Love Fraud | |
---|---|
Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | |
Music by | T. Griffin |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Alex Takats |
Cinematography | Alex Takats |
Editor | JD Marlow |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | Showtime |
Release | August 30 September 20, 2020 | –
Love Fraud is an American true crime documentary television miniseries, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, about the hunt for a serial romance scammer. It premiered on August 30, 2020, on Showtime. [1]
The filmmakers wanted to make a series about a con artist, but not one that was a cold case, resolved, or well known. They decided on their subject after producer Alex Takats read the blog of a woman who had accused her former husband of fraud. [2] There was an arrest warrant, but his whereabouts were unknown. [2] The filmmakers decided not to be a "fly on the wall", but instead intervene to fund the investigation. [3] The series began filming in December 2017. [4]
The series had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020. [5] [6] It was initially scheduled to premiere on Showtime on May 8, 2020, but this was delayed to August 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] [8] [9]
The series is a "manhunt", following efforts of private detectives hired by the filmmakers, including bounty hunter Carla Campbell, to find a man from Lenexa, Kansas named Richard Scott Smith. [4] [3] Smith was accused by multiple women, including some he married, of romance scams. He is accused of being married at least ten times [3] and to more than one woman at a time, [4] and being accused of using multiple identities. [3] His former partners accused him of using their identities to make purchases and obtain credit, leaving them severely in debt. [4] [3] He was put on probation in 2015 in Polk County, Iowa after being charged with domestic abuse assault. [10] After one former partner went to the police in 2017, he pleaded guilty to identity theft and received a 10-month jail sentence, later violating probation. [4]
The women each tell their stories of how they met Smith and came to be duped, and the film explores what led Smith to act in these ways. [2] Smith appears on camera in the final episode in "what can most charitably be described as a dumpster fire of an interview", according to the Kansas City Star. [4]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 92% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Explosive, but never exploitive, Love Fraud tells a thrilling tale of online dating gone terribly wrong with expert precision and a welcome dose of empathy." [11] On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 77 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [12]
No. | Title [13] | Directed by | Original air date [13] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "You Just Gotta Trust Me" | Heidi Ewing Rachel Grady | August 30, 2020 | 0.135 [14] |
2 | "Wichita" | Heidi Ewing Rachel Grady | September 6, 2020 | 0.142 [15] |
3 | "I'm Glad You Called" | Heidi Ewing Rachel Grady | September 13, 2020 | 0.149 [16] |
4 | "How Did You Guys See This Thing Ending?" | Heidi Ewing Rachel Grady | September 20, 2020 | 0.111 [17] |
Year | Award | Category | Nominees | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Cinema Eye Honors | Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series for Broadcast | Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady | Nominated | [18] [19] |
Independent Spirit Awards | Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series | Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Amy Goodman Kass, Jihan Robinson, Michael Bloom and Maria Zuckerman | Nominated | [20] [21] | |
Critics' Choice Real TV Awards | Best Limited Documentary Series | Love Fraud | Pending | [22] |