If you’re a new fan of Apple Cider Vinegar, there are a few shows like it to check out on streaming!
Apple Cider Vinegar is the latest in what’s become a TV trend. This Netflix series is based on the true story of Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), an Australian wellness guru who became a sensation in the early 2010s. Gibson claimed that a special diet had allowed her to cure her terminal brain cancer, becoming a best-selling author and her own media empire.
Then came the truth that Belle never had cancer and lied about so much in her life. The series paints a fascinating picture of Belle’s rise and fall from the top and how and why she crafted this life of deception.
It’s a fascinating story, but it’s hardly the only show of its kind. There’s been a trend in shows about such scammers, most docudramas. However, scripted TV has played on it as well, with some being more compelling than others. These are 5 shows like Apple Cider Vinegar, and more telling in that they’re barely more dramatic than the real-life events they portray.
Inventing Anna
Another Netflix series, this drama tells the wild story of Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey, a Russian-born woman who convinced the New York elite she came from a rich family. That allowed her to scam her way into high society, living it up in swank hotels and pulling con games. Emmy winner Julia Garner is uncanny, replicating Delvey from her strange accent to her mannerisms for a mesmerizing portrayal.
A key element of Inventing Anna is that Anna got away with her scams not because she was a brilliant criminal but because her rich victims were so foolish. They just accepted her tall tales of being a fake without bothering to check with Anna so persuasive. While the subplot of a reporter (Anna Chlumsky) unraveling her story is good, Garner’s marvelous performance makes this show such a pleasure.
Streaming on Netflix
The Dropout
One of the most spectacular rises and epic falls in tech industry history was Elizabeth Holmes. This Harvard dropout founded Theranos, a company promising a breakthrough blood-screening method that could discover rare diseases. At one point, Holmes was the darling of Silicon Valley with magazine covers and worth billions. Just one problem: The technology didn’t work.
Amanda Seyfried won a well-deserved Emmy and Golden Globe for her turn as Holmes in The Dropout, nailing the woman’s look, idiosyncrasies, infamous voice, and refusal to admit she’s wrong. The series is fascinating in how deep in her delusions Holmes is even as her empire starts crashing down around her. It’s a telling tale of how easily brilliant people could fall for a fraud just because she tells them what they want to hear.
Streaming on Hulu
Dr. Death
This Peacock anthology tells two true-life tales that will make you reconsider ever going to the doctor. The first season is about Christopher Dunstch (Joshua Jackson), who fancies himself a brilliant once-in-a-generation surgical phenomenon. Sadly, Dunstch has massively overestimated his abilities because his surgeries are deadly, mangling patients and leading to misery and death.
That season follows two doctors (Alec Baldwin and Chistian Slater) trying to expose Dunstch. Along the way, they discover how many people in the medical community have been covering up his obvious drawbacks. Jackson is chilling in how Dunstch never accepts he’s anything but a surgical prodigy rather than a butcher.
Dr. Death eason 2 switches to a new tale of Paolo Macchiarini (Édgar Ramírez), a charming medical researcher who sweeps reporter Benita (Mandy Moore) off her feet. She champions his groundbreaking treatments, but as they get engaged, Benita slowly uncovers that under his facade, Paolo is a pathological liar whose medical treatments are outright dangerous.
That season also features a trio of doctors trying to expose Paolo but hitting roadblocks from the medical community. Both shows are worth watching to see how two men who should never have been allowed to hold a scalpel could have ruined so many lives with their lives and the medical community turning a blind eye.
Streaming on Peacock
Underbelly: Vanishing Act
This Australian crime anthology had a great 2022 season with Vanishing Act. It starts with Melissa Caddick (Kate Atkinson), a housewife and popular financier who suddenly vanished from her home. What starts as a typical missing persons case takes a turn when it’s revealed Melissa was running a massive Ponzi scheme that bilked hundreds (including her own family and friends) out of $40 million.
Underbelly: Vanishing Act has a unique direction in that Melissa’s final fate is still unknown. Thus, the show plays around with what happened, what drove her to do this only to remind the viewer so much of the woman’s life was a lie. It keeps you guessing all the way to the end as to how this happened and what became of Melissa while a reminder that even those you trust the most can secretly turn out to be enemies.
Streaming on Hulu
Joan
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner gets a meaty starring role in the British series, Joan. She plays Joan Harrington, a struggling mother in the 1980s London. Facing financial ruin, she lands a job at a jewelry store. Slowly, she works her way up as a con artist and thief, Joan dons a variety of identities while attempting to keep her daughter and clashing with the London underworld.
It can be more of a pure crime drama, but good elements of Turner weaving a web of lies around everyone in her circle. The actress is sensational in the lead role showing Joan harden while still loving her daughter. While the first season has her stepping up as a criminal, Turner makes this diamond of a series shine nicely.
Streaming on The CW