McMillions

True crime documentary television series

McMillions

Genre| True crime
Documentary series
Written by|

* James Lee Hernandez
* Brian Lazarte

Directed by|

* James Lee Hernandez
* Brian Lazarte

Composer| Pinar Toprak
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 1
No. of episodes| 6
Production
Executive producers|

* Mark Wahlberg
* Stephen Levinson
* Archie Gips
* James Lee Hernandez
* Brian Lazarte

Cinematography| Jeff Dolen
Production companies|

* Unrealistic Ideas
* FunMeter

Original release
Network| HBO
Release| February 3 (2020-02-03) –
March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)

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.

## Premise

[edit]

Main article: McDonald's Monopoly § Fraud

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.

## Episodes

[edit]

No.| Title| Directed by| Original air date [3]| U.S viewers
(millions)

|
|
|
|

1| "Episode 1"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| February 3, 2020 (2020-02-03)| 0.339[4]

An anonymous tip to FBI agent Doug Mathews speaks of a con surrounding the much-beloved McDonald's Monopoly game and its mysterious mastermind, a man going by the moniker of "Uncle Jerry".

2| "Episode 2"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| February 10, 2020 (2020-02-10)| 0.421[5]

Hoping to unmask "Uncle Jerry", the FBI investigates two prominent figures they believe are connected to the scam. Agent Mathews and McDonald's employee Amy Murray pay a visit to a prior winner, who sweats and mumbles as their cameras roll.

3| "Episode 3"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| February 17, 2020 (2020-02-17)| 0.402[6]

Frank Colombo reveals how "Uncle Jerry" would sell the winning tickets to his brother, Gennaro "Jerry" Colombo, for a premium. The undercover FBI video crew interviews a winner who tries to obscure the origins of her million-dollar game ticket.

4| "Episode 4"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)| 0.383[7]

Gennaro "Jerry" Colombo lands in the ICU, leading Jerome "Jerry" Jacobson to scout for new recruiters. Dwight Baker and others join the operation. The FBI gathers intel on "Uncle Jerry's" middlemen and ends up tailing Dwight to the airport.

5| "Episode 5"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| March 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)| 0.404[8]

Focusing their attention on Dwight Baker, the FBI intercepts a call with "Uncle Jerry" that leads them to capture evidence of a game piece exchange. The FBI works overtime to launch a coordinated cross-country day of indictments.

6| "Episode 6"| James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte| March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)| 0.424[9]

As the trial nears, many of the defendants take plea deals, but George Chandler and others decide to fight to prove their innocence. When Jerome "Jerry" Jacobson takes the stand, the remaining details of how he pulled off his scheme are disclosed.

## Production

[edit]

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.[10][11][2]

## Critical reception

[edit]

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."[12] On Metacritic, it had a score of 72 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Nominee(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

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  | Nominated  | [14]
Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Pinar Toprak & Alex Kovacs (for "Episode 1") | Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming | Jody McVeigh-Schultz, Lane Farnham, James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte and Scott Hanson (for "Episode 3") | Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) | Ben Freer, Jordan Meltzer and Jody McVeigh-Schultz (for "Episode 1") | Nominated
Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming | James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte (for "Episode 1") | Nominated
TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in News and Information | McMillions | Nominated  | [15]
2021  | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Original Score in a Documentary TV Series  | Pinar Toprak  | Nominated  | [16]
Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television | Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte  | Nominated  | [17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "What Happened To Jerome Jacobson, Mastermind Of The McDonald's Monopoly Fraud?". Oxygen Official Site. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
2. ^ a b Welk, Brian (January 9, 2020). "McDonald's Monopoly Scam Gets Exposed in HBO Doc 'McMillion$' Trailer". TheWrap. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
3. ^ "McMillion$ – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
4. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 4, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.3.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
5. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 11, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.10.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 18, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.17.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
7. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 25, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.24.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
8. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 3, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.2.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 10, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.9.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
10. ^ Petski, Denise (11 August 2018). "Mark Wahlberg To Produce True Crime Docuseries 'McMillions' On McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Deadline. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
11. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (January 9, 2020). "'McMillions' Docuseries Will Go Inside McDonald's Monopoly Game Scam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
12. ^ "McMillions: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
13. ^ "McMillions". Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
14. ^ "McMillion$". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
15. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 9, 2020). "TCA Awards: Watchmen, Unbelievable and Schitt's Creek Lead Nominations". TVLine. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
16. ^ Grein, Paul (January 27, 2021). "Diane Warren & James Newton Howard Among Top Winners at 2021 Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
17. ^ Hill, Libby (March 8, 2021). "'Bridgerton' and 'Ted Lasso' Among PGA Awards TV Nominees". Indiewire. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* McMillions on HBO
* McMillions companion podcast Archived 2022-08-12 at the Wayback Machine on HBO
* McMillions at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

