When Netflix says that the latest Adam Sandler film is viewed by 31 million accounts in three days, a piece of your heart dies. Sure, it makes sense that Sandler’s comedy is a hit, as many people tend to enjoy his work. But let’s be real, what he’s making is not award-winning art. So, that’s what makes Ava DuVernay’s recent tweet about the popularity of “When They See Us” so special. There’s hope that Netflix viewers are willing to give non-Sandler projects a shot too.
Recently, the co-writer and director of the limited series “When They See Us” took to social media to tout the massive numbers that Netflix has reported about viewership.
“Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried. Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day,” she tweeted.
READ MORE: The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far
No, 23 million isn’t the biggest number ever reported by Netflix. And yes, it still falls well short of Sandler’s “Murder Mystery.” But there’s no denying that 23 million is a great number, especially for a four-part drama series about police profiling and the injustice that followed five young men in 1989 New York City. “When They See Us” isn’t a series that has the sole purpose of making you laugh or just entertaining viewers for two hours. No, the series is hard-hitting and dares viewers to follow the hardships and horrible situations that five young men found themselves in.
We’ve already seen the effects of the popularity of “When They See Us.” Since it’s based on a true story that apparently an entire generation wasn’t very aware of, social media has erupted with people shocked and appalled by the events that happened to the Central Park 5. This has led to people that were involved in the case back in 1989 feeling the heat over the last month.
As DuVernay tweeted, hopefully, the success of this series proves to Netflix and other studios that these sorts of stories are not just quality inspiration for films and TV series, but also can be breakthrough hits if treated right.
“When They See Us” is available now on Netflix.
Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried. Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day. pic.twitter.com/4vgCo0aKR9
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 25, 2019