The cast of Netflix’s “When They See Us” and the five men previously dubbed the Central Park Five will sit down with Oprah Winfrey for an intimate discussion following the success of Ava DuVernay’s limited series.
The Central Park Five — now being called the Exonerated Five by Netflix — will join Winfrey for a “special in-depth conversation," according to the streaming service. Their conversation, previously recoded, will premiere on Netflix and Winfrey’s OWN on Wednesday, June 12, at 10 p.m.
The chat, called “When They See Us Now,” will be a part of Netflix’s Emmy FYSEE showcase, a “For Your Consideration” platform drawing awards attention toward the production.
The special will include two separate discussions: one with the series’ actors, Niecy Nash, Jharrel Jerome, Michael K. Williams, Joshua Jackson, Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Freddy Miyares and Justin Cunningham, as well as executive producers Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. The second will bring out the Exonerated Five men — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — and DuVernay.
The four-part Netflix series has received critical praise since it hit the streaming service last week. It recounted the experience of five boys wrongly convicted in the April 1989 rape of 28-year-old investment banker Trisha Meili in Central Park. All five of them were charged in connection with the case despite a lack of evidence, due to confession tapes they insist were coerced. They served between 6 and 13 years in prison and were exonerated of their crimes in 2002 when Matias Reyes confessed.
The goal of DuVernay’s series was to give a voice to the voiceless — a message spread by the decision to switch the title of the project from “Central Park Five” to “When They See Us.”
“When They See Us” is streaming on Netflix.