McDonald's

* History
* Advertising
* marketing campaigns
* Countries with franchises
* Legal cases
* Product list
* International availability
* McDonald's and unions

People|

* Richard and Maurice McDonald
* Ray Kroc
* Joan Kroc
* Ralph Alvarez
* Charlie Bell
* Al Bernardin
* Jim Cantalupo
* George Cohon
* Dan Coudreaut
* Steve Easterbrook
* Janice L. Fields
* Den Fujita
* Don Gorske
* Jack M. Greenberg
* Lou Groen
* Eikō Harada
* Chris Kempczinski
* June Martino
* Herb Peterson
* Michael R. Quinlan
* Ed Rensi
* Willard Scott
* James A. Skinner
* Donald N. Smith
* Harry J. Sonneborn
* Don Thompson
* Fred L. Turner
* George T. Yang

Company|

* Hamburger University
* Leaps and Bounds
* McBarge
* McCafé
* CosMc's
* McDonald's Chicago Flagship
* McDonald's #1 Store Museum
* McDonald's at the Will Rogers Archway
* McDonaldland
* Oldest McDonald's restaurant
* PlayPlace
* Ronald McDonald
* Ronald McDonald House Charities
* World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's
* eCrew Development Program
* Ice cream machine

Products|

| Beef|

* Big Mac
* Big N' Tasty
* Deluxe line
* Kiwiburger
* Quarter Pounder (McRoyal)
* McDouble
* McKroket

|

Chicken|

* Chicken McNuggets
* McChicken
* Snack Wrap

Other|

* McDonald's french fries
* BTS Meal
* Filet-O-Fish
* Georgie Pie
* Happy Meal
* McArabia
* McFlurry
* McGriddles
* McMuffin
* McPlant
* McRib
* McVegan
* McVeggie
* Premium line
* Shamrock Shake
* Grimace Shake

Former|

* Arch Deluxe
* Buttermilk Crispy Tenders
* Fruit and Walnut Salad
* McAfrika

Advertising|

| Campaigns|

* Changeables
* Donald Land
* Global Gladiators
* Golden Arches
* Mac Tonight
* McDonald's Monopoly
* McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure
* M.C. Kids
* McKids
* Teenie Beanies
* The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald
* Grimace's Birthday

|

Sponsorships|

* Bubba Wallace (NASCAR)
* Graham Rahal (IndyCar Series)
* McDonald's 1984 Olympics promotion
* McDonald's All-American Game
* McDonald's Championship
* McDonald's Championship (golf)
* McDonald's Cycle Center
* McDonald's Gospelfest
* McDonald's Super Smash
* McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium

Related|

* Burger wars
* Dreaming in Mono
* Fast food advertising
* Mac and Me (1988 film)
* McDonald's sign (Pine Bluff, Arkansas)
* "Stop it. Get some help."
* Supersize

Branches|

* Canada
* France
* Israel
* New Zealand
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Russia (Vkusno i tochka)
* Arcos Dorados Holdings
* Westlife Foodworld (India)

Criticism|

* Fast Food Nation (film)
* McDonaldization
* McDonald's Video Game
* McDonald's and unions
* McJob
* McRefugee
* McLibel
* Maxime, McDuff & McDo
* Super Size Me
* Don't Eat This Book

Legal cases|

* Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants
* Magee v. McDonald's
* McDonald's Restaurants v. Morris & Steel
* Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp.

