisse (Yusef Salaam), Asante Blackk (Kevin Richardson) and Caleel Harris (Antron McCray). Empathy springs from the tiny emotional inflections that make it all so agonizingly real.” In the second episode, Oprah speaks with the real-life exonerated five.