When They See Us panel with Oprah, real-life 'Central Park Five' to air on Netflix and OWN

When Oprah Winfrey conducts an interview these days, it tends to be a big deal, and it seems her next one will be no exception.

On June 12, Netflix and OWN will unveil Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now, a special hosted by Winfrey focusing on Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries about the Central Park jogger case. The special will feature two in-depth interviews: the first with the cast of When They See Us, including Michael K. Williams and Niecy Nash, and the second with DuVernay and the real-life men dubbed the “Central Park Five” — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise. This will be Winfrey’s first interview with the five.

When They See Us intimately follows the case of the five men through their arrest, trial, imprisonment, and eventual exoneration. The series has received widespread acclaim; actor LeVar Burton called it “as essential to your understanding of America” as the landmark miniseries Roots.

The special is part of Netflix’s promotional series FYSEE, which presents panels on various shows to Emmy voters and industry insiders. It’s a rare occurrence for one of these panels to be filmed and released to the public.

Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now will premiere June 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN and Netflix.

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