American Greed#Companion series
{{Short description|American documentary television series on CNBC}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image = American greed title card.jpg
| genre = Documentary
| narrated = Stacy Keach
| country = United States
| location = Chicago, Illinois
| language = English
| num_seasons = 15
| num_episodes = 222 (& 3 specials)
| list_episodes = List of American Greed episodes
| channel = CNBC
| first_aired = {{start date|2007|6|21}}
| last_aired = present
| producer = Mike West
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Sharon Barrett
- Charles Schaffer
- Mike West
- Robin Feinberg
- Luke Bauer
}}
| runtime = 42–44 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
- Kurtis Productions
}}
}}
American Greed (also known as American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals and as American Greed: Scams, Schemes and Broken Dreams) is an American documentary television series on CNBC.{{Cite web|last=Goldman|first=Beth|title=CNBC's "American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals" To Premiere on Thursday, June 21st|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2007/06/11/cnbcs-american-greed-scams-scoundrels-and-scandals-to-premiere-on-thursday-june-21st.html|work=CNBC|date=June 11, 2007}}{{Cite web|title=American Greed|url=https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/|work=CNBC|date=February 3, 2012}} The series focuses on cases of Ponzi schemes, embezzlement and other white collar crimes and features interviews with police investigators, fraud victims and sometimes fraudsters.
It was initially created by Mark Hoffman, the President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Directors of CNBC, and it is produced by Bill Kurtis' Kurtis Productions. The program is narrated by Stacy Keach Jr.,{{Cite web|url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/02/18/bill-kurtis-for-us-greed-has-been-good/|title = Bill Kurtis: 'For us, greed has been good'}} who was recruited because Kurtis himself was unavailable for that purpose. It premiered on June 21, 2007.https://www.moviefone.com/tv/american-greed/178448/season-11/{{dead link|date=September 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} As of July 2024 the series is currently on a hiatus, but has not been cancelled.{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=2023-04-25 |title=CNBC Calls for Production Hiatus of Long-Running ‘American Greed’ |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/cnbc-american-greed-hiatus-production-1235594203/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Variety}}
Subjects
The business-reality program focuses on the stories behind high-profile corporate and white-collar crimes, betrayals, and scams in American history, including the financial scandals involving WorldCom,{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000090|title=American Greed: Inside the WorldCom Scam|first=Stacy|last=Keach|website=CNBC}} HealthSouth,{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000081|title=American Greed: A Wall Street Wonder Takes a Fall|first=Stacy|last=Keach|website=CNBC}} Tyco International,{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000088|title=American Greed: Party's Over: Tyco's Kozlowski|first=Stacy|last=Keach|website=CNBC}} and CyberNET.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000089|title=American Greed: Fraud in Cyberspace|first=Stacy|last=Keach|website=CNBC}} Besides these high-profile cases, stories have featured lower-profile financial crimes that have affected individual investors and smaller companies, including various Ponzi schemes, real estate and other investment frauds, bank robbery, identity theft, medical fraud, embezzlement, insurance fraud, murder-for-hire, art theft, credit card fraud, money laundering, and political corruption.
In addition, there have been three American Greed special presentations: American Greed Special: Bernie Madoff Behind Bars;{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/madoff-behind-bars/|title=American Greed Special: Bernie Madoff Behind Bars|first=Stacy|last=Keach|website=CNBC}} American Greed: Special Presentation: 9/11 Fraud – "A Contractor Capitalizes on Disaster";{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/video/2016/08/31/american-greed-special-presentation-911-fraud-a-contractor-capitalizes-on-disaster.html|title=American Greed: Special Presentation: 9/11 Fraud – 'A Contractor Capitalizes on Disaster'|website=CNBC|date=August 31, 2016}} and Mob Money: An American Greed Special Presentation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2765580/|title=Mob Money: An American Greed Special Presentation|via=imdb.com}}
In April 2022, American Greed and CNBC partnered with AMC to deliver a special episode detailing the life and crimes of fictional lawyer Jimmy McGill in promotion for the 6th season of Better Call Saul.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX_Hwr_ZCic |title=American Greed: James McGill {{!}} CNBC Prime |date=2022-04-01 |last=CNBC Ambition |access-date=2025-02-06 |via=YouTube}}
Episodes
{{Main|List of American Greed episodes}}
Companion series
American Greed has had at least three companion programs, all of which have also been narrated by Stacy Keach Jr.
