A brand new miniseries based on an unbelievable true story has just landed on Netflix - and viewers are already hooked. The show, which dropped on the platform today (Thursday, 6th February), is receiving rave reviews from critics and promises to have you gripped from the get-go. The six-part drama, based on a real-life lie involving wellness influencers, pseudoscience and a tragic cancer journey, will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.
Kaitlyn Dever stars as real-life scammer Belle Gibson in Apple Cider Vinegar, tracing her rise and fall as an influencer, health guru and published author before her con was exposed. After discovering that Belle lied about her cancer diagnosis to millions of followers, her 'best friend' Milla Blake (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) and rival wellness advocate - who actually does have cancer - is determined to bring her down.
"Started Apple Cider Vinegar tonight. I should have waited til the weekend.. won't be sleeping tonight," one fan gushed on X (formerly Twitter). "#NowWatching #AppleCiderVinegar on Netflix... so triggering, so intriguing, so entertaining. I'm hooked," another viewer shared. While a third wrote: "Gotta give Netflix credit but they've got a hit with #AppleCiderVinegar. Not a fan of real life adaptations but this is one of them ones. Who knew a story based on a woman lying about having brain cancer could be so good.".
One fan even admitted to skipping work to binge-watch the show, confessing: "Sort of playing hookie today cause had some rough first days of the week and bingewatching #AppleCiderVinegar", reports Surrey Live. Another viewer shared their excitement, saying: "I watched the first episode at lunchtime today, and can't wait until I'm home to watch the rest!". The series was described as a must-watch for anyone interested in alternative cures, influencers, cancer, crazy theories and much more. In terms of official reviews, The Guardian praised Dever's performance as "masterly", and described the series as "fast, witty and furious".
They concluded their rave review by stating: "Apple Cider Vinegar is a fast, drily witty, acutely intelligent, compassionate and furious commentary on greed, need, mass delusion, self-deception, the exploitation of the credulous, and the enabling of insidious new forms of all of these by technology.". The Independent took it a step further, urging viewers to tune in as they labelled the miniseries as "necessary viewing in an era of woo-woo misinformation and health scammers.".
They continued: "Apple Cider Vinegar is a timely, smart commission; Belle's story was once a scandal, but is terrifyingly mundane in an anti-expert, post-truth world," They added: "When the real-life Belle was originally unveiled as a conman by Australian journalists, it was a huge global story. Today, pseudoscience is a booming mainstream industry, no longer in the conspiratorial fringes. It used to be Belle Gibson's world; now we are very much living in it.".
JOE was utterly captivated by the series, describing Apple Cider Vinegar as "so addictive we watched it in one evening". Despite its lengthy six-hour runtime, they confessed: "I flew through the six episodes in one sitting because I was completely gripped by the story unfolding on screen," and added, "Apple Cider Vinegar is an enthralling but uncomfortable watch because it highlights how far people will go for fame.".
