Do you like a good plot based on real cases? Inventing Anna is perfect for you! This dramatic miniseries was created and produced by Shonda Rhimes and inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin and the article in New York entitled “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People” by Jessica Pressler.
The series follows journalist Vivian (Anna Chlumsky) as she investigates the life of the glamorous and mysterious Anna Delvey (Julia Garner), a young woman increasingly gaining attention in the NY tabloids.
The socialite enjoys a life of luxury and partying as a millionaire German heiress. Still, in reality, Anna uses this cover to use invalid credit cards or forged documents and scam banks and wealthy young men several times over.
After getting a $40 million loan to open a nightclub, Anna's frauds got exposed, and she ended up being charged with robbery and jailed without bail.
From a yacht outside Ibiza to a suite at Paris Fashion Week, Anna's glamorous lifestyle comes into focus as her former friends hand over details to Vivian.
When the journalist approaches her, Anna finally decides to tell the story of how she managed to become one of the most prominent figures in New York's bourgeois elite, even though she comes from a low-income family.
If you couldn't take your eyes away from Inventing Anna, don't miss our list of nine perfect choices for your next marathon.
Check out our list of shows like Inventing Anna, and we guarantee that the most challenging part will be deciding which to start with first.
Please let us know your thoughts on our suggestions in the comments below.
OUR LIST OF SHOWS LIKE INVENTING ANNA
The Queen’s Gambit
A spellbinding show from start to finish, The Queens Gambit stars the magnetic Anya Taylor-Joy as a chess prodigy rising through the ranks of a male-dominated sport. One of the best shows on Netflix and from the same creator as Godless.
FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
The FYRE Festival was supposed to be a luxury music festival on a supposedly private island in the Bahamas during April and May 2017. Instead it was a disaster of epic proportions and this documentary methodically takes you step by step through the u...[Read More]
Bad Vegan
Bad Vegan tells the story of Sarma Melngailis, the once celebrity darling of vegan food in New York. The docuseries looks at how she was conned, ended up a fugitive and ultimately in jail. Crazier than fiction!
Unbelievable
An astonishingly true story about two detectives that discover they are chasing a serial rapist who leaves no trace of his crimes. Unbelievable is just that. Unbelievable. It is an outstanding limited series that should win a tonne of awards.
Dopesick
Dopesick covers how Purdue Pharma’s best selling drug OxyContin was aggressively and successfully marketed despite the company being aware of the highly addictive nature of its golden goose opioid. Stellar drama starring Michael Keaton.
Pam & Tommy
Based on the scandal of the leaked sex tape with Pamela Anderson in 1995, Pam & Tommy features stand out performances but in a show that struggles to justify why it was made in the first place.
Dirty John
A jaw dropping, addictive, infuriating, horrifying dramatisation of real life events. Dirty John chronicles the relationship between Deborah Newell and John Meehan, a psychopath with a history of stalking, violence, drug addiction and abuse. She just...[Read More]
Truth Be Told
A series of articles written by Poppy Parnell twenty years earlier led to the conviction of Warren Cave. But did he really commit murder? With new evidence, Poppy decides to reinvestigate in Truth Be Told. A solid crime drama with Octavia Spencer.
Collateral
Collateral stars Carey Mulligan as a Detective Inspector who must solve the murder of a pizza driver who was gunned down in London. The investigation takes place over four days but what should have been an intense crime thriller simply fizzles out en...[Read More]
Is Inventing Anna A True Story?
Although many events in Inventing Anna are taken directly from the life of the real Anna Sorokin, the content of the series includes a lot of fiction along with the facts of Anna's story.
While much of the content is true, some events are exaggerated or invented, and some are not even as bizarre as the truth.
Vivian Kent, the reporter who writes the infamous article about Anna Delvey, is fictional, as is Manhattan Magazine. However, the reporter is based on New York Magazine writer Jessica Pressler, with some fundamental differences.
Some people and place names are real in the series, such as Anna, her friends and the lawyer, other identities were modified or invented. Some characters, such as Anna's mentor Nora Radford and financial lawyer Alan Reed, are based on real people but in hidden ways.
Many of the bizarre events in the series are real, but some stories are added on or completely fabricated. The real Anna does not confirm accumulating $400,000 on someone else's credit card at Bergdorf Goodman.
Yet, she did use a private jet without paying for it, stayed in several hotels without settling her accounts, and allegedly left Rachel Williams hanging for over $60,000 in Morocco. However, she was cleared of that charge.
Some plots in Inventing Anna might be made up, but they don't seem much more fantasy than her real story. As the series reaches its conclusion, it's hard not to wonder if anyone actually knows the truth other than Anna.
How Many Episodes Does Inventing Anna Have?
Inventing Anna premiered in February 2022 and quickly caught the attention of fans for its story based on actual events.
The series has a total of nine episodes.
Is The Real Inventing Anna Still In Jail?
In October 2017, Anna Delvey was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department and transferred to Rikers Island and held without bail.
Three weeks later, she was indicted for allegedly stealing approximately $275,000 over multiple scams.
In June 2018, her lawyer attempted to make a legal settlement but was rejected. Her case went to trial, and in April 2019, Delvey was convicted of eight counts against her, including second-degree theft, service burglary and attempted grand robbery in the first degree.
In May 2019, Delvey was sentenced to four to twelve years in prison, fined $24,000 and ordered to pay restitution to her victims.
She has just been released from ICE custody and is, awaiting a Board of Immigration Appeals to decide on her case. She hopes to stay in New York.
