‘Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now’ is Essential Viewing After the Netflix Series

If you haven’t yet seen When They See Us—Ava Duvernay’s four-part miniseries now streaming on Netflix—go do that. It’s a tough watch, but an essential one that tells the true story of five young men of color who were wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman in 1989. And after you watch that, make sure you catch the one-hour special, hosted by Oprah Winfrey: Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now. 

The hour-long special aired on Winfrey’s network OWN last week and is also available to stream on Netflix. In the first half, Winfrey (an executive producer on When They See Us) interviews Duvernay along with the main cast and executive producers, providing valuable insight into their process. Portraying a living person is always tricky, but it was particularly sensitive when it came to the Exonerated Five—as, Winfrey notes, they would prefer to be called, rather than the widely used “Central Park Five.” Moonlight actor Jharrel Jerome—who, as Korey Wise, was the only actor to portray both the teen and adult version of the five—spoke of an intense, multistep process of learning how to speak, move, and feel like Wise. “It was the first time I ever felt like I stepped out of my body and stepped into somebody else’s,” said Jerome.

But it’s the second half of the special that is truly powerful: The cast and crew leave the stage and Winfrey introduces the real men behind the critically-acclaimed series: Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson.

Much like the show, the interview is, at times, tough to watch. These are not actors trained to be charming and likable to promote their show, they are real men who suffered real trauma as teenagers.  All served at least six years in prison (Wise, the oldest, served 13) for a crime they did not commit, thanks to police who coerced them into false confessions. Wise, in particular, seems to have difficulty opening up.

But Winfrey is the pro she’s always been. In one emotional moment, McCray (portrayed by Caleel Harris as a teen and Jovan Adepo as an adult) says through tears that he never forgave his father for telling him to confess to a crime he didn’t commit, and Jerome and others in the audience are visibly moved. In another, Santana says he does blame the lead prosecutor on the case Linda Fairstein, who was reportedly dropped by her publisher, thanks to the series.

“She had the power in her hand to really do the right thing, and she fumbled it,” Santana said frankly.

Near the end, when Winfrey asks them if they feel the success of When They See Us was the redemption they were looking for, their answers are frank.

“Not for me, ma’am,” said McCray. “I appreciate though.”

Added Richardson, “It is bittersweet. Watching this is painful. But it’s necessary. This needs to be watched.”

Stream Oprah Winfrey Presents: When They See Us Now on Netflix

Stream When They See Us on Netflix