Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. | |
---|---|
Genre | Docu-series |
Music by | Dan Romer |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Cinematography |
|
Editors |
|
Running time | 44–61 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | March 16, 2022 |
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. is a 2022 Netflix docuseries [1] [2] by director Chris Smith. It documents how restaurateur Sarma Melngailis illegally transferred money to her husband so he could pay a deity to bestow immortality upon them. [3]
The series tells the story of Sarma Melngailis, former owner of the New York City vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine. Melngailis met and married conman Anthony Strangis (who called himself Shane Fox), and she alleged that he coerced her into stealing money from her own restaurant and later going on the run from authorities. The pair were ultimately charged with transferring over $1.6 million from the restaurant into their personal accounts. [4]
No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Mr. & Mrs. Fox" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
2 | "Happily Ever After" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
3 | "No Angels in Hell" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
4 | "Everything Will Be Fine" | Chris Smith | March 16, 2022 |
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the limited series holds a 94% approval rating based on 17 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. [5] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6]
Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show a rating of 3/5 and described it as "[An] unhurried but fascinating four-part documentary..." [3]
Melngailis herself disputes the veracity of the series and its conclusions, citing numerous misrepresentations of her story in an attempt to heighten drama in ways that impugn her character, particularly in the editing of the show's final minutes. [7]
Allen Salkin is an American journalist, author, and critic who has written for the New York Daily News, New York Times, and other publications.
Chris Smith is an American filmmaker. He directed American Movie, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.
Sarma Melngailis is an American chef, cookbook author, businesswoman and convicted criminal. She was the owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck, both vegan raw food restaurants in New York City. Melngailis' restaurant appeared in New York Magazine's Top 100 Restaurants round up, and made it into Forbes' list of All Star New York Eateries for five consecutive years. Both businesses closed in 2016 after staff walked out over unpaid wages. After fleeing New York, Melngailis was tracked down in Tennessee and arrested for fraud in 2016. She was convicted in 2017.
Ugly Delicious is a non-fiction original series on Netflix combining travel, cooking, and history. Each episode highlights one dish or concept, and explores how it is made in different regions and how it evolves.
Fyre Fraud is a 2019 American documentary film about the fraudulent Fyre Festival, a 2017 music festival in the Bahamas. It was directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst, and premiered on January 14, 2019, on Hulu.
Ginny & Georgia is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sarah Lampert that was released on Netflix on February 24, 2021. In April 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 5, 2023. In May 2023, the series was renewed for third and fourth seasons.
Love Fraud is an American true crime documentary television miniseries, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, about the hunt for a serial romance scammer. It premiered on August 30, 2020, on Showtime.
Trial by Media is a true crime documentary miniseries that premiered May 11, 2020 on Netflix.
Challenger: The Final Flight is a 2020 American docuseries developed by Glen Zipper and Steven Leckart for Netflix. It focuses on the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, including the build-up to the flight, interviews with key individuals and fallout from the disaster.
Murder Among the Mormons is an American true crime documentary television miniseries following Mark Hofmann, one of the most notable forgers in history, who created forgeries related to the Latter Day Saint movement. Joe Berlinger serves as an executive producer. It consists of three episodes and premiered on Netflix on March 3, 2021.
This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist is a 2021 American documentary miniseries about the 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The four-part series was directed by Colin Barnicle, who also produced alongside his brother Nick Barnicle. The series was produced over a seven-year period, beginning in 2014. It was released on Netflix on April 7, 2021, receiving generally positive reviews from critics.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is an American travel and food show that premiered on February 14, 2021, on CNN. The series follows American actor Stanley Tucci, who travels around Italy visiting each region and exploring their cultures, cuisine, and history.
Naomi Osaka is an American documentary television miniseries directed by Garrett Bradley. It follows the life of professional tennis player Naomi Osaka over the course of two years. It consists of three episodes, and premiered on July 16, 2021, on Netflix.
Cooking with Paris is an American six-part reality cooking show presented by Paris Hilton. It was released on August 4, 2021, on Netflix. In January 2022, Netflix cancelled the series after its first season.
The Andy Warhol Diaries is an American documentary television limited series from writer and director Andrew Rossi, and executive producer Ryan Murphy, based on the 1989 book of the same name by Andy Warhol, as edited by Pat Hackett. The series simulates the famed pop artist narrating his own diary entries through the use of artificial intelligence technology. Netflix debuted the series of six episodes on March 9, 2022.
Mind Over Murder is a 2022 American documentary television miniseries revolving around the Beatrice Six, directed by Nanfu Wang. It consists of 6 episodes and premiered on June 20, 2022, on HBO.
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 is a 2022 American three-part docuseries about the music festival Woodstock '99. It was released on Netflix on August 3, 2022.
MerPeople is a documentary miniseries that premiered May 23, 2023, on Netflix. It explores the subculture and performing art of "mermaiding".
Heart of Invictus is a 2023 American documentary series set for streaming on Netflix. It was released on August 30, 2023.
Pure Food and Wine was a raw food and vegan restaurant co-founded by Sarma Melngailis and chef Matthew Kenney. The restaurant opened in June 2004 at 54 Irving Place in Manhattan. It closed in 2016. It is the subject of the documentary Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.