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Peacock's New Docuseries 'Paul T. Goldman' Blends Comedy With True Crime In Trailer
Peacock's new docuseries, directed by "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm's" Jason Woliner, puts a comedic twist on the larger-than-life story of marriage scam victim "Paul T. Goldman," who also plays himself.
True crime meets comedy in Peacock's latest docuseries "Paul T. Goldman."
The series, executive produced by "Superbad" writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, tells the story of Paul T. Goldman, a single father who falls for a woman he met online. The thing is, the woman he fell in love with — and even married — isn't exactly who she portrayed herself as.
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Instead, as Goldman says in the trailer released Wednesday, he finds out that his wife has been leading a "secret double life." As he does his own investigation into her story, he gets the FBI and more individuals involved in bringing down an alleged crime ring, creating a story that grabbed the attention of "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" director Jason Woliner.
Woliner said in a press release that, in 2012, he read Goldman's book about the real-life story, which "is equal parts fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and often weirdly moving."
"It has endless bizarre turns, and Paul himself is the most captivating person I’ve ever encountered," Woliner wrote. "He reminded me of my favorite documentary subjects: Mark Borchardt from 'American Movie,' Timothy Treadwell from 'Grizzly Man,' or the kind of people that appear in Errol Morris films like 'Tabloid' and 'Mr. Death.' They’re striking, quirky, passionate, a little 'off'; individuals with a strong sense of purpose but perhaps an atypical form of self-awareness."
Goldman, who wrote and self-published the book in 2009, had Tweeted at Woliner in 2012 looking for assistance adapting the memoir of his abortive marriage to an alleged sex worker and scam artist for the screen, according to IndieWire.
And so, Woliner agreed to work with Goldman on bringing this story to life in quasi-documentary form — highlighting both the story and the making of the series over the last 10 years — with Goldman playing himself in reenactments that he also wrote himself.
Woliner has described the experience as "the most conceptually ambitious and personal project I’ve ever worked on."
"The format, combining familiar doc elements with dramatized scenes that Paul wrote about his story — starring Paul playing himself — and weaving that with behind-the-scenes footage from the making of this show (don’t worry, it’ll make sense when you watch it, I promise) was essentially my way of taking a camera inside this very unique person’s brain." he added.
"At times Paul comes across as sympathetic and at other times he’s discomfiting — and it’s going to be really exciting to watch the social media response and conversation this creates as the audience debates where they stand on him and his story," he said.
Goldman isn't the only person appearing in the series: "Captain America" star Frank Grillo, "Desperately Seeking Susan" actress Rosanna Arquette and more co-stars.
See the fruits of their labor when the first three episodes of "Paul T. Goldman" premiere on Peacock Jan. 1.
