Netflix’s Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, & Scandal docuseries covers the rise of a dating site for married people seeking other adults to have affairs with, the hack that exposed millions of users’ data to the public, the lives it wrecked in the process, and the dark shadows around the site’s CEO. The series is compelling, for sure.
It starts with a little too much humor about the site’s origins and the big marketing push that jumped the company into the big time. As the plot unfolded, it was hard to peel my eyes away from the disaster that I knew was coming—an inevitable train wreck that impacted 37 million people who some argue might have deserved it. But it also impacted victims who didn’t deserve it, their spouses, children, friends, and workplaces.
I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about the company, the hack, and what exactly happened in 2015. The story is wild and the company was 100 percent shady, thanks to CEO Noel Biderman. But I walked away from the docuseries feeling like it wanted me to empathize with the men who got caught trying to cheat on their spouses. Not cool, Netflix.
With a major focus on husband-and-wife Sam and Nia Rader, Christian vloggers who went viral starting in 2014, the docuseries zeros in on how the company impacted their relationship and the fallout from Sam signing up for and using the dating site. Spoiler alert: They’re still together. This docuseries will leave your mouth hanging open in disbelief. (three approx. 50-minute episodes)
—Camillia Lanham
