By Anita Bennett, Deadline
Netflix already said that When They See Us was one of the most popular series on the streaming platform. Now the numbers are out, showing more than 23 million accounts worldwide have watched the four-part drama about the so-called Central Park Five.
On Tuesday, Ava DuVernay, who produced, directed and co-wrote the miniseries, took to Twitter to share the viewership numbers.
“Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad,” she wrote. “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.”
Netflix’s @strongblacklead account retweeted DuVernay shortly after she posted the information.
On June 12, the streamer said that When They See Us was its most-watched series in the U.S. every day since it premiered May 31, notable considering Netflix rarely releases its viewing data.
When They See Us recounts the true story of five teenagers — Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson and Raymond Santana — who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in the April 1989 rape of a female jogger in New York’s Central Park.
The five were 14- to 16-years-old at the time and were coerced into confessing. The defendants were black or Hispanic, and the victim was white.
The convictions were vacated in 2002 due to DNA evidence and a confession from serial rapist Matias Reyes.
The expansive cast of the widely-praised series includes Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Christopher Jackson and Joshua Jackson.
This article originally appeared in Deadline.
