Netflix Says ‘When They See Us’ Is Its Most-Watched Series

When They See Us (Credit: Netflix)

When They See Us has raised awareness, received praise and according to Netflix, it’s one of the most popular series on the streaming platform.

When They See Us has been the most-watched series on Netflix in the U.S. every day since it premiered on May 31,” the company tweeted Wednesday.

Netflix rarely releases viewership data and did not provide additional information on how many people watched the series.

The four-part dramatization recounts the true story of five teenagers — Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, and Raymond Santana — who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in the case surrounding the April 1989 rape of a female jogger in New York’s Central Park.

 

 

Related Story: Central Park Five Prosecutor Calls Netflix Series ‘Fabrication’ in Op-Ed

The five were 14 to 16 years old at the time and were coerced into confessing. The defendants were black or Hispanic, and the victim was white.

The convictions were vacated in 2002 due to DNA evidence and a confession from serial rapist Matias Reyes.

Ava DuVernay produced, directed and co-wrote the miniseries.

The expansive cast includes Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Christopher Jackson and Joshua Jackson.

The series has led to backlash against Linda Fairstein, the New York prosecutor in the case. She’s been dropped by her longtime publisher after writing 16 bestselling crime novels. She also resigned from the boards of several organizations.

Fairstein criticized the series in an op-ed saying it relies on an “utterly false narrative.”

Meanwhile Elizabeth Lederer, the assistant district attorney on the case, said Wednesday she is stepping down from her job as a part-time lecturer at Columbia Law School amid criticism over the Netflix series.

“Given the nature of the recent publicity generated by the Netflix portrayal of the Central Park case, it is best for me not to renew my teaching application,” she said in a statement shared by the university.


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