McMillions
| McMillions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | True crime Documentary series |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Composer | Pinar Toprak |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Jeff Dolen |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | February 3 – March 9, 2020 |
McMillions (stylized as McMillion$) is a documentary miniseries about the McDonald's Monopoly game scam that occurred between 1989 and 2001, perpetrated by Jerry Jacobson,[1] who was in charge of security for the agency that ran the promotion, and several accomplices. The series premiered in the US on February 3, 2020 on HBO, and all episodes were made available in the UK on May 27, 2020 on Sky Documentaries.
Premise
McMillions "examines the $24 million worth of fraud that corrupted the McDonald's Monopoly game between 1989 and 2001, in which there were almost no legitimate million dollar winners in the contest."[2] Through six episodes, the documentary introduces the FBI and other legal authorities who investigated the Monopoly game heist, as well as the bogus winners and the perpetrators. Using in-depth interviews with those involved in every aspect of the crime, McMillions offers an insider’s view into one of the most notorious fraud cases of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date [3] | U.S viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | February 3, 2020 | 0.339[4] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | February 10, 2020 | 0.421[5] |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | February 17, 2020 | 0.402[6] |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | February 24, 2020 | 0.383[7] |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | March 2, 2020 | 0.404[8] |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte | March 9, 2020 | 0.424[9] |
Production
The series is executive produced by Unrealistic Ideas' Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips and written, directed and also executive produced by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte.[10][11][2]
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series had an 87% rating with an average score of 7.29 out of 10 based on 31 reviews. The site's critical consensus read: "Like something out of a movie, McMillions effectively — if not always artfully — captures the chaos of this once-in-a-lifetime, very real con and the colorful cast of characters at its center."[12] On Metacritic, it had a score of 72 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[13]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller | Pending | [14] | |
| Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming | James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte (for "Episode 1") | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Pinar Toprak & Alex Kovacs (for "Episode 1") | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming | Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Lane Farnham, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte and Scott Hanson (for "Episode 3") | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera) | Ben Freer, Jordan Meltzer and Jody McVeigh-Schultz (for "Episode 1") | Pending |
References
- ^ "What Happened To Jerome Jacobson, Mastermind Of The McDonald's Monopoly Fraud?". Oxygen Official Site. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
- ^ a b Welk, Brian (January 9, 2020). "McDonald's Monopoly Scam Gets Exposed in HBO Doc 'McMillion$' Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "McMillion$ – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.3.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.10.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 18, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.17.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.24.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (11 August 2018). "Mark Wahlberg To Produce True Crime Docuseries 'McMillions' On McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Deadline. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (January 9, 2020). "'McMillions' Docuseries Will Go Inside McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "McMillions: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "McMillions". Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "McMillion$". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
External links
- McMillions on HBO
- McMillions at IMDb