When They See Us (Central Park Five), Ava DuVernay’s upcoming four-episode miniseries, is set to launch on Netflix in 2019.
The series is one of the most hotly anticipated Netflix original miniseries in 2019, being the first time that the African American teenagers known as the Central Park Five, who were wrongly convicted of rape in 1989, are being given a platform to tell their own stories from their personal perspectives.
Not thugs. Not wilding. Not criminals. Not even the Central Park Five. They are Korey, Antron, Raymond, Yusef, Kevin. They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight. May 31. A film in four parts about who they really are. WHEN THEY SEE US. pic.twitter.com/QQBVqo4TYM
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 1, 2019
According to DuVernay (Selma), the title, When They See Us (Central Park Five), is meant to reflect the fact that the series tells its story exclusively from the perspectives of the Central Park Five — Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef.
While we await the release of the highly-anticipated Netflix limited series, we bring you everything you need to know, including release date, trailer, cast and plot.
When They See Us (Central Park Five) release date
When They See Us will premiere on Netflix on Friday, May 31, 2019.
How many episodes and seasons will When They See Us feature?
When They See Us will have only one season and four episodes.
When They See Us details
When They See Us (formerly Central Park Five) is a four-episode (four-part) limited series co-written by Ava DuVernay (who also serves as director), Attica Locke, Robin Swicord, and Michael Starrburry.
The series is based on the famous Central Park case from 1989. In the case, five African American teenagers — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — were wrongfully convicted of the crime of attacking and raping a jogger in Central Park, New York City. The teenagers were later exonerated from the crime and reached a settlement with New York City.
The companies involved in the production of the series are Forward Movement, Participant Media, Harpo Films, and Tribeca Productions.
The series is co-executive produced by DuVernay (for Forward Movement), Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King (for Participant Media), Oprah Winfrey (for Harpo Films), and Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh (for Tribeca Productions).
Filming of the series started in August 2018 in New York City.
The series was originally titled Central Park Five, but the showrunners announced in July 2018 that the title had been changed to When They See Us.
When They See Us trailer
Netflix released a teaser trailer for When They See Us on March 1, 2019.
When They See Us cast
The series stars Jovan Adepo as Antron McCray, Chris Chalk as Yusef Salaam, Justin Cunningham as Kevin Richardson, Freddy Miyares as Raymond Santana, and Jharrel Jerome as Korey Wise.
Others are Vera Farmiga as Elizabeth Lederer, Niecy Nash as Delores Wise, Felicity Huffman as Linda Fairstein, Michael K. Williams as Bobby McCray, Famke Janssen as Nancy Ryan, John Leguizamo as Raymond Santana Sr., Christopher Jackson as Peter Rivera, Caleel Harris as young Antron McCray, Aunjanue Ellis as Sharone Salaam, Storm Reid as Lisa, Kylie Bunbury as Angie Richardson, Omar Dosey as Elombe Brath, Adepero Oduye as Nomsa Brath, Asante Black as Young Kevin Richardson, among others.
When They See Us: What the series is about
When They See Us follows the true story of five African American teenagers (the Central Park Five) — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — who were wrongly accused and convicted of raping a jogger at the Central Park in New York in 1989, but were later found to be innocent of the charges.
After their names had been cleared, they sued the city of New York and reached a settlement of about $40 million in 2014.
When They See Us spans 25 years of the lives of the Central Park Five, starting from the spring of 1989 when they were first brought in for questioning by law enforcement.
The series focuses on the stories of the youths and how they came to be accused of a crime they did not commit.
According to DuVernay, When They See Us is significant because it is the first time that the Central Park Five are getting the chance to tell their own stories which reflect how “young people of color” are often “unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system.”
When They See Us premieres on Netflix on Friday, May 31, 2019.