The series follows the complex story of theBeatrice Six, who were convicted in 1989 of the 1985 rape and murder of Helen Wilson. In 2009, the six were exonerated by DNA evidence, despite five of them originally confessing to the crime when a police psychologist convinced them that they were experiencingrepressed memory.[1]
AfterNanfu Wang completed her first filmHooligan Sparrow, Wang showed the film to the main subject. Realizing some of the subject's memories were not true, Wang found this fascinating.[8] In 2017, Wang read an article about theBeatrice Six, and was intrigued by their story, and wanted to explore it as a filmmaker.[9] Previously the six were approached by other filmmakers to make films or television series, but declined.[10] Wang first traveled to Beatrice in 2019, taking time to build trust within the community, and consulting with the defense attorney who represented the six, once they began to know Wang's intentions, she gained access to those close to the story.[9][8]
In June 2022, it was announced Wang had directed a documentary series revolving around the Beatrice Six, whichHBO Documentary Films andVox Media Studios produced, and distributed byHBO.[11]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on five reviews with an average rating of 9.40/10.[12] OnMetacritic, it has a score of 88 out of 100, based on six reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]
