True crimes stories continue to be an obsession for the masses and that includes TV shows or films based on the crimes that made headlines. Both Netflix and Hulu have recently dabbled in this business with Inventing Anna and The Dropout and it has so far paid off handsomely for the platforms, per Samba TV.
Netflix’s Inventing Anna, a series that is inspired by the true story of Anna Sorokin, a Russian-German convicted con-artist and fraudster, was watched by 1.6 million U.S. households in its first four days, per Samba TV. Played by Ozark’s Julia Garner on the series, Anna Sorokin pretended to be a wealthy German heiress under the name Anna Delvey between 2013 and 2017. In 2017, she was arrested after defrauding or intentionally deceiving major financial institutions, banks, hotels, and acquaintances in the United States for a total of $275,000. The Netflix series, developed by Shonda Rhimes under her lucrative deal with the platform, has been one of the most talked-about binge-worthy series since its debut last month.
Hulu’s The Dropout, which is based on the podcast of the same name that chronicles the real-life of disgraced biotechnology entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, was watched by 499,000 U.S. households in its first four days streaming. Starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes, the former entrepreneur was convicted of criminal fraud after it was founded that her health technology Theranos deceived investors by “massive fraud” through false or exaggerated claims about the accuracy of the company’s blood-testing technology. Before the fraud was unveiled, Holmes was named by Forbes as the youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire in America on the basis of a $9-billion valuation of her now-defunct company.
There was also some cross viewing of both true crime tales. According to Samba TV, 54,300 U.S. households streamed both series in their first four days on their respective platforms. Inventing Anna received mixed reviews from critics, scoring a still fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 64%. The Dropout has fared better with critics since making its debut on March 3, securing a 90% fresh rating on the site.
Have YOU watched Inventing Anna or The Dropout?