| Genre: | True crime Documentary series |
| Composer: | Pinar Toprak |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 6 |
| Cinematography: | Jeff Dolen |
| Network: | HBO |
McMillions (stylized as McMillion$) is a documentary miniseries about the McDonald's Monopoly promotion scam that occurred between 1989 and 2001. Directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, the series details how the scam was perpetrated by Jerry Jacobson,[1] the head of security for the agency that ran the promotion, and how he recruited a wide range of accomplices. The series premiered in the US on February 3, 2020, on HBO, and all episodes were made available in the UK on May 27, 2020, on Sky Documentaries. McMillions was nominated for five Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
McMillions "examines the $24 million worth of fraud that corrupted the McDonald's Monopoly game between 1989 and 2001, in which there were almost no legitimate million-dollar winners in the contest."[2] Through six episodes, the documentary introduces the FBI and other legal authorities who investigated the Monopoly game heist, as well as the bogus winners and the perpetrators. Using in-depth interviews with those involved in every aspect of the crime, McMillions offers an insider's view into one of the most notorious fraud cases of the 1990s and early 2000s.
The series is executive produced by Unrealistic Ideas' Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips and written, directed and also executive produced by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte.[3] [4]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series had an 87% rating with an average score of 7.29 out of 10 based on 31 reviews. The site's critical consensus read: "Like something out of a movie, McMillions effectively — if not always artfully — captures the chaos of this once-in-a-lifetime, very real con and the colorful cast of characters at its center."[5] On Metacritic, it had a score of 72 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller | [7] | |
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Pinar Toprak & Alex Kovacs (for "Episode 1") | ||||
| Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming | Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Lane Farnham, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte and Scott Hanson (for "Episode 3") | ||||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Ben Freer, Jordan Meltzer and Jody McVeigh-Schultz (for "Episode 1") | ||||
| Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming | James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte (for "Episode 1") | ||||
| TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in News and Information | McMillions | [8] | ||
| 2021 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Score in a Documentary TV Series | Pinar Toprak | [9] | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television | Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte | [10] |