Netflix has no shortage of excellent shows to get stuck into, but most of them would take you weeks to get through. If you’re looking for a more concentrated hit, this limited series is only four episodes long, and it’s still one of the very best shows on the platform.
When They See Us Is Critically Acclaimed
|
IMDb Rating |
8.8/10 |
|---|---|
|
Release Year |
2019 |
|
Seasons |
1 (Limited Series) |
|
Episodes |
4 |
|
Total Runtime |
4 hours 55 minutes |
When They See Us is a Netflix original TV show that retells the true story of the 1989 Central Park jogger case. This maddening miscarriage of justice saw five black and Latino boys wrongly arrested and put on trial for the brutal attack and rape of a white female jogger in Central Park. It’s a classic case of racial profiling and it’s impossible to watch without becoming incensed.
Across four episodes, When They See Us investigates the arrest, trial, and backstories of the five boys, taking time to look at the enormous impact this injustice had on their lives once they were eventually exonerated. It’s powerful, affecting, emotional, well acted, expertly told, and is one of the very best shows Netflix has ever released.
Produced by Robert DeNiro and Oprah Winfrey, the show was highly acclaimed by critics on its release in 2019, receiving 11 Emmy nominations. It lost out in the Emmys to Chernobyl—a fantastic show in its own right—but still took home the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Limited Series.
It was also the most-watched television series on Netflix shortly after its release, though it’s since lost that title to Wednesday and no longer ranks in the top 10.
It’s Only Four Episodes and Five Hours Long
TV shows have been getting longer and longer for a while. These days, when you start a new show, you might be committing to 50 hours of television or more. That’s a heck of a commitment because we all know how difficult it is to ditch a show that isn’t living up to the hype after you’ve already sunk a few seasons into it.
But When They See Us is only four episodes long, with episodes running about 1 hour and 15 minutes, coming to a total runtime of under five hours. You could watch the entire show between lunch and dinner, or across both evenings on a weekend, or if you don’t mind a late night you could start now and finish it today.
It’s so rare to see shows this kind of length, but I cherish it when I do, especially when they’re as excellent as When They See Us. We’ve twice as much time to get to know the characters and situation as we’d get in a movie, without any of the fluff, sagging, or drawn-out side plots that are commonplace in longer prestige dramas these days.
The end result is a poignant and deeply affecting story, and one that you’re likely to watch in a single sitting.
More Limited Series You Should Watch on Netflix
When They See Us isn’t the only limited series Netflix has produced, though it is one of the only ones you can watch in a single afternoon and certainly one of the top-rated options. Still, if you’re looking for more complete stories that you don’t need to spend weeks of your life watching, here are some other shows you should check out.
The Queen’s Gambit
In The Queen’s Gambit, Anya Taylor-Joy stars as an orphaned chess prodigy growing up in the 50s and 60s, needing to battle both the sexism of the time and her deep personal demons to become a chess champion.
Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer is the darkly funny and creepy story of a struggling Scottish comedian’s encounter with an obsessive—and dangerous—stalker. It is written by and stars Richard Gadd, who wrote the story based on his own real-life experiences.
Beef
Beef stars Ali Wong and Stephen Yeun, as two complete strangers who devote themselves to ruining one another’s lives after a road rage incident. It instantly draws you in with its sharp humor, but keeps you engaged with its deep and unusual character studies.
Maniac
Maniac might be the strangest Netflix show I’ve ever watched. Starring Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, with an off-the-wall supporting performance from Justin Theroux, it takes you inside a drug study for an experimental new pill, and the mind-bending inner journeys its participants experience.
These shows are all excellent and I highly recommend each of them. But if you’re really after a story you can get through in a single sitting, then you should check out the best movies on Netflix as well!
Netflix
When it comes to original shows and movies, no service comes close to Netflix. New original content is released weekly, so you’ll never run out of shows to watch.
