Paul T. Goldman

Plot

The series, based on Paul Finkelman's self-published book, screenplay, and spinoff, uses interviews, reenactments, and behind-the-scenes footage to explore his relationship with his second wife, whom he calls Audrey Munson (an alias). He claims she led a double life as a prostitute, involved with her pimp Royce Rocco and an international sex trafficking ring. As the story unfolds, Paul's unreliability grows more evident. Variety noted that his "aggressive self-belief and his unusual personal qualities" are more significant than the actual events of his life.

Production

In 2009, Paul Finkelman, an insurance quoter, published Duplicity: A True Story of Crime and Deceit as Paul T. Goldman. In 2012, Finkelman/Goldman contacted Woliner via Twitter. In May 2022, Peacock gave a straight-to-series order to an untitled series, with Seth Rogen set to executive produce under his Point Grey Pictures banner. Director Jason Woliner had been working on the show, in some capacity, for more than a decade. In June 2022, Rosanna Arquette, Frank Grillo, Dennis Haysbert, Melinda McGraw and Dee Wallace joined the cast. In July 2022, Christopher Stanley, W. Earl Brown, Josh Pais, Irina Maleeva, James Remar, Paul Ben-Victor and Hilda Boulware joined the cast.

Reception

The show received mixed but mostly positive reviews. Hershal Pandya of Vulture described the show as 'formally inventive and tonally adventurous.' Nick of Collider called it 'arguably the first can’t-miss TV show of 2023.' Daniel Fienberg of Hollywood Reporter described it as 'an undeniably fascinating, invariably uncomfortable piece of television.'

The New Yorker writes that the show is 'experimental—and disturbing,' adding that 'the series is an astute portrait of a man who has mastered the art of concealing his misogyny behind a bumbling benignity.' The Daily Beast writes that the series blurs fiction and reality in a way nearly as bizarre as The Rehearsal but that Woliner's portrayal of Paul as 'a colorful loon' felt 'a bit mean.' Variety called the series 'more cruel than dazzling.' On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 76% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.00/10.

The critical consensus reads: 'This comedic docuseries-with-an-asterisk may strike some as ethically questionable and others as too opaque to fuss over, but there's no denying that Paul T. Goldman makes an unforgettable impression.' On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 63 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews.'