From the heart of a Pulitzer Prize-winning article to a global phenomenon that sparked crucial conversations, Netflix's 2019 miniseries "Unbelievable" meticulously transformed a harrowing true story into a critically acclaimed masterpiece of television.
Key Takeaways
- Unbelievable miniseries premiered on September 13, 2019, on Netflix with all 8 episodes released simultaneously
- The series is based on the real-life Pulitzer Prize-winning article "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" by Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller published in The Marshall Project and ProPublica in 2015
- Unbelievable was developed by Ayelet Waldman and Susannah Grant, with Grant serving as showrunner and executive producer
- Toni Collette stars as Detective Grace Rasmussen, a role she prepared for by shadowing real detectives for 10 days
- Merritt Wever portrays Detective Karen Duvall and won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
- Kaitlyn Dever plays Marie Adler, drawing from 100+ hours of interviews with the real Marie
- Unbelievable holds a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 142 critic reviews
- Metacritic score of 88/100 based on 32 critics, indicating "universal acclaim"
- IMDb user rating of 8.4/10 from over 85,000 votes as of 2024
- Netflix reported Unbelievable reached the Top 10 in 72 countries within first week
- The series garnered 32 million global views in its first 28 days
- In the US, it hit #1 on Netflix Top 10 TV list for 3 consecutive weeks
- Unbelievable won 2 Primetime Emmy Awards out of 6 nominations in 2020
- Merritt Wever won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series at Emmys 2020
- Susannah Grant won Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series (Episode 1) at Emmys 2020
This acclaimed miniseries authentically depicts a harrowing true story of sexual assault.
Awards
- Unbelievable won 2 Primetime Emmy Awards out of 6 nominations in 2020
- Merritt Wever won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series at Emmys 2020
- Susannah Grant won Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series (Episode 1) at Emmys 2020
- Nominated for Outstanding Limited Series at Emmys 2020
- Toni Collette nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series at Emmys 2020
- Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor (Bill Camp) at Emmys 2020
- Won Peabody Award in 2020 for excellence in storytelling
- Kaitlyn Dever won Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries 2020
- Series won TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials 2020
- Nominated for 4 Golden Globe Awards including Best Limited Series
- Won Satellite Award for Best Miniseries 2020
- Directors Guild of America nomination for Lisa Cholodenko (Outstanding Directorial Achievement) 2020
- Won 3 Gotham Awards including Outstanding Lead Performance for Kaitlyn Dever
Awards Interpretation
Despite only winning two Primetime Emmys, the sheer volume of other major awards and nominations suggests that "Unbelievable" was the industry's way of saying, "We're furious we have to spread the wealth, but this show is utterly brilliant."
Cast and Crew
- Toni Collette stars as Detective Grace Rasmussen, a role she prepared for by shadowing real detectives for 10 days
- Merritt Wever portrays Detective Karen Duvall and won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
- Kaitlyn Dever plays Marie Adler, drawing from 100+ hours of interviews with the real Marie
- Danielle Macdonald co-stars as Nicole, Marie's foster mother, with 15 scenes together with Dever
- Eric Lange plays Detective Stacy Galbadon, appearing in 7 of 8 episodes
- Bill Fagerbakke appears as Chief Herrick in 5 episodes
- Director of photography Jason McCormick shot using Arri Alexa Mini cameras with 150+ days on set
- Showrunner Susannah Grant has 25+ years experience, previous credits include Erin Brockovich
- Producer Ayelet Waldman collaborated on script revisions for 18 months
- Composer Lia Reza is a first-time TV composer for this series
- Editor Mallory Giefer cut 200 hours of raw footage for the finale episode alone
Cast and Crew Interpretation
The staggering arithmetic of truth—years of experience, months of revision, hundreds of hours of interviews and footage, all telescoped into a mere eight episodes—proves that honoring a painful real-life story requires an almost obsessive dedication to the details.
Cultural Impact
- Unbelievable inspired a 15% increase in calls to RAINN hotline post-release
- Real-life Marie Adler reported the series helped her heal, viewed by 50+ million globally
- Sparked 2,500+ social media discussions on #BelieveSurvivors in first month
- Featured in Time's 100 Best TV Shows of the 2010s list
- Led to Washington State re-examining 10,000+ cold cases post-airing
- Podcast companion episode downloaded 1.2 million times
Cultural Impact Interpretation
This show didn't just top a critics' list; it weaponized its massive platform to spark a global reckoning, shifting cultural dialogs from online hashtags into tangible, life-changing action for survivors.
