Unbelievable

Marie is a teenager who has been shuffled from one foster family to another. She recently started working and has moved into a shelter for at-risk youth. One morning, she calls for help, claiming she was raped. The police arrive, take her statement, and search for clues. There is no physical evidence of the perpetrator. Marie shows little or no reaction. The police learn that she is a vulnerable teenager with a troubled past and erratic behavior. With no evidence, they begin to doubt her story. They summon her in, press her a little, and the young woman breaks down: she tells them what they want to hear—that she made it all up.
For them, the case is closed, and for her, it’s the beginning of a second hell.

A few years later, in another state, another young woman calls the police after being raped. The investigator who listens to her does not doubt her story, even though, once again, there is no trace or clue left behind by the perpetrator.
But the detective refuses to give up. One day, by chance, she learns of a similar crime committed elsewhere. She contacts her counterpart in charge of that investigation. The two women assemble a team and do everything in their power to apprehend the serial rapist.

A powerful and memorable series

Sometimes things happen that are really hard to believe. That doesn’t mean they aren’t true. Unfortunately, this work of fiction is based on real events. The series title has a double meaning. Marie will not be believed. As the episodes unfold, the viewer, too, becomes skeptical: How could what is described have actually happened?

The police investigation is conventional but well-described, combining the analysis of forensic evidence with an exploration of the criminal’s psychology. That is, in fact, the only drawback of the series: the criminal’s motivations and past are not explored in sufficient depth.

But the series’ true strength lies in its decision to bring to the forefront a topic that is rarely at the heart of a plot. Here, the victims have their say, especially in the early episodes and in the finale. “Unbelievable” isn’t a lighthearted show that you watch without much thought, but it’s a great series with a gripping plot that helps change the way we view rape victims.

1 season, 8 episodes (50 mn), 2019-, ongoing, on CBS & Netflix

WITH :

• The detectives, their team and their husbands : Merritt Wever (The bombing of Pan Am 103) as Karen Duvall, Toni Collette as Grace Rasmussen, Dale Dickey as RoseMarie, Liza Lapira as Mia, Omar Maskati as Elias, Austin Hébert as Max Duvall, Kai Lennox as Steve Rasmussen
• Season 1 : Kaitlyn Dever (Apple cider vinegar) as Marie Adler, Eric Lange as Det. Parker, Danielle Macdonald as Amber, Elizabeth Marvel as Judith, Bridget Everett as Colleen, Blake Ellis as Chris McCarthy