Mind Over Murder (TV series)

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Mind Over Murder
GenreDocumentary
Directed byNanfu Wang
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Nanfu Wang
  • Marc Smerling
  • Max Heckman
  • Chad Mumm
  • Mark W. Olsen
  • Nancy Abraham
  • Lisa Heller
  • Sara Rodriguez
Producers
  • Alexander Baertl
  • Scott Curtis
CinematographyJarred Alterman
Editors
  • Keiko Deguchi
  • Joe Langford
  • Josh Melrod
  • Michael Shade
Running time52 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseJune 20 (2022-06-20) –
July 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)

Mind Over Murder is a 2022 American documentary television miniseries revolving around the Beatrice Six, directed by Nanfu Wang. It consists of 6 episodes and premiered on June 20, 2022, on HBO.

Plot[edit]

The series follows the complex story of the Beatrice 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 experiencing repressed memory.[1]

Episodes[edit]

No.TitleDirected byOriginal release date Viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Nanfu WangJune 20, 2022 (2022-06-20)0.119[2]
2"Episode 2"Nanfu WangJune 27, 2022 (2022-06-27)0.094[3]
3"Episode 3"Nanfu WangJuly 4, 2022 (2022-07-04)0.065[4]
4"Episode 4"Nanfu WangJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)0.077[5]
5"Episode 5"Nanfu WangJuly 18, 2022 (2022-07-18)0.064[6]
6"Episode 6"Nanfu WangJuly 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)0.098[7]

Production[edit]

After Nanfu Wang completed her first film Hooligan 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 the Beatrice 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, which HBO Documentary Films and Vox Media Studios produced, and distributed by HBO.[11]

Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 5 reviews with an average rating of 9.40/10.[12] On Metacritic, it has a score of 88 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Flynn, Meagan (March 3, 2019). "Six people were convicted of a murder they didn't even remember. Now a county owes them $28 million". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 21, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 6.20.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 28, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 6.27.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 6, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 7.4.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Salem, Mitch (July 12, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 7.11.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 19, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 7.18.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Salem, Mitch (July 26, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 7.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Schaefer, Stephen (June 20, 2022). "Filmmaker Nanfu Wang spotlights notorious 1985 crime in HBO series 'Mind Over Murder'". The Boston Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Wissot, Lauren (June 22, 2022). ""I Never Saw This as a 'True Crime' Series": Nanfu Wang on HBO Docuseries Mind Over Murder". Filmmaker. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Loeks, Manuette (June 18, 2022). "HBO docuseries explores 'Beatrice 6' convictions, exonerations". Star-Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  11. ^ "HBO Original Documentary Series MIND OVER MURDER Debuts June 20". WarnerMedia. June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  12. ^ "Mind Over Murder". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  13. ^ "Mind Over Murder". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 30, 2022.

External links[edit]