A thoughtful and nuanced take on the true crime narrative, Unbelievable sensitively handles a harrowing tale of sexual assault. The series is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, as well as a radio episode of This American Life.
The story centers around Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever, The Last of Us), a teenager who reports being raped but faces skepticism from the authorities tasked with investigating her case. Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) and Karen Duvall (Merritt Wever), two dedicated female detectives in another state, begin connecting the dots between Marie’s case and several unsolved rapes under similar circumstances. (The characters are based on real detectives Edna Hendershot and Stacy Galbraith.) The performances of Collette, Wever and Dever were widely praised, and they definitely live up to their accolades.
Unbelievable examines the trauma and psychological turmoil that come with investigating a rape case, unpacking the impact on both the victim and the investigators involved. It’s engaging and thought-provoking, with fantastic talent at its center.