ABC News has put together countless documentaries and docuseries covering all kinds of series, but none quite like this. The Ashley Madison Story certainly drew a lot of attention and a lot of opinions in all kinds of different directions. Now, ABC News is telling that story and covering all the angles.
The Ashley Madison Affair is a three-part, explosive docu-series exploring the unbelievable rise and fall of the scandalous and notorious dating platform Ashley Madison. As internet dating began to take off in the early 2000s, one dating site catering to extramarital affairs violated all conventions. This series explores the shameless marketing tactics that not only caught the attention of its intended audience but also a group of hackers known as The Impact Team. The docu-series tells the story of the hackers’ unmet demand, a data breach, and the catastrophic fallout. Upon the exposé-style demise of Ashley Madison, the public soon discovered that perhaps the site’s unfaithful users were not the only ones with a secret.
The Ashley Madison Affair approaches this story from a lot of different angles. On the surface, this is a story of karma coming back around on millions of people who used an unethical business to achieve an unethical goal. This documentary takes a much deeper look though and sees a lot of different narratives within the bigger story.
Addressing the elephant in the room, of course the series features the thoughts of people who were willing to use the site. However, it also dives into the story of the rise and fall of a successful but immoral businessman. Then there’s the crime narrative of trying to find the hackers who leaked the company’s data. And the series even allows for some of those involved to paint a picture in which the audience may even feel sorry for those who had their accounts hacked and leaked. It all comes together into a very fascinating and well-told story.
That being said, the series does play a bit cheesy at times. For obvious reasons, there likely isn’t a plethora of Ashley Madison users or former users willing to come forward to tell their stories for a documentary. The solution was to have actors deliver the words of users and the result was less than ideal. Some of the “interviews” play like low-budget commercials at times. Combine that with frequently repeated and unimpressive graphics and this series does feature its fair share of cringe.
Looking past those brief moments though, the finished product is incredibly thorough and interesting. Hearing from people who worked for the site, people who used the site and even just people who are familiar with the story and were maybe involved in the peripherals of any aspect of it, results in a finished product that truly feels like it is giving you all of the information it possibly can.
And yet, at no point does it feel overwhelming or confusing. The doc is constantly providing and re-providing context like dates and locations that help to keep the story organized and easy to follow. By the end, the audience has a clear idea of exactly how and when this story played out.
Overall, The Ashley Madison Affair is a docuseries that goes much deeper than you might think. The story is very well told from all kinds of different angles, making it far more interesting that just what’s on the surface. Despite a few cringey moments sprinkled throughout, it’s a very interesting story this incredibly detailed and organized docuseries is certainly worth the watch for anyone interested in true crime or just real world stories.
The Ashley Madison Affair premieres on Hulu July 7.