We Need to Talk About Cosby

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]

We Need to Talk About Cosby
GenreDocumentary
Directed byW. Kamau Bell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • W. Kamau Bell
  • Andrew Fried
  • Katie A. King
  • Dane Lillegard
  • Jordan Wynn
  • Sarina Roma
  • Vinnie Malhotra
Running time58-60 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseJanuary 30 (2022-01-30) –
February 20, 2022 (2022-02-20)

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byOriginal air date [2]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Part 1"W. Kamau BellJanuary 30, 2022 (2022-01-30)0.166[3]
2"Part 2"W. Kamau BellFebruary 6, 2022 (2022-02-06)[lower-alpha 1]0.184[5]
3"Part 3"W. Kamau BellFebruary 13, 2022 (2022-02-13)[lower-alpha 2]0.126[6]
4"Part 4"W. Kamau BellFebruary 20, 2022 (2022-02-20)[lower-alpha 3]0.145[7]

Release

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]

Reception

Critical reception

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]

Cosby's response

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]

Accolades
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]

Notes
  1. Part 2 was released on Showtime's on-demand and streaming platforms on January 30, 2022, ahead of its weekly premiere.[4]
  2. Part 3 was released on Showtime's on-demand and streaming platforms on January 30, 2022, ahead of its weekly premiere.[4]
  3. Part 4 was released on Showtime's on-demand and streaming platforms on January 30, 2022, ahead of its weekly premiere.[4]

References
  1. Grobar, Matt (January 19, 2022). "Showtime Unveils New 'We Need To Talk About Cosby' Trailer Ahead Of W. Kamau Bell Docuseries' Sundance Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. "We Need to Talk About Cosby". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. Metcalf, Mitch (February 1, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Sunday 1.30.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  4. "We Need to Talk About Cosby". Showtime. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (February 8, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 2.6.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (February 15, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 2.6.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (February 23, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Sunday 2.20.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  8. "We Need to Talk About Cosby". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  9. Lang, Brent (December 9, 2021). "Sundance Unveils 2022 Feature Lineup, Including Films From Lena Dunham, Amy Poehler and Netflix's Kanye West Doc". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  10. Yuma, Jennifer (December 20, 2021). "Showtime Documentary Films Announces 'We Need To Talk About Cosby' Premiere Date (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  11. "We Need to Talk About Cosby: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  12. "We Need to Talk About Cosby: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  13. Legaspi, Althea (January 26, 2022). "Bill Cosby Responds to 'PR Hack' W. Kamau Bell on Damning New Series". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. Towers, Andrea (January 26, 2022). "Bill Cosby responds to accusations in We Need to Talk About Cosby docuseries, rep calls director a 'PR hack'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  15. Voyles, Blake (September 6, 2023). "83rd Peabody Award Winners". Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  16. Tinoco, Armando (August 15, 2022). "Black Reel TV Awards: Quinta Brunson & 'Abbott Elementary' Lead Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  17. Carey, Matthew (October 20, 2022). "Cinema Eye Honors: 'Four Hours At The Capitol,' 'The Beatles: Get Back' Lead First Round Of Nominations For Documentary Awards Show". Deadline. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  18. MacCary, Julia; Shafer, Ellise (January 12, 2023). "'All That Breathes,' 'Fire of Love' Lead Cinema Eye Honors". Variety. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  19. Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  20. Shanfield, Ethan (October 25, 2022). "'Tár' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations: Full List". Variety. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  21. Verhoeven, Beatrice (2022-07-07). "'This Is Us,' 'Succession,' 'Severance' Lead 2022 HCA TV Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  22. Moreau, Jordan (July 12, 2022). "Emmys 2022: Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  23. Cordero, Rosy (June 16, 2022). "'Abbott Elementary' Scores Most TCA Award Nods; 'Squid Game' & 'Only Murders In The Building' Also Among Honorees". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  24. Hailu, Selome (August 6, 2022). "'Abbott Elementary' Tops 2022 TCA Awards". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
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