Netflix has shared the official trailer and key art for Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, & Scandal, the three-episode documentary series that will be available on May 15, 2024. Each episode of the series is about 50 minutes long.
When Ashley Madison, a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs, is hacked, millions of users’ intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives.
This documentary series from Minnow Films and director Toby Paton explores the creation of the website during the dot com boom, the people who used the site to explore a part of their love lives they felt was missing, and the hack that made it all come crashing down.
“When Minnow Films approached me to make a series about the rise of infidelity dating site Ashley Madison and the catastrophic hack that led to its 37 million members having their identities exposed online, my first thought was, ‘Wow, what a story!’,” said director Toby Paton.
Paton continued: “It has everything – from the propulsive narrative and high-stakes drama of a tech thriller to the tender, messy intimacy of the real marriages and relationships that are at the heart of the Ashley Madison story.
“We all know infidelity can be incredibly destructive and hurtful, but at the same time, the fact that Ashley Madison had 37 million members tells us something else we all know – that committing to one person for the rest of your life is really hard.
“Rather than berating people who joined Ashley Madison, we were much more interested in exploring why they were drawn to the site – what were they looking for? What was going on in their relationships? And crucially – what was their partner’s side of the story?
“We were blessed with some extraordinary, larger-than-life characters, and stylistically, we felt there was a great opportunity with this story to go beyond the familiar true-crime tropes of dark, moody lighting and ominous music.
“We wanted to create a world that was unexpected and fresh, something that could feel playful and humorous one moment but genuinely shocking and emotional when the story takes a tragic turn. The result, I hope, is a wild and enjoyable ride that also offers a chance to reflect on love, marriage, and desire in the age of the internet.
Paton, Fiona Caldwell, and Sophie Jones are the executive producers for the Netflix series. Chris McLaughlin is the producer, and Zoe Hutton and Gagan Rehill, along with Paton, are the directors.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.