McMillions

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.

McMillions
GenreTrue crime
Documentary series
Written by
  • James Lee Hernandez
  • Brian Lazarte
Directed by
  • James Lee Hernandez
  • Brian Lazarte
Composer(s)Pinar Toprak
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producer(s)
CinematographyJeff Dolen
Production company(s)
  • Unrealistic Ideas
  • Fun Meter
DistributorHBO
Release
Original networkHBO
Original releaseFebruary 3 (2020-02-03) –
March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)
External links
Website

Premise
Main article: McDonald's Monopoly § Fraud

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.TitleDirected byOriginal air date [3]U.S viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteFebruary 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)0.339[4]
2"Episode 2"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteFebruary 10, 2020 (2020-02-10)0.421[5]
3"Episode 3"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteFebruary 17, 2020 (2020-02-17)0.402[6]
4"Episode 4"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteFebruary 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)0.383[7]
5"Episode 5"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteMarch 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)0.404[8]
6"Episode 6"James Lee Hernandez & Brian LazarteMarch 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)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]

References
  1. "What Happened To Jerome Jacobson, Mastermind Of The McDonald's Monopoly Fraud?". Oxygen Official Site. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  2. Welk, Brian (January 9, 2020). "McDonald's Monopoly Scam Gets Exposed in HBO Doc 'McMillion$' Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  3. "McMillion$ – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  4. Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.3.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.10.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (February 18, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.17.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.24.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  10. Petski, Denise (11 August 2018). "Mark Wahlberg To Produce True Crime Docuseries 'McMillions' On McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Deadline. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  11. Ehrlich, Brenna (January 9, 2020). "'McMillions' Docuseries Will Go Inside McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  12. "McMillions: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  13. "McMillions". Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
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