• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    netflix and thrill

    Houston native unleashes thrilling Netflix true crime whodunit series

    Steven Devadanam
    Dec 24, 2018 | 3:07 pm

    Gripping, ominous, and chilling, The Innocent Man is the latest tale that has audiences buzzing on the streaming juggernaut, Netflix. The brooding series is based on the true crime novel of the same name by author John Grisham.

    Much like the wildly popular streaming series Making a Murderer, The Innocent Man is an eerie whodunit, but at its heart, it’s a story that brutally illustrates that the challenges and corruption that plagues the U.S. criminal justice system.

    Encompassing a winding, six-episodes, The Innocent Man centers on the quiet town Ada, Oklahoma and the brutal murders of waitress Debbie Carter in 1982 and store clerk Denice Hathaway in 1984. The investigations and trials rocked the city; a total of four men were convicted. But as the series deftly illustrates, the entire process was flawed: confessions were coerced. The families of the murdered victims now live tortured lives, as do the wrongfully convicted men. (The tale of Ronald Williamson is especially disturbing.) The series mixes archival footage with riveting dramatizations that reflect the stark desolation of the story.

    The Innocent Man is the brainchild of executive producer Ross Dinerstein, a Houston native and 15-year veteran of Hollywood, with dozens of titles successfully released — including one with Stephen King. Dinerstein approached Grisham about a series; the celebrated author later handpicked Dinerstein to produce the project.

    CultureMap caught up with Dinerstein, who shared the frightening relatability of his riveting mini saga, which is now available to 137 million viewers worldwide.

    CultureMap: Congratulations on the success of the series. Is this story so scary because it hits home?

    Ross Dinerstein: Oh yeah. True crime is terrifying and I think audiences love to be scared. And true crime — it’s real, and it can happen to you. And even John Grisham says, you know, when he wrote the book, he was reading the obituary for Ronald Williamson and saw that they were both from small towns in the South and they’re both star baseball players. And John even looked at it and was like, “That could’ve been me.”

    And I think people are fascinated by these stories because it could very well be them or their neighbor or a family friend that is, you know, wrongfully accused.

    CM: Truly, in the right circumstances, this could happen to almost anybody.

    RD:
    It’s my worst nightmare personally to be imprisoned for a crime I didn’t commit, let alone sentenced to death for a crime I didn’t commit. And that, I think, is just terrifying.

    This is important because it puts a magnifying glass on a very big flaw in the criminal justice system. Innocent people are being arrested and incarcerated and sentenced to death with little to no evidence, with either corrupt or mishandled evidence and they really don’t have a day in court. They have their day in court but, once they’re convicted, it’s next to impossible to get out, to get that overturned.

    And, if you’re innocent and you’re in prison, you’re most likely gonna stay in prison.

    We forged relationships with a lot of the people in this, from the family members of the victims, and we just owe it to them to tell the story. Because, honestly, once you’re locked away, people don’t really care.

    CM: Did you create this series especially for binging?

    RD: I’ll be very surprised that if anyone doesn’t watch, you know, all six episodes in over a day. We’ve created it to be binge-worthy. We’ve edited it that way. We feel like it’s an important part of the experience of watching it, because there are some ebbs and flows and the momentum builds and, then, the ending does leave you with a taste in your mouth. And I think most people will want to watch it all, if not in one sitting.

    CM: Viewers are drawing a lot of comparisons to Making a Murderer.

    RD:
    With Making a Murderer, there are obviously some parallels because of Netflix. But, our access was very different than theirs, and there wasn’t a lot of archival and there weren’t a lot of people that were still alive involved in ours. So, we really did kind of come up with our own language and our own game plan.

    Our show relies heavily on recreations and they’re very cinematic and they’re very beautiful. And it comes from my narrative background, where we really focused on that. So, I think people will be surprised at sort of how cinematic and visual our show is.

    CM: This series is especially haunting. Was it as hard to make as it was, at times, to watch?

    RD:
    Look, it’s a really hard show to make as a filmmaker, because it’s really depressing.Yeah, I really struggled with it. I spent a lot of time in Oklahoma and ended up making a very silly, R-rated comedy right after we finished shooting it to sort of balance my soul.

    CM: The response on social media is tremendous — people are calling for new investigations — and it’s gone global to 133 countries.

    RD:
    True crime is really big in the UK, and there’s already been a lot of press in the UK for this show, including a newspaper in the UK actually showing up at one of the subject matter’s houses, essentially stalking her and just demanding an interview. And it was a really minor character too. So, I think this is gonna be big in the UK. I think it will be big in the US. But, you know, Netflix’s reach is global, and they’re known for these true-crime docs. So, I feel like it’s really gonna catch on.

    CM: How does it feel to have a title available on Netflix’s welcome screen and available to more than 100 million viewers?

    RD:
    You know, I’ve been making indie films for 15 years and to get 25,000 people to see your film was a home run. It’s a really big moment. But, at the end of the day, this is just something that I’m just so excited about.

    I’ve been a part of about 40 different projects, and this is about the most important thing I’ve ever done and this is the project that I’m the most proud of.

    Houston native Ross Dinerstein is the series executive producer.

    Netflix An Innocent Man Ross Dinerstein
      
    Photo courtesy of Netlix
    Houston native Ross Dinerstein is the series executive producer.
    tv
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Houstonians will get the royal treatment at this lively new steakhouse

    New owner of Texas Renaissance Festival revealed in our top 5 stories

    Houston's new Napa Valley-inspired restaurant sets opening date

    Movie Review

    New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

    Alex Bentley
    May 16, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

    Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

    Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

    He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

    Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

    The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

    Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

    Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

    There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

    ---

    Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

    moviesfilm
    news/entertainment
    Loading...