Fyre Fraud
  • Network: HULU
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 14, 2019
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12

Critic Reviews

  1. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Nick Allen
    Jan 16, 2019
    88
    Fyre Fraud does not just dunk on McFarland, Ja Rule, and anyone who might be complicit--they’re clowns already, their plainly not-smart choices and astounding arrogance making for super-size schadenfreude. More persuasively, it's a damnation of the mentality that helped make it possible, calling out a culture that progressively puts more value into how you make yourself look online.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Jan 17, 2019
    80
    Whatever the Hulu film may have paid McFarland for an interview, it didn’t get its money worth. Still, “Fyre Fraud” edges out Netflix’s film by stepping back and delivering on the stronger, more despairing theme here, which is very clearly this: Society (not just those who were born in the 1980s or ’90s) is losing its ability to sense a snake in the grass. Both “Fyre Fraud” and “Fyre” should give any viewer pause to reflect--and reflect again--on the degree to which we’re all being had.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Daniel D'Addario
    Jan 16, 2019
    80
    “Fyre Fraud” paints a picture of an entire ecosystem of scamming, a richer and more rewarding portrait.
  5. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    Jan 16, 2019
    80
    “Fyre” is fine. “Fyre Fraud” is better. ... It has arguments to make about the insecurities of millennials and the perniciousness of social media. And the arguments don’t feel like blather.
  6. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    Jan 16, 2019
    80
    Nason and Furst's Fyre Fraud is a valuable companion piece for how it widens the scope, examining the ways in which Fyre Fest was born from the muck of lives lived virtually.
  7. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Jen Chaney
    Jan 16, 2019
    80
    Fyre Fraud goes a few steps further [than Netflix's Fyre], not only placing the idea for the festival in a broader historical context but acknowledging the parallels between McFarland and other high-profile grifters, including one who had risen to the highest office in the land at the same time Fyre Festival was being planned.
  8. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Richard Roeper
    Jan 23, 2019
    75
    Fyre Fraud is a little zippier and pop culture-y in its skewering [than Netflix's Fyre].
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alex McLevy
    Jan 17, 2019
    75
    Fyre Fraud, despite its efforts to go after the larger picture, ends up being a frothier and more light-hearted affair, replete with stock photo and cartoon cutaways overlaid with jaunty music cues, overemphasizing the absurdity Fyre has the confidence to know is hardwired into its narrative. [But it is] a helpful reminder that, like so many stories, one account can’t contain the whole truth.

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 19
  3. Negative: 4 out of 19
  1. Mayfieldja
    Feb 6, 2019
    5
    Hulu’s Fyre Fraud, despite some sloppy editing and sometimes shoddy b-roll, was ultimately the more engaging of the 2 docs, for me. FF pacesHulu’s Fyre Fraud, despite some sloppy editing and sometimes shoddy b-roll, was ultimately the more engaging of the 2 docs, for me. FF paces itself well but still falls into well-worn territory with the endless parade of talking heads and little footage of the actual events; especially when you compare it to Netflix’s Fyre. I do appreciate, what seems to be, an unbiased account of the events that took place and the creative team's approach to interviewing Fyre’s creator, Billy McFarland. Overall, Fyre Fraud had lapses in editing which led to muddled storytelling.… Full Review »
  2. EludiumQ36
    Feb 6, 2019
    7
    Since the two Fyre Festival investigative documentaries came out within days of each other I'm briefly reviewing both here. Fyre (Netflix) wasSince the two Fyre Festival investigative documentaries came out within days of each other I'm briefly reviewing both here. Fyre (Netflix) was a decent enough documentary of grand-fraudster Billy McFarland. It presented a fairly chronological accounting of events, ending with the legal consequences of the fraud. Fyre Fraud (Hulu) was less chrono, at least to begin with, and spent much more time describing Billy's childhood, college days, and the genesis of his fraudulent ways. In fact, I found Fyre Fraud to be more informative and entertaining. Fyre (Netflix) showed more of their social marketing photos and videos, but that wasn't as satisfying. Fyre Fraud also did a better job of describing the fraudsters' legal consequences, too, so my recommendation goes to Fyre Fraud (Hulu) if you only want to watch one of them.… Full Review »
  3. drizza
    Jan 18, 2019
    10
    Top notch entertainment. As good a con artist story and you'll get. American Greed on Steroids. Wolf of Wall Street-Esque.
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