Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
{{short description|2021 documentary television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Crime Scene - The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel promotional poster.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster
| genre = Documentary
| developer =
| director = Joe Berlinger
| presenter =
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Viveca Chow
- Judy Ho
- Artemis Snow
}}
| country = United States
| language = {{Plainlist|
- English
- Spanish
}}
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 4
| list_episodes =
| open_theme =
| composer = Wendy Blackstone
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Joe Berlinger
- Ron Howard
- Brian Grazer
- Sara Bernstein
- Justin Wilkes
- Jon Doran
- Jon Kamen
- Ryan Miller
}}
| producer = Graham Riske
| cinematography = Jeff Hutchens
| editor =
| company = {{Plainlist|
- Imagine Documentaries
- RadicalMedia
- Third Eye Motion Picture Company
}}
| runtime = 51–58 minutes
| network = Netflix
| released = {{Start date|2021|02|10}}
}}
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the first season of the Crime Scene docuseries. Released in 2021 and directed by Joe Berlinger, it chronicles the death of Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel. It features Viveca Chow, Judy Ho and Artemis Snow and premiered on February 10, 2021 on Netflix.{{cite web|title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel' On Netflix, A Docuseries About A Notorious Hotel And A Missing College Student|url=https://decider.com/2021/02/10/crime-scene-the-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel-netflix-review/|work=Decider|first=Joel|last=Keller|date=February 10, 2021|access-date=February 13, 2021}}{{cite web|title=Crime Scene: the Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel review – not spooky, just desperately sad|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/feb/10/scene-the-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel-review-not-spooky-just-desperately-sad|work=The Guardian|first=Ellen E|last=Jones|date=February 10, 2021|access-date=February 13, 2021}}
Interviewees
- Viveca Chow
- Kim Cooper
- Josh Dean
- Judy Ho
- Greg Kading
- Santiago Lopez
- John Lordan
- John Sobhani
- Tim Marcia
- Doug Mungin
- Amy Price
- Artemis Snow
- Jason Tovar
- Morbid Blackstar (Pablo Vergara)
- Jim McSorley
Episodes
{{Episode table |background=#000000 |overall= |title= |airdate= |country=U.S. |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = Lost in Los Angeles
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|2|10}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = Secrets of the Cecil
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|2|10}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = Down the Rabbit Hole
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|2|10}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = The Hard Truth
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|2|10}}
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000000
}}
}}
Release
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel was released on February 10, 2021, on Netflix.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/01/19/netflix-february-2021-to-all-boys-always-and-forever-more/4210645001/|title=Netflix in February: Our last date with 'To All The Boys,' 'Malcolm & Marie' debuts|work=USA Today|first1=Erin|last1=Jensen|first2=Leora|last2=Arnowitz|date=January 19, 2021|access-date=February 13, 2021}}
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 54% based on 26 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "A sad story poorly told, Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel buries the heart of its tragic case under unsavory conspiracy theories and tasteless reenactments."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/crime_scene_the_vanishing_at_the_cecil_hotel/s01|title=Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel: Season 1 (2021)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=March 8, 2021}} On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.{{cite web|url= https://www.metacritic.com/tv/crime-scene-the-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel/season-1 |title= Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel Reviews |website=Metacritic|access-date=February 18, 2021}}{{cbignore}}
Questions
Writing for Insider, Libby Torres pointed out seven questions that the documentary left after claiming that the mystery was solved. Among them, the fact that it was not identified who edited the video of Elisa in the elevator (which has signs of tampering); the police went with sniffer dogs to the place where Elisa's body was, but they didn't find it; the hotel did nothing after receiving the information that Elisa was exhibiting strange behavior: "In the show, the hotel's former manager, Amy Price, explains that bizarre behavior was par for the course at the hotel, which has housed drug addicts, mentally ill people, and sex workers throughout the years. Price essentially tells producers that while Lam's behavior was odd, it didn't merit any special attention. As a viewer, though, it's hard not to wonder why the hotel didn't do more to help and whether or not assisting Lam could have prevented her death."{{cite news|url=https://www.insider.com/elisa-lam-netflix-crime-scene-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel-2021-2|title=7 questions we still have about Elisa Lam's death after watching 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel'|last=|first=|date=|website= |access-date=September 12, 2021|archive-url=|archive-date=}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Netflix title}}
- {{IMDb title|13837672}}
{{Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky}}
{{Netflix original ended series (2019–present)}}
Category:2021 American television series debuts
Category:2021 American television series endings
Category:2021 American television seasons
Category:2020s American documentary television series
Category:Documentary television series about crime in the United States
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Netflix original documentary television series
Category:Television series based on actual events
Category:Television series by Imagine Entertainment