Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children

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Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 5, 2020
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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Critic Reviews

  1. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Tambay Obenson
    Apr 13, 2020
    100
    Unsettling and engrossing, “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered” is a must watch. It will leave audiences baffled and enraged over how justice for these wicked, unusually extreme crimes, has yet to be properly served.
  2. Collider
    Reviewed by: Valerie Complex
    Apr 6, 2020
    100
    What the series does brilliantly is showing various vantage points—giving the viewer enough information to decide what side they’re on.
  3. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Charles Barfield
    Oct 5, 2020
    91
    A series that might be too much for some people but will delight others interested in learning everything, down to every last fiber, in a case that is often overlooked or completely forgotten. It’s no-holds-barred with no easy answers. The way true-crime is meant to be seen.
  5. CNN
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Apr 6, 2020
    90
    However juicy something like "Tiger King" might be, the best documentary series connect the subject to larger issues that go beyond one case. So it is with Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children, a look back at the child murders of 40 years ago, and the legacy and doubts that linger to this day.
  6. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Apr 3, 2020
    88
    You might walk away from this series thinking that the case was correctly solved. You might walk away thinking it was merely closed to stop a race war from destroying the city. But you will definitely walk away with a clearer picture of why this story remains such a vital part of Atlanta’s history. It still feels like its final chapter has yet to be written.
  7. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Richard Roeper
    Apr 3, 2020
    88
    Everybody has an opinion or a gut feeling or a theory in the engrossing, sobering HBO five-part docu-series.
  8. Decider
    Reviewed by: John Serba
    Apr 7, 2020
    80
    Well-balanced in its voices, clear of narrative and tough as nails — just as it absolutely needs to be.
  9. Salon
    Reviewed by: Ashlie D. Stevens
    Apr 6, 2020
    80
    "Atlanta's Missing and Murdered" is not an easy watch, nor should it be. ... Yes, this is a true crime story, as well as one that delves into matters of guilt, innocence and a broken (often historically racist) criminal justice system — but it's also a contemplation of what closure actually looks like for those affected by violent, race-based crime.
  10. Slate
    Reviewed by: Laura Miller
    Apr 17, 2020
    50
    Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered does justice to a couple of the criticisms, and it certainly provides a more cogent picture of the city, the time, and the crimes than the haphazard and gullible Atlanta Monster podcast did two years ago. But the HBO series also succumbs to the imperatives of a plot-twist narrative. It seems driven more by the need to entertain than a desire to get at the truth.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best TV Season of 2020

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. UncleWillard
    May 3, 2020
    5
    I want to like this, but the constant input from activists and people with no expertise wholly bent on trying to disprove the race of theI want to like this, but the constant input from activists and people with no expertise wholly bent on trying to disprove the race of the killer is offputting. They don't seem to care as much about the victims, (including Williams if you believe he's innocent; I'm unconvinced), rather than solving the case. I'm waiting for the gotcha moment, but I seriously doubt I will get one.… Full Review »
  2. Gritx
    Apr 6, 2020
    10
    Yeah Tiger King is the talk of the town but this is a Documentary Series that deserves to be seen by everybody. Not only an in-depthYeah Tiger King is the talk of the town but this is a Documentary Series that deserves to be seen by everybody. Not only an in-depth chronicling of the investigation carried out by law enforcement to solve Atlanta's child murders. But most importantly, an extraordinary depiction of the historical factors and social inequalities that plagued the city of Atlanta which made it possible for these horrific crimes to occur and so difficult for the city and government entities to solve properly. 10/10… Full Review »
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