Love Fraud

Love Fraud is an American true crime documentary miniseries, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, about the hunt for a serial romance scammer. It premiered on August 30, 2020, on Showtime.[1]

"Richard Scott Smith" redirects here. For the American football player, see Dick Smith (offensive lineman).
Love Fraud
GenreDocumentary
Directed by
Music byT. Griffin
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Heidi Ewing
  • Rachel Grady
  • Vinnie Malhotra
  • Amy Goodman Kass
  • Jihan Robinson
  • Michael Bloom
  • Maria Zuckerman
ProducerAlex Takats
CinematographyAlex Takats
EditorJD Marlow
Production companies
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseAugust 30 (2020-08-30) –
September 20, 2020 (2020-09-20)

Production

The filmmakers wanted to make a series about a con artist, but not one that was a cold case, resolved, or well known. They decided on their subject after producer Alex Takats read the blog of a woman who had accused her former husband of fraud.[2] There was an arrest warrant, but his whereabouts were unknown.[2] The filmmakers decided not to be a "fly on the wall", but instead intervene to fund the investigation.[3] The series began filming in December 2017.[4]

Release

The series had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020.[5][6] It was initially scheduled to premiere on Showtime on May 8, 2020, but this was delayed to August 30, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8][9]

Subject

The series is a "manhunt", following efforts of private detectives hired by the filmmakers, including bounty hunter Carla Campbell, to find a man from Lenexa, Kansas named Richard Scott Smith.[4][3] Smith was accused by multiple women, including some he married, of romance scams. He is accused of being married at least ten times[3] and to more than one woman at a time,[4] and being accused of using multiple identities.[3] His former partners accused him of using their identities to make purchases and obtain credit, leaving them severely in debt.[4][3] He was put on probation in 2015 in Polk County, Iowa after being charged with domestic abuse assault.[10] After one former partner went to the police in 2017, he pleaded guilty to identity theft and received a 10 month jail sentence, later violating probation.[4]

The women each tell their stories of how they met Smith and came to be duped, and the film explores what led Smith to act in these ways.[2] Smith appears on camera in the final episode in "what can most charitably be described as a dumpster fire of an interview", according to the Kansas City Star.[4]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 92% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Explosive, but never exploitive, Love Fraud tells a thrilling tale of online dating gone terribly wrong with expert precision and a welcome dose of empathy."[11] On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 77 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Episodes
No.Title [13]Directed byOriginal air date [13]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"You Just Gotta Trust Me"Heidi Ewing
Rachel Grady		August 30, 2020 (2020-08-30)0.135[14]
2"Wichita"Heidi Ewing
Rachel Grady		September 6, 2020 (2020-09-06)0.142[15]
3"I'm Glad You Called"Heidi Ewing
Rachel Grady		September 13, 2020 (2020-09-13)0.149[16]
4"How Did You Guys See This Thing Ending?"Heidi Ewing
Rachel Grady		September 20, 2020 (2020-09-20)0.111[17]

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominees Result Ref.
2021 Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Series for Broadcast Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady Nominated [18][19]
Independent Spirit Awards Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Amy Goodman Kass, Jihan Robinson, Michael Bloom and Maria Zuckerman Nominated [20][21]
Critics' Choice Real TV Awards Best Limited Documentary Series Love Fraud Pending [22]

References
  1. "Showtime Announces the Premiere Dates for the Non-Fiction Programs "The Go-Go's," "Love Fraud" and "Belushi"". The Futon Critic. May 13, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  2. Wilkinson, Alissa (4 September 2020). ""People want to believe": How Love Fraud builds an absorbing docuseries around a romantic con man". Vox.
  3. Jensen, Erin (30 August 2020). "'Pure evil': Con man Richard Scott Smith's ex-fiancée talks crook ahead of 'Love Fraud' docuseries". USA Today.
  4. Owen, Rob (26 August 2020). "'Love Fraud': In TV series, women say Johnson County man romanced, then swindled them". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.
  5. "Love Fraud". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  6. Siegel, Tatiana (December 4, 2019). "Sundance Unveils Female-Powered Lineup Featuring Taylor Swift, Gloria Steinem, Abortion Road Trip Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (March 18, 2020). "Coronavirus: Showtime Staggers 'Black Monday' Episodes, Delays Premieres Of 'Outcry' & 'Love Fraud' Docuseries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  8. Petski, Denise (February 13, 2020). "'Love Fraud' Trailer: First Look At Showtime's True-Life Love Con Docuseries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  9. Schwartz, Ryan (August 29, 2020). "The TVLine-Up: What's Returning, New and Leaving the Week of Aug. 30". TVLine. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  10. Sederstrom, Jill (6 September 2020). "Where Is Serial Dater Richard Scott Smith of 'Love Fraud' Now?". Oxygen.
  11. "Love Fraud". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  12. "Love Fraud". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  13. "Counting Cars – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (September 1, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.30.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (September 9, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.6.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  16. Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.13.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  17. Metcalf, Mitch (September 22, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.20.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  18. Thompson, Anne (November 19, 2020). "Cinema Eye Honors Advance Documentary Awards Contenders". IndieWire. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  19. Mullen, Pat (March 10, 2021). "Collective Tops Cinema Eye Honors Winners". POV Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  20. Lewis, Hilary; Galuppo, Mia (January 26, 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards: 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always,' 'Minari,' 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' 'Nomadland' Top Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  21. Warren, Matt (April 22, 2021). "Here are the Winners of the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards!". Film Independent. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  22. Grobar, Matt (June 2, 2021). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' & Netflix Lead Critics Choice Real TV Award Nominations; Alex Trebek Set For Impact Award". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
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