Summary
Killing County is a fascinating, important, and damning docuseries that exposes institutional racism. Everyone who sees it should demand answers on the lack of change in antiquated policy practices and leadership that desperately needs an overhaul.
Hulu has spent a lot of time and money trying to catch the streaming giant, Netflix, in the true crime docuseries space. You have a series with an awful title that’s quite good with Web of Death or oddly specific ones like Death in the Dorms. Even ABC has gone as far as to recycle materials from past 20/20 episodes like an updated true crime special, like Where is Private Dulaney? However, Hulu and ABC News have found a high point with their new true crime docuseries, Killing County, a series that is frighteningly good while also being about something alarming that is intricately put together for more significant effect.
Killing County Season 1 Review and Premise
Killing County follows the case of the Ramirez family, who tragically lost their son during a police shooting. They have been grieving the loss of their son Jorge for nearly a decade. What transpires over time is frightening, even jaw-dropping, and goes beyond even a case of racially motivated police shootings. It takes place in Bakersfield, California, where being a police officer is a form of birthright. Well, if you are white and know the same people. Even from the 90s to the 2010s, Bakersfield had a population boom but still had the same small-town roots.
The documentary, when talking about the police force, has a Western genre feel to it, where the police are known as the judge, jury, and executioner. The county in the title of the series is Kern County, one that needs a serious overhaul at the top of its power structure. A town that lives under a dome whose politics and idealism have never changed at the top of the leadership structure. No matter the current population, per the U.S. Census, the Hispanic and Latino population in the city is at 52%, and the white population sits at 31%.
Killing County was executive produced by Robe Imbriano (Soul of a Nation) and Colin Kaepernick (with an expert narration by actor Andre Holland, who has the greatest voiceover timber since Morgan Freeman). As the story unveils itself, each layer pulled back is as fascinating as the next. Layered in between are other stories that are equally as astonishing and stomach-churning. The directors and producers have laid out an intricate, even labyrinthine, plot that comes together in a way where everyone who watches it should demand answers.
Is Killing County Season 1 good?
The story is laid out in Killing County. From dozens of crime film cliches that you would have never believed if it was in a fictional film to a strange Hollywood connection to a very good Disney family film starring Kevin Costner. However, that is all, for lack of a better term, that brings “color” to a story that it does not necessarily need.
Yet, that is what Killing County is. A story about seeing color. Not just racial, but blue, and then figuring the rules do not apply to you. This is a fascinating, important, and damning docuseries that exposes institutional racism and antiquated policy practices that need an overhaul.
And quickly.
What did you think of the Hulu true crime documentary series Killing County season 1? Comment below.
mcCarthy
Ha~ Weak chess move by liberal media propaganda. Living in bakersfield and knowing the real story tells me this is for liberal slander. Its all about Kevin M. Here is the thing go ahead and slander away, but not a city. We need our officers to hold the line with criminals more so because of soft on crime. Most of our officers are great. Our of cities in the US why bako? yeh. colin is a pawn is lawyer is slime and abc news is being told what to do. SICK
Who is Kevin M? Did you read your comment before you posted it? Typical GQPer; only semi literate.
I’m from Bakersfield. This documentary is heavily biased and filtered through the lense of the criminals and their desperate families. These families attempt to justify blatant criminal activity and make every excuse imaginable for their loved-ones who were clearly in the wrong. It’s utterly pathetic. Characters with excuses like these have been eroding the city for decades. The issue is not the hard-working law enforcement officers who have to negotiate and neutralize these people and no, they are not just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone who lives her knows this. These families efforts to attack law enforcement should have gone towards proper home training prior to these events occurring. They should have taught these people that you must accept the consequences of what happens when you are up to no-good, in the first place. These people put themselves in this position and paid the price for their poor decisions. Just own up to it. The police officers respond to these situations, have extensive training, and are not out to get anyone. How dare we keep undermining law enforcement. Shame on you!
This documentary is bullshit*t!! I live here .. Our cops aren’t soft so they get blasted? You ever hear of any protests or looting here? No! People know, you play here you pay! Period!
I’m from Bakersfield & it’s unfortunate that some believe Killing County to be “bullshit, bias or slander.” This docuseries wasn’t meant to divide our community & choose sides, but to acknowledge & awareness to the problems with our community so we as community can unite to correct what is wrong and fix what is broken within the place we call home. If you can’t recognize and admit that there is a whole lot of wrong here in Bakersfield than I’m going to assume you’ve lived a very privileged or very sheltered life and you’re not only fortunate but very blessed. I do not expect you to have any empathy or even sympathy for something you’ve never had to witness or endure personally. There been several comments about the victims in this documentary being criminals and not being law abiding citizens, aside from Jorge Ramirez who are you referring too? Francisco Serna, the 73 year old man with dementia who gunned down in his own driveway while holding a crucifix? Or David Silva the man who went to the hospital for help was told to go to Mary Kay Shell but instead was escorted off the hospital premises by security who left him across the street where he fell asleep? Or are you referring to James De La Rosa the unarmed teen with no priors who was shot and killed after wrecking his vehicle? Because I dont recall any hardcore offenders during this series just innocent people at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Hulu should have lead with the horrifying stories (examples) of the other victims. Most (and I do mean most) people in Bakersfield know those stories are not uncommon in Bakersfield and VERY often underreported by the local/national news. The “Sheraton Shootout” was an example of BPD’s bad behavior, yes, but should not have been the backbone of Hulu’s documentary. As many lifelong residents know, there was a lot of mitigating factors left out; and therefore Hulu lost some creditability amongst locals.
With that said, I like most here, applaude your attempt. PLEASE!! do not stop with the first episode. DIG DEEPER!!; For example: check out the number of “deaths” a Kern County’s Lerdo facility -huge– and have you seen the latest proposal by the BPD? 500 new public camara’s that only BPD has access to (ever) and are not required to share with any other law enforcement agency.