Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Season 1 – When the Streetlights Go On

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – When the Streetlights Go On Apr 2020 Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A double-homicide in a small midwestern suburb rattles the lives of a group of teenagers and sends investigators searching for answers in the fall of 1995. A meditation on growing up, the passing of time, and the insidious violence that lurks in the suburbs.
When the Streetlights Go On — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

When the Streetlights Go On takes itself a little too seriously, but strong writing, an impressive cast, and most importantly, an intriguing mystery more than make up for it.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Elliot Smith IndieWire Apr 6, 2020
Sure, "Streetlights" traffics in some of the clichés that are found in any teen drama or mystery story... but the mood is evocative and Jacobs makes for a compelling lead,. Go to Full Review Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times Apr 6, 2020
3.5/4
Sophie Thatcher is a standout as Chrissy's younger sister. Go to Full Review Esther Zuckerman Thrillist Apr 6, 2020
The cast, including It's Chosen Jacobs, is strong, and it's got a compelling or lurid cliffhanger. Sometimes you just... wish you were watching a movie, though. Go to Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix Apr 19, 2021
When the Streetlights Go On starts off promising, but it rapidly goes downhill when it starts to focus on [a teen love triangle]. What happened to the murder mystery? ... How this reveal is handled is very rushed and almost like an afterthought. Go to Full Review Rob Hunter Film School Rejects May 13, 2020
It offers a sense of nostalgia for the oft-ignored 90s, but more than that it's interested in exploring the darkness within each of us - something we might tie to a time and place from our past but which is ultimately unbound and beyond our control. Go to Full Review Tom Reimann Collider May 13, 2020
2/5
A combination of several successful, appealing formulas - a murder mystery surrounded by high school drama set against a backdrop of comforting nostalgia. But it doesn't handle any of those elements particularly well. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Garic l @RT93207740 Feb 25, 2025 You should be fine going in without expecting too much from the murder mystery angle... The true core of this limited series is its coming-of-age/slice-of-life themes and how they are affected by something as big as a serial killing (in a small, uneventful town no less). It utterly destroyed me--haunts to this very moment as every Sophie Thatcher outing does. It's a full-length movie when stitched together, though towards the end, I couldn't help but feel that it meandered into a rushed conclusion. It would have fared better as a full-pledged series with at least 20 minutes of per-episode runtime. See more Nov 7, 2021 This show was written and narrated as if it was one of the boys from the Virgin Suicides. Has some quirky moments, but the writing or the script was great. Ever narrated moment reminded of Virgin Suicides over and over. Very good thriller. See more Oct 27, 2021 That was really well done. Great cast, the young actors really hold their own. See more Aug 31, 2020 A good coming of age story with a great cast....hurt by weak resolution to its mystery See more Jun 22, 2020 Lame and predictable - like a 90s teen slasher movie without the thrills. Stock characters are nothing more than pieces on a board game not worth finishing. More of a "who cares?" than a "who-done-it". Even when you learn who the killer is, you don't care because it's played off as a side note and the writing gives you no clues in advance, so the revelation proves inconsequential. The only mystery is how the producers managed to get a few A-/B+ actors in for cameo roles. See more Jun 12, 2020 Fantastic! What this show did in the ten 10 minute episodes is truly phenomenal. Whereas the murder mystery pulls in on the first episode, this series isn't really about a murder mystery, it is about teen romance, and more importantly, teenage perception. It is an ode to the girl next door from your childhood that could have been your future but was just on a different path. Take the show simply for what it is; a look back at a childhood love you could have once had, and maybe even deserved, but could never have just like the narrator or others couldn't. See more Read all reviews
When the Streetlights Go On — Season 1

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Rebecca Thomas

Director

Chosen Jacobs

Charlie Chambers

Sophie Thatcher

Becky Monroe

Ben Ahlers

Brad Kirchoff

Mark Duplass

Mr. Carpenter

Tony Hale

Boque

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Apr 6, 2020 Cicadas Student journalist Charlie Chambers pieces together the clues of a double homicide in the summer of 1995; friends and loved ones of the deceased struggle to make sense of their new reality. Details Episode 2 Aired Apr 6, 2020 Closed Casket Detective Darlene Grasso begins her investigation into the murders of Chrissy Monroe and Steve Carpenter; aided by Charlie's discovery, she zeros in on Chrissy's boyfriend, Brad Kirchoff, as a suspect. Details Episode 3 Aired Apr 6, 2020 Wrong Number Charlie convinces the newspaper editor to let him write about the murder; a conversation between Charlie and Becky in the woods rekindles their connection; the killer dials Chrissy's private line. Details Episode 4 Aired Apr 6, 2020 Homecoming The students of Colfax High partake in the homecoming dance while Detective Grasso interrogates Casper Tatum. Details Episode 5 Aired Apr 8, 2020 Notes From the Wrong Side of the Tracks Casper finally realizes the identity of his secret crush, Becky Monroe, is the sister of a girl everyone thinks he murdered; a late-night encounter in the newspaper room provides Charlie with the scoop of his young career. Details Episode 6 Aired Apr 9, 2020 Deodorant & Nicotine After Charlie's article in the school paper exonerates Casper, an unlikely romance blossoms between the town bad boy and Becky Monroe. Details Episode 7 Aired Apr 10, 2020 Warmth of the Sun Becky shares an intimate secret with Casper during a long walk home as Brad secretly plots his revenge; a flyer to a mysterious party is delivered in everyone's lockers overnight; Charlie and Berlice's relationship intensifies. Details Episode 8 Aired Apr 13, 2020 Halloween Brad and Casper get into a bloody and vicious brawl at a Halloween party; after Brad is left clinging to life, Casper has no choice but to flee town. Details Episode 9 Aired Apr 14, 2020 Annotations Becky reemerges from her self-imposed exile to borrow books from Charlie; their renewed friendship gets in the way of the young scribe's relationship with Berlice. Details Episode 10 Aired Apr 15, 2020 When the Streetlights Go On Just as Colfax is finally beginning to heal, another murder shakes the city to its core; years later, adult Charlie mulls over what it all meant at his high school reunion. Details

More Like This

View All
City on a Hill 88% 86% City on a Hill Watchlist TRAILER for City on a Hill The Act 88% 91% The Act Watchlist TRAILER for The Act Escape at Dannemora 89% 94% Escape at Dannemora Watchlist TRAILER for Escape at Dannemora Under the Banner of Heaven 86% 81% Under the Banner of Heaven Watchlist TRAILER for Under the Banner of Heaven Bosch 97% 94% Bosch Watchlist TRAILER for Bosch Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

When the Streetlights Go On — Season 1

When the Streetlights Go On When the Streetlights Go On When the Streetlights Go On When the Streetlights Go On View more photos

Season Info

Director
Rebecca Thomas
Executive Producer
Eddie O'Keefe, Chris Hutton, Rebecca Thomas, Tariq Merhab, Chad Hamilton
Screenwriter
Eddie O'Keefe, Chris Hutton
Network
The Roku Channel
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Apr 6, 2020
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings