Best docuseries

February 2021 | 53 views

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Pepsi, Where's My Jet? is an American Netflix original docuseries directed by Andrew Renzi. Its story explores the Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc. court case. It premiered on Netflix on November 17, 2022.

In the mid-1990s, PepsiCo aired a series of commercials aiming to promote their Pepsi products and associated point system. According to this system, purchasing Pepsi products allowed customers to collect points that could be used to claim prizes such as T-shirts or sunglasses. One commercial showed that, for seven million points, the prize was an AV-8 Harrier II jet. Its value at the time was estimated at US$32 million. While the commercial was tongue-in-cheek, it lacked a disclaimer indicating so. John Leonard, a 21-year-old business student in 1996, found that it was possible to purchase Pepsi Points for 10 cents each and calculated that seven million points cost US$700,000. Furthermore, the rules only required a minimum of 15 Pepsi Points worth of physical tags from Pepsi products beyond the purchased points. Leonard convinced five investors to help him buy the remaining points. One of these investors was Todd Hoffman. Leonard sent his points and a check to claim the jet. However, PepsiCo denied his request and argued that the commercial was a joke; they also pointed out that the jet was not an item offered in their catalog of products that can be obtained with Pepsi Points.

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Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan

2021

In 1977, a serial rapist struck Ohio State University. Overwhelming evidence quickly led investigators to Billy Milligan, an aimless young man with a traumatic childhood and a criminal record. Yet upon his arrest, Billy had no memory of the assaults, and his mannerisms seemed to change on the spot. A parade of psychiatrists diagnosed him with multiple personality disorder (now known as dissociative identity disorder), eventually determining that as many as 24 distinct "multiples" existed within his mind. In a case that captivated the nation, their analysis anchored a first-of-its-kind legal defense strategy, and Billy was found innocent by reason of insanity. His trials, however, were far from over. Director Olivier Megaton (Taken 2) brings his feature film sensibility to this gripping investigative series, setting up cinematic interviews with the Milligan family, as well as friends, doctors, and the law enforcement professionals who've tried to untangle the truth. Over 40 years since the landmark verdict, nearly everyone is still asking questions: Were Billy's multiple personalities indeed controlling his actions, or were they a convenient cover for a brilliant narcissistic sociopath? To what extent should charismatic criminals benefit from their notoriety? And were Billy's most violent crimes still to come?

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The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

2020

In 2013, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez died as a result of horrific and prolonged abuse by his mother and her boyfriend. In the wake of the tragedy, a demand for justice and accountability exploded in Los Angeles County. This six-part documentary series from award-winning documentarian Brian Knappenberger (Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press) offers an inside look at the trial as well as an eye-opening investigation into the government systems that failed to protect Gabriel, despite multiple reports and warning signs. Along with shedding light on an important story, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez serves as a wake-up call to reexamine the structures designed to protect children in need.

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Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

2020

As a gifted young football athlete from Bristol, Connecticut, Aaron Hernandez had capitalized rapidly on his promise, playing for a top tier college program before being drafted into the National Football League at the age of 20. But in 2013, fresh off of a newly inked five-year, $40 million contract with the New England Patriots, Hernandez would become a household name for the most infamous murder case involving an American athlete since OJ Simpson. Hernandez's trials for the brutal killing of Odin Lloyd and two Boston-area men yielded a Pandora's box of secrets: a tumultuous and often abusive upbringing, a growing fascination with gang life, and other discoveries that painted a maelstrom of motivations behind his violent behavior. A three-part documentary series featuring exclusive courtroom footage, Hernandez's phone calls from prison, and interviews with those who knew Hernandez and Lloyd, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez meticulously examines the perfect storm of factors leading to the trial, conviction, and death of an athlete who seemingly had it all.

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Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet

2022

Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet is an anthology true crime docuseries, directed by Brian Knappenberger, released on Netflix on June 15, 2022. The series explores instances of digital misinformation and its consequences.

Each episode presents an example of how the internet is used to cause harm and commit crimes. The people involved in the cases tell their struggles, mistakes and efforts to catch the perpetrators, and also how it affected their lives. After introducing the key characters in the case the episodes explain how the internet was used to commit the crimes.

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 83% "Fresh" rating with an average rating of 6 out of 10 based on 6 reviews.