We Need to Talk About Cosby | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | W. Kamau Bell |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 58-60 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | Showtime |
Release | January 30 – February 20, 2022 |
We Need to Talk About Cosby is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by W. Kamau Bell. It explores the life and career of Bill Cosby up to his sexual assault cases, through conversations with comedians, journalists, and survivors. It premiered on January 30, 2022, on Showtime. [1]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Part 1" | W. Kamau Bell | January 30, 2022 | 0.166 [3] |
2 | "Part 2" | W. Kamau Bell | February 6, 2022 [lower-alpha 1] | 0.184 [5] |
3 | "Part 3" | W. Kamau Bell | February 13, 2022 [lower-alpha 2] | 0.126 [6] |
4 | "Part 4" | W. Kamau Bell | February 20, 2022 [lower-alpha 3] | 0.145 [7] |
The series had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022. [8] [9] It was released on January 30, 2022, on Showtime. [10]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 98% of 58 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.The website's consensus reads: "W. Kamau Bell deftly unpacks the Cosby scandal by allowing the conversation to be uncomfortable, yielding a robust examination of the disgraced entertainer and the culture that enabled him." [11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 83 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [12]
A representative for Bill Cosby issued a statement days prior to the series's premiere, stating: "Mr. Cosby has spent more than 50 years standing with the excluded; made it possible for some to be included; standing with the disenfranchised; and standing with those women and men who were denied respectful work because of race and gender within the expanses of the entertainment industries, continues to be the target of numerous media that have, for too many years, distorted and omitted truths... intentionally. Mr. Cosby vehemently denies all allegations waged against him, Let's talk about Bill Cosby. He wants our nation to be what it proclaims itself to be: a democracy." [13] [14]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Peabody Awards | Documentary honoree | We Need to Talk About Cosby | Won | [15] |
Black Reel Awards for Television | Outstanding Television Documentary or Special | We Need to Talk About Cosby | Won | [16] | |
Cinema Eye Honours | Outstanding Nonfiction Series | Nominated | [17] [18] | ||
Outstanding Broadcast Editing | Meg Ramsay | Won | |||
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | Best Limited Documentary Series | We Need to Talk About Cosby | Nominated | [19] | |
Gotham Independent Film Awards | Breakthrough Nonfiction Series | Won | [20] | ||
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Streaming Docuseries or Non-Fiction Series | Won | [21] | ||
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A King, Vinnie Malhotra, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn, Geraldine L. Porras, and Erik Adolphson | Nominated | [22] | |
Outstanding Narrator | W. Kamau Bell (for "Part 1") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program | Meg Ramsay and Jennifer Brooks (for "Part 1") | Nominated | |||
Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in News and Information | We Need to Talk About Cosby | Nominated | [23] [24] |
Queen Sugar is an American drama television series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey serving as an executive producer. DuVernay also directed the first two episodes. The series is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by American writer Natalie Baszile. Queen Sugar centers on the lives of three siblings in rural Louisiana who must deal with the aftermath of their father's sudden death and decide the fate of his 800-acre sugarcane farm. The mainstream themes in the series often accompany episodes centered on racial profiling, the long reach of chattel slavery in American history and the inequities in the criminal justice system, and other issues related to African Americans.
Documentary Now! is an American mockumentary television series, created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, that premiered on August 20, 2015, on IFC. Armisen and Hader star in many episodes, and Thomas and Alex Buono co-direct most episodes. Hosted by Helen Mirren, the series spoofs celebrated documentary films by parodying the style of each documentary with a similar, but fictitious, subject. The third season premiered on February 20, 2019. On April 8, 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on October 19, 2022 and was also released on AMC+.
Better Things is an American comedy-drama television series created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K. for FX, starring Adlon as a divorced actress who raises her three daughters on her own. FX gave a 10-episode order on August 7, 2015. The series premiered on September 8, 2016. The series was renewed for a fifth and final season which premiered on February 28, 2022. The series concluded on April 25, 2022.
Dark Net is an American documentary television series created by Mati Kochavi that explores the dark web and technology, and themes such as biohacking, cyber-kidnapping, digital warfare, online cults, pornography addiction, and webcam strippers. The series premiered on January 21, 2016, on Showtime, with the first season consisting of eight episodes. Its second season, consisting of eight episodes, premiered on April 6, 2017.
