Netflix’s 3-Part True Crime Miniseries Is One of Its Hardest New Shows To Watch

True crime has become one of Netflix’s most reliable genres, but The Witness isn’t the kind of show viewers are likely to tear through in a single sitting. The Witness has quickly become one of the biggest new streaming hits since its debut on June 4 and has earned 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. The reason for The Witness’s popularity is not so much due to its unexpected surprises or dramatic plot turns; rather, viewers may find it hard to watch because it does not make entertainment of an awful true-life tragedy.

The Witness is a series based on the memoir Letting Go by Alex Hanscombe and tells the story of Rachel Nickell, who was murdered in 1992 while on a walk with her two-year-old son, Alex, the only eyewitness to the murder. While The Witness is a dramatization of true-crime events, like most true-crime dramatizations, its primary focus is not on this aspect but on how the lives of those affected are forever changed. The investigations, the media frenzy, and the question of whether the individual(s) responsible for such horrible acts will be held accountable are all important; however, The Witness frequently returns to those individuals who must suffer the consequences of what happened.

‘The Witness’ Refuses To Turn a Real-Life Tragedy Into Entertainment

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Most series built around notorious crimes naturally gravitate toward detectives, suspects, and revelations; The Witness pushes those elements into the background. At the center are André Hanscombe (Jordan Bolger) and his son Alex (Max Fincham), who was just two years old when his mother was killed and became the only witness to the attack.

Bolger’s André spends much of the series trying to do the impossible. He’s grieving, raising a traumatized child, dealing with a relentless media circus, and facing investigators desperate for answers. Meanwhile, as a teenager, Alex struggles with a past he would rather leave untouched. The series doesn’t always present either of them as perfect; in fact, one of its greatest strengths is how uncomfortable it makes that reality feel. Grief doesn’t arrive with instructions, and The Witness doesn’t demonstrate otherwise.

The same honesty extends to the media frenzy that followed the murder. Reporters are a constant presence, following the family from their home to police stations and eventually across Europe. Some of the most upsetting scenes have nothing to do with the crime itself, but with what happens when private suffering becomes a public spectacle.

Critics Have Embraced the Show’s Human Approach

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While some reviewers noted that three episodes of this series didn’t give enough time to adequately explore all the elements of the story, most praised it for not sensationalizing this case, which has been examined many times before.

Many critics cited the emotional grounding established by Bolger and Fincham, while others noted that the series has focused on grief and trauma rather than treating the murder as a puzzle to be solved. When it does turn to the flawed investigation and the miscarriage of justice that followed, those two components are secondary to what Andre and Alex experienced.

This is probably also a result of both men being consultants on this project. For many years, the case has been reviewed through documentaries, news stories, and even discussions on the investigation itself. The Witness takes a different approach by asking viewers to reflect on what life was like for those trying to rebuild their lives long after the public moved on.

Netflix Viewers Are Proving There Is Still an Audience for Thoughtful True Crime

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Strong reviews are one thing, but audience interest has been just as impressive. Data tracked by FlixPatrol showed The Witness quickly becoming one of Netflix’s biggest shows worldwide and in the United States, despite the fact that the series offers little in the way of easy escapism. A companion documentary, The Murder of Rachel Nickell, has also found an audience.

Viewers clearly haven’t grown tired of true crime; instead, they may be responding to stories that offer more than just shocking details and dramatic reveals. The Witness certainly includes both, but its priorities lie elsewhere. The series is more concerned with the aftermath than with the mystery, and with the survivors rather than with the notoriety of the case itself.

Plenty of true-crime dramas leave audiences talking about the investigation or the killer. The Witness leaves viewers thinking about a father and son trying, imperfectly, to carry on with their lives.

The Witness

Release Date

June 4, 2026

Network

Netflix

Directors

Alex Winckler