Affairs, lies and life-ruining consequences from online dating are on display in the trailer for the Netflix docuseries “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal.”
“Life is Short. Have an Affair” was the slogan for the online dating site AshleyMadison.com, which is an adult online dating site for married people to cheat on their partners. The Canadian online dating service launched in 2002 and millions of users joined. However, in July 2015, the website was hacked and user’s information was exposed, ending marriages and ruining lives.
“We all know infidelity can be incredibly destructive and hurtful, but at the same time, the fact that Ashley Madison had 37 million members tells us something else we all know – that committing to one person for the rest of your life is really hard,” Toby Paton, the series director wrote in a statement. “Rather than berating people who joined Ashley Madison we were much more interested in exploring why they were drawn to the site—what were they looking for? What was going on in their relationships? And crucially—what was their partner’s side of the story?”
The trailer shows participants questioning who is to blame for leaked information.
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“We wanted to create a world that was unexpected and fresh, something that could feel playful and humorous one moment, but genuinely shocking and emotional when the story takes a tragic turn,” Paton wrote. “The result, I hope, is a wild and enjoyable ride that also offers a chance to reflect on love, marriage and desire in the age of the internet.”
The series is from Minnow Films and is produced by Chris McLaughlin and executive produced by Fiona Caldwell and Sophie Jones. It includes three episodes, each with a 50-minute run time.
“Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal” is set to premiere on Netflix May 15. Watch the trailer below.