The Chi is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. It premiered on Showtime on January 7, 2018. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a sixth season. On June 21, 2023, it was announced that the sixth season will consist of 16 episodes split into two parts; part one premiered on August 6, 2023.
American Rust is an American crime drama television series created by Dan Futterman based on the novel of the same name by Philipp Meyer. The series premiered on September 12, 2021, on Showtime. In January 2022, the series was canceled after one season by Showtime. In June 2022, the series was revived for a second season by Amazon Freevee.
Black Monday is an American historical dark comedy television series created by Jordan Cahan and David Caspe that premiered on January 20, 2019, on Showtime. The series stars Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, Casey Wilson, and Paul Scheer, and follows the employees of second-tier Wall Street trading firm the Jammer Group during the year leading up to "Black Monday", the day when international stock markets crashed in 1987. In April 2019, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on March 15, 2020. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 23, 2021. In January 2022, the series was cancelled after three seasons.
The eighth and final season of the American spy thriller television drama series Homeland premiered on February 9, 2020, and concluded on April 26, 2020, on Showtime, consisting of 12 episodes.
Your Honor is an American drama television series starring Bryan Cranston, adapted from the Israeli TV series Kvodo. It premiered on Showtime on December 6, 2020 and ended on March 19, 2023. While ordered as a miniseries, in August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on January 15, 2023. In July 2022, it was reported that the second season would be its last.
The Astronauts is an American action-adventure television series that aired on Nickelodeon from November 13, 2020 to January 15, 2021. The series stars Miya Cech, Bryce Gheisar, Keith L. Williams, Kayden Grace Swan, and Ben Daon, as well as features the voice of Paige Howard.
How To with John Wilson is an American television comedy docuseries created by filmmaker John Wilson. The series, executive produced by Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman and Clark Reinking, was ordered by HBO. It premiered on October 23, 2020.
The Old Man is an American drama thriller television series based on the 2017 novel The Old Man by Thomas Perry. It was developed by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine and premiered on FX on June 16, 2022. The first season consists of seven episodes. Following its premiere, the series was renewed for a second season.
Love Fraud is an American true crime documentary miniseries, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, about the hunt for a serial romance scammer. It premiered on August 30, 2020, on Showtime.
Ziwe is an American satirical late-night talk show hosted and executive produced by comedian Ziwe Fumudoh based in New York City. The show premiered on May 9, 2021, on Showtime.
Somebody Somewhere is an American comedy drama television series starring Bridget Everett and created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen. It premiered on HBO on January 16, 2022. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 23, 2023. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.
The First Lady is an American anthology drama television series created by Aaron Cooley which premiered on Showtime on April 17, 2022. It stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Viola Davis, and Gillian Anderson, among others, and portrays life and family events of three First Ladies of the United States: Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. The series received mixed reviews, with praise for Pfeiffer's and Anderson's performances, as well as the costuming, set design, and themes, but criticism for its pacing, plot, and Davis's performance. In August 2022, the series was canceled after one season.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is an American science fiction drama television limited series created by Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. It is a sequel to the 1976 film starring David Bowie. The series stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as an alien who arrives on planet Earth and Bill Nighy, playing the role originally played by Bowie in the 1976 film. It debuted on Showtime on April 24, 2022. A portion of the series was shown at SXSW on March 12, 2022. In October 2022, the series was canceled after one season.
The Wonder Years is an American coming-of-age comedy television series developed by Saladin K. Patterson that aired from September 22, 2021, to August 16, 2023, on ABC. Inspired by the 1988 series of the same title, it stars Elisha "EJ" Williams as Dean Williams, and follows his life as he grows up in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late 1960s. Don Cheadle lends his voice as the narrator for the series as the adult counterpart of Dean. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 14, 2023. In September 2023, the series was cancelled after two seasons.
Abbott Elementary is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as Janine Teagues, a perpetually optimistic second-grade teacher at the underfunded Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. The ensemble cast includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
100 Foot Wave is an American documentary television series directed by Chris Smith, revolving around big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara as he traveled to Nazaré, Portugal with the goal of conquering a 100-foot wave. It premiered on HBO on July 18, 2021.