Is there such thing as a"must watch"?
I finished the series When They See Us in Two Days. It was beautiful and difficult and profound. I’ve heard some people say that it was too difficult to watch. Which is completely a choice for them. It was hard to watch for me. Right now I am watching the old Melrose Place episodes as well, and I longed to turn back to that.
But at what point does a value of a text make it “must” watch? When They See Us is a model for true crime shows in that it tells a story about the people involved, not of the actual crime. It’s not about the crime, it’s about the victims lives as it relates to the crime. (Yes, these men were victims.) I believe popular culture, including television and films, can change social structures. Not in isolation from other factors, but they help.
It is also a clear example of how we need more black filmmakers to tell black people’s stories. White filmmakers are, of course, allowed to tell any stories, but how many more times do we have to have great black filmmakers as an exception, not the norm.
If anything, watch it for some of the best casting and acting in a series ever. I am also impressed with shows/films that really slow down at points to tell a story. Not everything needs to be jammed in there like some sort of cliff’s notes.