Aman Goyal
Netflix’s ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’ chronicles the real-life tale of music mogul and manager Lou Pearlman and the major scam he pulled off that shook the industry. A notorious figure in the entertainment industry, Pearlman initially made a fortune with his blimp business but shifted focus after witnessing the financial success of New Kids on the Block in the late 1980s. He began forming boy bands in Orlando, Florida, leading to the creation of iconic groups like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.
Behind the scenes, Pearlman was orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme, defrauding both investors and his bands. Directed by David Terry Fine and executive produced by Michael Johnson and Lance Nichols, the docuseries features interviews with boy band members, archival footage, and direct testimonials from Pearlman’s former associates. For fans interested in more behind-the-scenes dramas and dramatic stories of rise and fall, here are 10 docuseries like ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’ to watch next.
10. LuLaRich (2021)
‘LuLaRich’ explores the alleged deceptive practices behind the LuLaRoe fashion brand, which has been accused of operating on a pyramid model. Written by Julia Willoughby Nason, who also co-directed the docuseries with Jenner Furst, it discusses how LuLaRoe’s founders, Mark Stidham and DeAnne Brady, allegedly marketed their business as an optimistic corporate wildfire to attract independent saleswomen to their startup while hiding a more exploitative reality. The Prime Video venture details the unethical practices that fueled the brand’s rise and subsequent scandal through personal testimonies and investigative analysis. ‘LuLaRich’ offers a critical look at the intersections of fashion, multi-level marketing, and deception, reflecting many of Lou Pearlman’s cons as observed in ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’
9. Bad Boy Billionaires: India (2020)
Directed by Dylan Mohan Gray, Nick Read, and Johanna Hamilton, ‘Bad Boy Billionaires: India’ is an anthology series that exposes the fall of some of the most prominent business tycoons in India. The Netflix presentation investigates the financial crimes — such as money laundering, embezzlement, and fraudulent conspiracies — committed by influential figures. It provides a detailed account of how these billionaires managed to amass their fortunes through corrupt practices despite significant legal intervention and media coverage. Not dissimilar to Lou Pearlman’s sharp, calculated methodologies to evade the law for a decade, the wealthy figures analyzed in ‘Bad Boy Billionaires: India’ make strong cases of the heights one could climb to achieve a broader financial landscape.
8. Fortune Seller: A TV Scam (2022)
Originally known as ‘Wanna,’ this Italian documentary, created by Alessandro Garramone, explores a massive TV fraud orchestrated by the con artist Wanna Marchi and her daughter Stefania Nobile during the 1970s and 80s. The Netflix series reveals how Marchi, a beautician, allegedly crossed numerous moral boundaries to deceive thousands of customers into buying her questionable products. ‘Fortune Seller’ provides a detailed look at how the scammer manipulated individuals and exploited their aspirations for personal gain using the comfort of her home and a reputable platform like television. The documentary combines personal stories, expert analysis, and investigative journalism to expose the complexities of this deception, drawing parallels with the acts of Lou Pearlman.
7. Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022)
Directed by Chris Smith, Netflix’s ‘Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.’ details the downfall of restaurateur Sarma Melngailis. The documentary showcases how Melngailis’s marriage to Anthony Strangis, who fraudulently posed as Shane Fox, led to a multi-million dollar scam. Strangis manipulated Melngailis into a series of money laundering exercises under the guise of financial investments, ultimately causing the collapse of her successful vegan restaurant empire. The series combines a deep dive into Melngailis’s personal and professional life from her own point-of-view with shocking revelations about Strangis’s criminal activities. Not only does the docuseries highlight the devastating effects of manipulation and deceit in both personal relationships and business ventures, but many of Strangis’ toxic traits mimic the personality of Lou Pearlman.
6. Hollywood Con Queen (2024)
This adaptation of Scott Johnson’s book ‘The Con Queen of Hollywood: The Hunt for an Evil Genius,’ delves into the elaborate scam orchestrated by Indonesian impostor Hargobind Punjabi Tahilramani. The Apple TV+ series documents how Tahilramani deceived hundreds of victims, including those within the film and television industry, such as makeup artists, chefs, stunt performers, and security professionals.
Beginning their operation by fooling local tourists in Jakarta, Tahilramani’s gang falsely earned around $2 million through deceptive offers of high-profile film and television roles to professionals. The documentary tracks Tahilramani’s methods and the extensive impact of his fraud on the entertainment industry. Similar to ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ it sheds light on a sophisticated con that exploited the hopes and dreams of individuals in glamorous industries.