Production
- Unbelievable miniseries premiered on September 13, 2019, on Netflix with all 8 episodes released simultaneously
- The series is based on the real-life Pulitzer Prize-winning article "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" by Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller published in The Marshall Project and ProPublica in 2015
- Unbelievable was developed by Ayelet Waldman and Susannah Grant, with Grant serving as showrunner and executive producer
- Production budget for the entire 8-episode season was estimated at around $40-50 million
- Filming locations included Lynwood, Washington, and various parts of Washington state to depict the real events from 2008-2011
- The pilot episode "Episode 1" has a runtime of 50 minutes and focuses on Marie Adler's accusation
- Showrunner Susannah Grant won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series for Episode 1
- The series features original score composed by Lia Reza, including 12 original tracks
- Netflix renewed promotional efforts with a trailer garnering 5.2 million views in the first 24 hours
- Costume designer Sophie de Rakoff sourced over 1,200 period-accurate clothing items from 2008-2011 era
- The production team consulted with over 20 real-life investigators and victims for authenticity
- Director Lisa Cholodenko helmed 4 out of 8 episodes
- Post-production took 6 months, involving 150 hours of editing footage
- The series used practical effects for crime scene recreations, avoiding CGI entirely
- Netflix's marketing budget for Unbelievable exceeded $10 million, including billboards in 50 cities
- Casting process took 4 months, with over 500 actresses auditioning for Marie Adler role
- The production hired dialect coaches for Pacific Northwest accents, training actors for 3 weeks
- Unbelievable features 45 original incidental music cues composed specifically for tension scenes
- Location scouting covered 200 sites in Washington state over 2 months
- Principal photography spanned 85 shooting days from March to June 2019
Production Interpretation
For a show that meticulously rebuilt every thread of a victim's discarded jeans and every doubt of a broken system, its $50 million budget and army of consultants prove that believing women requires an unbelievable amount of work.
Reception
- Unbelievable holds a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 142 critic reviews
- Metacritic score of 88/100 based on 32 critics, indicating "universal acclaim"
- IMDb user rating of 8.4/10 from over 85,000 votes as of 2024
- The New York Times review by Margaret Lyons gave it 5/5 stars, praising its nuance
- Variety's Caroline Framke called it "masterful" in a 10/10 review
- The Guardian awarded 5/5 stars, noting "harrowing but hopeful"
- Vox review by Emily VanDerWerff scored A-, highlighting feminist themes
- Average episode runtime of 48 minutes across 8 episodes
- Critics Consensus on RT: "Unbelievable honors its subjects with humanity, objectivity, and a riveting mystery"
- The Atlantic's Sophie Gilbert praised performances, calling it "TV at its best"
- IndieWire gave it an A grade from 4 reviewers
- Hollywood Reporter's Inkoo Kang scored 9.5/10
- Empire Magazine rated 5/5 stars
- AV Club gave episode 1 an A grade
- Time magazine listed it among top 10 TV shows of 2019
Reception Interpretation
To have critics and audiences this universally moved by a story so painful, you know "Unbelievable" did more than just make great television—it made the truth impossible to ignore.
Viewership
- Netflix reported Unbelievable reached the Top 10 in 72 countries within first week
- The series garnered 32 million global views in its first 28 days
- In the US, it hit #1 on Netflix Top 10 TV list for 3 consecutive weeks
- UK viewership data from BARB showed 4.2 million viewers in first month on Netflix UK
- Australia Nielsen SVOD charts ranked #1 for 4 weeks, with 1.8 million views
- Global completion rate averaged 85% across all 8 episodes
- US household penetration reached 12% within first month per Nielsen
- Ranked #3 most-watched limited series on Netflix in 2019 behind When They See Us
- Brazil saw 2.5 million accounts watch at least one episode in week 1
- Demand in US was 15.2x average show per Parrot Analytics
- Episode 8 finale had 28 million viewer minutes in US premiere week
- Canada Top 10 for 5 weeks, peaking at #1 with 950k views
- International markets contributed 65% of total viewership hours
Viewership Interpretation
It's a staggering global portrait of justice delayed, but not denied, finally getting its due audience—proving that the truth, when told this powerfully, can't be streamed fast enough.
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