Hark to the tale of Amanda Riley: mommy blogger, Christian, and currently serving a five year stretch in prison. Why? Well, thereby hangs a tale.
How to watch Scamanda in the UK
Scamanda is currently streaming in the UK exclusively on Disney+.
What is Scamanda about?
Lies! And lots of ’em.
From 2012 to 2019, Riley documented her heart-breaking battle with stage three blood cancer, in the process soliciting over $100,000 in donations plus assorted gifts, trips, thoughts, prayers, and a signed guitar from country and western star LeAnn Rimes (who did the ballad in Con Air, if your memory needs a quick jog).
But it was all bulltwang—she never had cancer. An anonymous tip to investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello was the pebble that started the avalanche of truth, leading to the podcast for which this four part docudrama series is named. Riley tried to sue Moscatiello (swing and a miss) and eventually got convicted of wire fraud in 2020. She even kept scamming in prison, which seems to indicate a pathological element in play. Now the whole sordid mess is getting the small screen treatment, combining interviews, archival material, and re-enactments.
The cast of Scamanda
Rachel Leighson is Amanda Riley; Ruby Singleton is Nancy Moscatiello; Chris Savery is Corey Riley, Amanda’s husband; and Tricia Sullivan is Lisa Berry.
Scamanda trailer
Why we’re excited about Scamanda
Well, this kind of true crime thing is like catnip, isn’t it? And taps into both our very human and empathetic impulse to take people at face value and try to help, and our self-assured cynicism. “I’d never fall for that,” you might mock. “How could people be so stupid?” Don’t be too sure, mon frere; we all swallow white lies every day, and we tell a few, too. Of course, the lies here weren’t really white, were they? Luckily, there’s a happy ending…well, for everyone except the subject.
