The Trailer For When They See Us Details the Horrifying Case of the Central Park 5

Ava DuVernay's upcoming limited series When They See Us on Netflix chronicles the story of how five teenage boys of color from Harlem were wrongly convicted of a rape they didn't commit in 1989, as well as the 25-year fight for justice following their conviction. The first trailer for the four-part series shows the emotional toll the racially charged case has on the young boys, their families, and the community, while the recently released trailer depicts their lives after they were put behind bars. As director DuVernay stated when the second trailer dropped on May 28, "The story didn't end when they put them behind bars. It was only beginning."

The show is based on the real-life account of those teens — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — who came to be known as the Central Park Five. On March 1, DuVernay — who also cowrote the project — tweeted about the series, writing, "They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight." DuVernay has previously worked on significant historical films — including 2014's Selma and 2016's 13th — that explore the history of racism in America. The latest is sure to be just as necessary and intriguing. Netflix will premiere When They See Us on May 31.