From Theranos to WeWork to the socialite grifter Anna Delvey, television these days is all about the art of the scam. Why are we so fascinated with the rise-and-fall stories of swindlers? What do these shows reveal about American culture at this moment?
And with many of these shows following female scammers through the “Lean In” / girlboss 2010’s in particular, what should audiences make of that brief era of feminism today?
Sophie Gilbert, Megan Garber, and Shirley Li attempt their best Elizabeth Holmes impressions as they discuss the Hulu series The Dropout and the other scammer shows airing now.
Further reading:
- The Comedies That Understand What Peak Scammer TV Does Not
- Netflix's Inventing Anna Writes a Check It Can't Cash
- The Mueller Report, Theranos, 'Billions': American Scams
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