Related|

* Attacks
* San Ysidro McDonald's massacre (1984)
* Taiwan McDonald's bombings (1992)
* Sydney River McDonald's murders (1992)
* Murder of Wu Shuoyan (2014)
* Munich shooting (2016)
* Magnificent Mile shooting (2022)
* McDelivery
* Big Mac Index
* McDonald's Young Entertainers
* McWords
* "Seriously McDonalds"
* Statue of a Quarter Pounder
* Taylor Company
* Urban legends
* "Boom, Like That"
* The Founder (2016 film)
* McMillions (2020 documentary series)
* List of nicknames for McDonald's
* 2024 McDonald's E. coli outbreak

* v
* t
* e

HBO programming

Current and upcoming

| Current|

* 100 Foot Wave (since 2021)
* 30 Coins (since 2021)
* Dune: Prophecy (since 2024)
* Euphoria (since 2019)
* Fantasmas (since 2024)
* The Franchise (since 2024)
* The Gilded Age (since 2022)
* Hard Knocks (since 2001)
* House of the Dragon (since 2022)
* Industry (since 2020)
* It's Florida, Man (since 2024)
* Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (since 2024)
* The Last of Us (since 2023)
* Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (since 2014)
* Real Time with Bill Maher (since 2003)
* The Rehearsal (since 2022)
* The Righteous Gemstones (since 2019)
* Somebody Somewhere (since 2022)
* True Detective (since 2014)
* The White Lotus (since 2021)

|

Upcoming|

* Get Millie Black (2024)
* A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2025)
* It: Welcome to Derry (2025)
* Task (2025)

Former

| Series|

| 1970s
debuts|

* HBO World Championship Boxing
* HBO Sports Bowling
* Inside the NFL
* On Location
* Race for the Pennant
* Standing Room Only ("Vanities")
* Tennis on HBO
* Time Was

|

1980s
debuts|

* 1st & Ten
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
* America Undercover ("Autopsy", "Real Sex" and "Taxicab Confessions")
* Babar
* Braingames
* Encyclopedia
* Encyclopedia Brown
* The Ghost of Faffner Hall
* The Hitchhiker
* HBO Storybook Musicals
* The Kids in the Hall
* Maximum Security
* Not Necessarily the News
* One Night Stand
* Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
* The Ray Bradbury Theater
* Seabert
* The StoryTeller
* Tales from the Crypt
* Tales of Little Women
* Video Jukebox
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

1990s
debuts|

* The Adventures of Paddington Bear
* The Adventures of Tintin
* Arliss
* The Baby-Sitters Club
* Boxing After Dark
* The Chris Rock Show
* The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures
* Crashbox
* Def Comedy Jam
* Dennis Miller Live
* Dream On
* George and Martha
* Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
* HBO Comedy Half-Hour
* Hotel Room
* The Larry Sanders Show
* Lifestories: Families in Crisis
* A Little Curious
* The Little Lulu Show
* Mr. Show with Bob and David
* The Neverending Story
* Oz
* Perversions of Science
* Pippi Longstocking
* Rainbow Fish
* Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
* Reverb
* Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio
* Sex and the City
* The Sopranos
* Spicy City
* Tenacious D
* Todd McFarlane's Spawn
* Tracey Takes On...