In August 2012, CNBC aired the series American Greed: The Fugitives, which focused on active cases of alleged white-collar crime. The show documented stories of suspects who were still at large and had continued to evade authorities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/american-greed-the-fugitives_b_1773736|title=The Power of 'Greed'|date=August 13, 2012|website=HuffPost}} It lasted 2 seasons, covering 13 cases of financial crimes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed-the-fugitives-season-1/|title=American Greed: The Fugitives: Seasons|website=CNBC}} After the November 14, 2013, airing of American Greed: The Fugitives #12, viewer tips led to the successful November 26, 2013, arrest of FBI Most Wanted fugitive David Kaup, who had been a fugitive since December 17, 2012, when he failed to appear for sentencing in Los Angeles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2013/12/04/a-capture-after-american-greed-the-fugitives-profile.html|title=A capture after 'American Greed: The Fugitives' profile|first=Celia Watson Seupel, Special to|last=CNBC|date=December 4, 2013|website=CNBC}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.fbi.gov/losangeles/press-releases/2013/fugitive-who-failed-to-appear-for-sentencing-for-carrying-out-a-multi-million-dollar-scheme-that-defrauded-homeowners-arrested-in-las-vegas|title=Fugitive Who Failed to Appear for Sentencing for Carrying Out a Multi-Million-Dollar Scheme That Defrauded Homeowners Arrested in Las Vegas|website=FBI}}
In early 2019, CNBC aired another companion series, American Greed: Deadly Rich, which focused on high-profile murder cases involving the wealthy.
On July 15, 2020, it was announced that another companion series titled American Greed: Biggest Cons would premiere on July 20, 2020.{{cite web|title=CNBC's "American Greed: Biggest Cons" Premieres Monday July 20th at 10PM ET/PT|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2020/07/15/cnbcs-american-greed-biggest-cons-premieres-monday-july-20th-at-10pm-et-pt-337413/20200715cnbc01/|work=The Futon Critic|date=July 15, 2020}} When American Greed: Biggest Cons did so premiere, it updated some of the stories the main program had previously featured, such as its profiles of Madoff and Martin Shkreli and its study of William "Rick" Singer's college-admission scheme.
A few weeks before the Better Call Saul season 6 premiere on April Fools' Day 2022, the CNBC Prime YouTube account uploaded American Greed: James McGill.{{Cite web |last=Zinski |first=Dan |date=April 5, 2022 |title=Better Call Saul Season 6 Video Shows Jimmy's Walter White Connections |url=https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-season-6-american-greed-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405185455/https://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-season-6-american-greed-video/ |archive-date=April 5, 2022 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=Screen Rant}} The ten-minute short is a faux documentary done in the same style as the popular series with the same name, and recaps the events of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.{{Cite web |last=Bonomolo |first=Cameron |date=April 5, 2022 |title=Better Call Saul: CNBC's American Greed Documents Jimmy McGill's Crimes |url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/better-call-saul-season-6-recap-cnbc-american-greed-jimmy-mcgill-saul-goodman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405220428/https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/better-call-saul-season-6-recap-cnbc-american-greed-jimmy-mcgill-saul-goodman/ |archive-date=April 5, 2022 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=ComicBook.com}} Narrated by Keach, the mockumentary features in-character interviews from several recurring cast members from Better Call Saul, including DA Suzanne Ericsen (Julie Pearl), Deputy DA Bill Oakley (Peter Diseth) and Kim Wexler's former boss Rich Schweikart (Dennis Boutsikaris), as they recount their memories of Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler. Also making their reappearances are Craig and Betsy Kettleman (Jeremy Shamos and Julie Ann Emery, respectively), who had not appeared on the series since the first season, but made their last canonical appearance in the short film No Picnic, which was released after the third season.{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Lauren |date=April 10, 2022 |title='Better Call Saul': 'American Greed' Special Drops Hints About Final Season |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/better-call-saul-american-greed-special-drops-hints-final-season.html/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410175156/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/better-call-saul-american-greed-special-drops-hints-final-season.html/ |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=Showbiz Cheatsheet}}{{cite web |last=Lynch |first=Jason |url=https://www.rpa.com/news/acura-caps-this-seasons-better-call-saul-partnership-by-bringing-back-some-memorable-season-1-characters |title=Acura Caps This Season's Better Call Saul Partnership by Bringing Back Some Memorable Season 1 Characters |date=June 15, 2017 |access-date=April 11, 2022 |website=RPA (Rubin Postaer and Associates)}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Other sources
- {{cite book |last1=Matulich |first1=Serge |last2=Currie |first2=David |title=Handbook of Frauds, Scams, and Swindles: Failures of Ethics in Leadership |url=http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781420072853 |access-date=May 19, 2009 |edition=Illustrated |date=June 2008 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4200-7285-3 |oclc=214285931 |pages=315–351 |chapter=Richard Scrushy: The Rise and fall of the King of Health Care |ref=Mat08}}
- {{cite book |last1=Jennings |first1=Marianne |title=The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse |url=https://archive.org/details/sevensignsofethi00mari |url-access=registration |edition=annotated |date=August 2006 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=0-312-35430-4 |oclc=63297926 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/sevensignsofethi00mari/page/214 214–216] |chapter=Innovation Like No Other |ref=Jen06}}
- {{cite book |last1=Markham |first1=Jerry |title=A Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals: From Enron to Reform |edition=illustrated |date=December 2005 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location=Armonk, N.Y |isbn=0-7656-1583-5 |oclc=58536658 |pages=360–364 |chapter=Full Disclosure Fails |ref=Mar05}}
1. Fed.R. Civ. Pro 9.
2. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009).
External links
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb title}}
{{CNBC primetime programming}}
Category:CNBC original programming
Category:2007 American television series debuts
Category:2000s American documentary television series
Category:2010s American documentary television series