5. Eat the Rich: The Game Stop Saga (2022)
‘Eat the Rich: The Game Stop Saga’ is another thought-provoking series that explores the financial phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyday investors clashed with Wall Street. Written by Avi Zev Weider and directed by Theo Love, it examines how a group of Reddit users spotted an opportunity to invest in the struggling retail chain GameStop, driving its stock price to unprecedented levels.
This digital communication-fueled movement pitted retail investors against financial giants, causing significant gains and losses. The documentary provides insights from both sides, including substantial financial tycoons and ordinary stock investors, revealing the implications of this unforeseen event. Like ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ this fellow Netflix venture illustrates how evolving times can drastically alter even the most looked-after industries, for better or worse, through collective action and market manipulation.
4. McMillions (2020)
The Primetime Emmy-nominated true crime show chronicles the decade-long fraud scheme that plagued the McDonald’s Monopoly game. Written and directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, ‘McMillions’ dives into the $24 million scam and how a major portion of the millions of dollars worth of prizes reached the wrong, illegitimate hands. The series also explores the intricate network of participants who manipulated the game and the methods they exploited.
The non-fiction venture features in-depth interviews with special FBI agents, the original investors, and the perpetrators, offering a comprehensive look at how the heist was orchestrated and caught. ‘McMillions’ sheds light on one of the most notorious fraud cases of the ’90s, paralleling the widespread impact of the boy band scam during the same period. Both the Netflix and the HBO series provide an insider’s view into large-scale scams that changed their respective industries forever and required detailed investigations by top-level agencies.
3. Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult (2024)
The Netflix documentary ‘Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult’ discusses the sinister operations of an organization exploiting TikTok influencers to disseminate its agenda. The Derek Doneen directorial focuses on the story of the Wilking sisters, Melanie and Miranda Wilking. Miranda’s popularity on TikTok soon brought her to Robert Shinn, the head of the talent management company 7M. Claiming the agency is a cult, Melanie and their parents alleged that Miranda had been brainwashed by its operations. The documentary investigates Shinn’s history, going back all the way to 1994 when he left his medical career and laid the grounds for Shekinah Church.
Through interviews with former clients of the agency, who recount their experiences of control and manipulation at Shekinah, the series exposes Shinn’s tactics, including proposals for inappropriate relationships. Much like ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ ‘Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult’ explores the exploitation of young talents and the deceptive practices of manipulative leaders. Additionally, both projects are rooted in the entertainment industry and take the viewers behind the stage and into the office of the management.
2. Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street (2023)
Developed by Teresa Giordano, this adaptation of the Jim Campbell book Madoff Talks examines Bernie Madoff’s astonishing Ponzi scheme, which went undetected for decades. The Netflix true crime series begins by detailing the financier’s early career in penny stocks and his eventual development of a lucrative side business that promised substantial returns. Together with his brother, Peter Madoff, the perpetrator helped establish computerized trading in the mainstream to fuel his rise in the financial world.
The documentary chronicles how the infamous criminal orchestrated one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history, putting together various footage of interviews with co-workers, clients, reporters, and Madoff’s video depositions. It also sheds light on the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis and the failure and ignorance of legal authorities who turned a blind eye to many of the apparent red flags. Similar to ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ ‘Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street’ presents an in-depth look at massive fraud and the life-altering consequences it brought along.
1. Death Row Chronicles (2018)
Directed by Mario Diaz, ‘Death Row Chronicles’ is another documentary about the music industry that delves into the roller-coaster history of Death Row Records, a label that soon became a symbol of the dominance of hip-hop. The series details how CEO Suge Knight transformed Death Row from a small startup into a multimillion-dollar empire, due largely to its roster of iconic artists, including Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, and Snoop Dogg.
Featuring rare footage and in-depth interviews, the docuseries provides a gritty look at the label’s rise and its controversies. It also sheds light on Shakur’s murder through eyewitnesses, along with the perspectives of former artists associated with the label. Similar to ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ ‘Death Row Chronicles’ offers a behind-the-scenes view of a significant empire, also during the music scene of the 1990s, exposing the complex intersection of art and criminality during the defining era.
Read More: Dirty Pop The Boy Band Scam: Why Was Lou Pearlman Called Big Poppa?