2000s
debuts|

* Animated Tales of the World
* Big Love
* Bored to Death
* Carnivàle
* Cathouse: The Series
* Classical Baby
* Curb Your Enthusiasm
* The Comeback
* Costas Now
* Da Ali G Show
* Deadwood
* Def Poetry Jam
* Eastbound & Down
* Entourage
* Extras
* Flight of the Conchords
* G String Divas
* Harold and the Purple Crayon
* Hung
* In Treatment
* I Spy
* Joe Buck Live
* John from Cincinnati
* K Street
* Kindergarten
* KO Nation
* The Life & Times of Tim
* Little Britain USA
* Lucky Louie
* The Mind of the Married Man
* The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
* On the Record with Bob Costas
* El Perro y El Gato
* Pornucopia
* Project Greenlight
* Rome
* Six Feet Under
* Stuart Little
* Summer Heights High
* Tales from the Neverending Story
* Tell Me You Love Me
* True Blood
* Tourgasm
* Unscripted
* The Wire

2010s
debuts|

* After the Thrones
* All Def Comedy
* Angry Boys
* Animals
* Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons
* Ballers
* Barry
* Big Little Lies
* A Black Lady Sketch Show
* Boardwalk Empire
* The Brink
* Camping
* Crashing
* The Deuce
* Divorce
* Doll & Em
* Enlightened
* Esme & Roy
* Family Tree
* Funny or Die Presents
* Game of Thrones
* Gentleman Jack
* Getting On
* Girls
* Hello Ladies
* Here and Now
* High Maintenance
* His Dark Materials
* How to Make It in America
* Insecure
* Ja'mie: Private School Girl
* Jonah from Tonga
* The Leftovers
* Life's Too Short
* Looking
* Los Espookys
* Luck
* Masterclass
* My Brilliant Friend
* The Newsroom
* Random Acts of Flyness
* The Ricky Gervais Show
* Room 104
* Sally4Ever
* The Shop
* Silicon Valley
* Succession
* Togetherness
* Treme
* Veep
* Vice
* Vice News Tonight
* Vice Principals
* Vinyl
* Westworld
* Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas

2020s
debuts|

* Avenue 5
* Betty
* How To with John Wilson
* The Idol
* Lovecraft Country
* The Nevers
* Painting with John
* Pause with Sam Jay
* Perry Mason
* Rain Dogs
* Run
* The Time Traveler's Wife
* The Vow
* We're Here
* Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Miniseries|

* Agents of Chaos
* All the Rivers Run
* Allen v. Farrow
* Angels in America
* Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl
* The Baby
* Band of Brothers
* The Case Against Adnan Syed
* The Casual Vacancy
* Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes
* Catherine the Great
* Chernobyl
* The Corner
* Elizabeth I
* Empire Falls
* Exterminate All the Brutes
* From the Earth to the Moon
* Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
* Generation Kill
* Gunpowder
* God Save Texas
* House of Saddam
* I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders
* I Know This Much Is True
* I May Destroy You
* I'll Be Gone in the Dark
* Irma Vep
* The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
* John Adams
* The Lady and the Dale
* Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York
* Landscapers
* Laurel Avenue
* Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
* Mare of Easttown
* McMillions
* Mildred Pierce
* Mind Over Murder
* Mosaic
* Mrs. Fletcher
* The New Pope
* The Night Of
* Nuclear Family
* Olive Kitteridge
* Our Boys
* The Outsider
* The Pacific
* Parade's End
* The Penguin
* Phoenix Rising
* The Plot Against America
* Pray, Obey, Kill
* Q: Into the Storm
* The Regime
* Scenes from a Marriage
* The Seekers
* Sharp Objects
* Show Me a Hero
* Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump
* The Sympathizer
* Tanner '88
* Telemarketers
* The Third Day
* The Undoing
* Watchmen
* We Are Who We Are
* We Own This City
* White House Plumbers
* Years and Years
* The Young Pope

See also
Max
HBO Storybook Musicals
HBO Asia original series
HBO Canada original series
HBO Europe original series
HBO Latin America original series
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