10 TV Characters Who ONLY Appear In The First And Last Episode

Released in 2019, When They See Us received near unanimous praise from viewers and critics alike for its uncompromising depiction of the injustices the Central Park Five endured after being falsely prosecuted and imprisoned for the 1989 assault of jogger Trisha Melli.

The case (and consequently the show) is a seminal example of the devastating impact racial and class criminal profiling has on people of colour and/or working class individuals. The miniseries is directed with poignant honesty by Ava DuVernay and the ensemble cast elevated already somber but powerful material to incredible heights.

One character that both bookended the crime drama and signaled the shift towards achieving the Five's freedom was the assistant District Attorney, Nancy Ryan. Played by Famke Janssen, the assistant DA was initially assigned to the case when it was believed that Melli would die from her injuries.

Once this was determined to not be the case, the case was assigned to now controversial prosecutor, Linda Fairstein. Years later, in 2002, Ryan and New York DA Robert Morgenthau began the process that would see the Five exonerated after sufficient evidence was provided to prove their innocence.

Ryan's part in the miniseries is understandably not its focal point, but Janssen acquitted herself well as the one of the driving forces that gave the Five their freedom back.