If you were alive in the ’80s — or watched any shows set in that decade — you might remember when missing children’s faces started appearing on milk cartons around the country. This series tells the story of Jonelle Matthews, one of the first missing kids to be featured.

Opening Shot: Over a barren landscape, a woman recounts feeling stuck between being able to act and doing nothing; she feels like she lost herself by staying in the gray area.

The Gist: In 1984, a young girl’s disappearance puzzled an entire community. Her family contacted Ronald Reagan’s administration, which brought national attention to the case and made Jonelle Matthews the first missing child to appear on a milk carton. Her case remained unsolved for over 30 years until her remains were found in 2019 and a man was convicted of her murder. This Oxygen docuseries features interviews with Jonelle’s parents and sister as well as the ex-wife of the man currently serving his sentence for killing her.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Another Colorado-set true crime story, American Murder: The Family Next Door is another series that provides a conclusion and names a killer by the end of the series.

Our Take: The Girl on the Milk Carton is less about the milk carton and more about the actual case, which works to the advantage of the series. It’s a case that you’re likely somewhat familiar with even if you’re not a true crime junkie, namely because it was one of the first cases to appear on milk cartons, drawing a wider interest and attention to Jonelle’s disappearance.

The series excels largely because of its talking heads — most notably, Angela Hicks who was married to convicted murderer Steve Pankey at the time that he kidnapped Jonelle. Her testimony, recounting years of abuse and finding suspicious documents, is inspirational and provides a useful perspective when investigating the different suspects of the case.

The Girl on the Milk Carton does leave some details out of the two-episode series — like the fact that Jonelle was adopted and her birth mother was originally considered a suspect — but those cuts make sense when considering the tight narrative that the series weaves. For true crime junkies and casual fans alike, this one is worth checking out.

Sex and Skin: No sex or skin in a romantic sense, but there are some bloody reenactments that could be disturbing for some viewers.

Parting Shot: The same woman from the opening moments, Angela Hicks, recounts her abusive marriage to Pankey, who is eventually found guilty of murdering Jonelle.

Sleeper Star: Angela Hicks is a tour de force in a docuseries with very few talking heads, delivering a testimony about some of the hardest years of her life. You can feel her conscience through the screen and her desire for justice to be served.

Most Pilot-y Line:: “Greeley was safe. Until December 20, 1984,” Jonelle’s older sister recounts — a familiar sentiment for many true crime stories.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The story that kicked off a national sensation has a satisfying conclusion and provides unique insight into a former cold case.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.