# The Innocent Man (2018)

> A six-part Netflix documentary that revisits two 1980s murders in Ada, Oklahoma, and the wrongful convictions that followed.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/72066

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary, crime
- Created by: Ross M. Dinerstein, J. Clay Tweel
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Heather McPhaul, John Grisham, Kayleen Teresa Casey, Erik Anthony Russo, Garrett Davis, Kyle Williams, J.J. Arends, Olivia de Boutray
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914376/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: somber, tense, indignant, methodical

## What critics say

Audiences rated this true-crime documentary positively for its gripping account of a wrongful conviction and the dramatized recreations that carry the case.

## Synopsis

The Innocent Man (2018) is a American true crime docuseries created by Ross M. Dinerstein and J. Clay Tweel for Netflix. Built as a six-episode limited series, it returns to two murders that shook the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, in the 1980s and follows the chain of events that pulled ordinary men into a case built on coerced testimony and shaky evidence. Author John Grisham appears as himself, drawing on his bestselling nonfiction book about the case, and interviews with the people involved are interwoven with staged reenactments of interrogations and courtroom moments. Each episode peels back another layer of the investigation, showing how a small community's fear and pressure to close a case shaped who was judged guilty. The tone is sober, patient and angry, with a steady sense of dread about how easily the justice system can fail the innocent. Its methodical, interview-driven pacing will appeal to viewers who enjoy long-form investigative documentaries in the vein of Making a Murderer and The Thin Blue Line, and fans of Serial will recognize its focus on a single case examined from many angles. Overall it stands as a grim, carefully assembled account of a wrongful conviction in rural America.

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