Review: ‘Scam Goddess,’ starring Laci Mosley

January 17, 2025

by Carla Hay

Laci Mosley in “Scam Goddess” (Photo courtesy of Freeform)

“Scam Goddess”

Culture Representation: The documentary/reality series “Scam Goddess” features a predominantly white group of people (with some people of color) talking about well-known fraud crimes that took place in various parts of the United States.

Culture Clash: Laci Mosley, the show’s host, explores and discusses the cultures and mindsets that led to the scammers conning their victims.

Culture Audience: “Scam Goddess” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in true crime documentaries about fraud and theft, but the comedic approach to this subject matter can be very off-putting to this frequently tacky show.

Laci Mosley in “Scam Goddess” (Photo courtesy of Freeform)

“Scam Goddess” seems more like an imprudent showcase for host Laci Mosley’s aspiring acting career than a worthwhile true crime docuseries. The show’s scripted comedy elements are awkward, stupid and borderline disrespectful to the victims of these crimes. The “Scam Goddess” narration and contrived scenarios often make Mosley look like an immature teenager who sees true crime as a way for her to dress up in different costumes and tell bad jokes that she thinks are hilarious.

“Scam Goddess” is produced by ABC News Studios in association with The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television. David Sloan is senior executive producer. Executive producers are Carrie Cook, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and John Henshaw. Mosley, who is also the host of the “Scam Goddess” podcast, describes herself as a comedian, actress and an “expert” in true crime cases involving fraud and theft. Whatever “expertise” she has is not on display in this TV series, which makes her look more like a goofy fangirl of true crime rather than a professional “expert” in anything.

The first “Scam Goddess” TV episode, titled “The Horseplay Heist,” tells the story of convicted embezzler Rita Crundwell, who stole $53.7 million from 1990 to 2012 from the small city of Dixon, Illinois (population: about 15,000 people, as of the 2020 census), where she worked as the city’s treasurer and comptroller at the same time. If you know anything about city government, then you probably know that it’s a huge conflict of interest for anyone to be a treasurer and comptroller at the same time. Crundwell (who was born in 1953) was arrested in 2012. The episode mentions the outcome of her case.

Crundwell, a divorcée with no children, came from a farm family in Dixon. She started as an intern for the city when she was a teenager. She eventually got a full-time job in 1983 as the city’s treasurer and later added the title comptroller. Crundwell flaunted her lavish spending with high-priced purchases, such as show horses, custom furnishings for her house, expensive jewelry and a $2 million recreational motor home.

Crundwell was a fanatic about horses (she reportedly owned about 400 horses at the same time) and prided herself on buying, selling and breeding champion show horses. She stole money from the city by creating a secret bank account in the city’s name. And because she was the only person with the authority to be a signer on this account, she withdrew funds from this secret bank account for her spending sprees. Crundwell’s salary for her city government job was only $80,000 a year. Dixon people interviewed in this episode say that they assumed her wealth came from her horse business and/or other investments.

The episode shows Mosley in Dixon, where she interviews some of the residents to find out more about why Crundwell got away with this crime spree for so long. Among the people she interviews are Jim Dixon, a descendant of the city’s founders; Tom Wadsworth, a former high school classmate of Crundwell’s; Matthew Heckman, Dixon’s public works director; Danny Langloss, Dixon’s city manager; a woman only identified as Kathy, a former Dixon journalist; and Kathe Swanson, Dixon’s former deputy treasurer, who worked with Crundwell for about 20 years and was the one who discovered and reported Crundwell’s embezzlement.

The people interviewed all describe Crundwell as a master manipulator who was able to gain people’s trust and who was very skilled at coming up with believable lies if anyone questioned her about anything suspicious. Crundwell had so much unchecked power over the city’s finances, she ordered her staff for years to keep cutting budgets because she said that the city couldn’t afford many of the things that were needed. It wasn’t until Swanson discovered the secret bank account that it was clear where a lot of the city’s money was really going.

The word “interview” is a very loose description of what Mosley does on this show. She changes wigs and outfits for each interview, which she treats more like a “look at me” comedy skit where she asks basic questions. It should come as no surprise in a story about a con artist who’s obsessed with horses, Mosley dresses up in a cowgirl outfit and rides a horse in the episode. These antics have nothing to do with the actual crimes but are just an example of the show’s tasteless and unfunny tone. Mosley’s scripted narration for the show is overbearing and cringeworthy. At one point, she describes Crundwell’s scam as “iconic,” which is an inappropriate way to describe a crime spree that hurt many people.

When Mosley first arrives in Dixon (whose main claim to fame is being the childhood hometown of U.S. President Ronald Reagan), she makes mocking commentary about all the Ronald Reagan memorabilia and Ronald Reagan tributes in the city. When she goes to a bar to interview some locals, a man named Norman walks in, and people call out his name. “This is ‘Cheers,'” Mosley quips, in reference to how the bar customers in the TV sitcom “Cheers” would call out the name of regular customer Norm every time he entered the bar. The Norman scene in “Scam Goddess” looks very fake and scripted.

In case there’s any doubt that Mosley has a tone-deaf approach to this subject matter, there’s a scene in this episode that confirms it. Langloss tells Mosley that when Crundwell was Dixon’s treasurer/comptroller, the Dixon Police Department had outdated communications equipment and requested upgraded equipment because the outdated equipment wasn’t working in certain parts of the city. Crundwell turned down the request because she said the city didn’t have the money for this upgrade.

After Mosley hears this sobering fact, she admits out loud to Langloss that she thought the story of Crundwell’s fraud was laughably funny until she realized that Crundwell’s theft directly impacted the ability of a police department to help people and potentially save lives. It’s quite appalling that someone who’s a self-proclaimed “scam goddess” hasn’t figured out that these crimes are not a joke and can do real damage to people. Anyone who watches “Scam Goddess” can easily figure out that this time-wasting series is just a way to exploit these crimes for cheap and crass entertainment.

Freeform premiered “Scam Goddess” on January 15, 2025.

Review: ‘The Thing About Harry,’ starring Jake Borelli and Niko Terho

February 14, 2020

by Carla Hay

Niko Terho and Jake Borelli in “The Thing About Harry” (Photo by Parrish Lewis/Freeform)

“The Thing About Harry”

Directed by Peter Paige

Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in Chicago with a predominantly white cast, the romantic comedy “The Thing About Harry” is about two young middle-class men (one who’s openly gay, and the other who’s openly pansexual) who were enemies in high school but start to fall in love with each other, even as they date other people.

Culture Clash: Because one of the men is a commitment-phobic playboy who dates men and women, it causes conflicts over whether or not he’s a suitable partner for the other guy, who wants a long-term, monogamous relationship.

Culture Audience: This movie will appeal mostly to fans of romantic comedies who are open-minded enough to seeing diverse sexualities portrayed on screen.

Jake Borelli and Niko Terho in “The Thing About Harry” (Photo by Parrish Lewis/Freeform)

The romantic comedy “The Thing About Harry,” Freeform’s first Valentine’s Day-themed original movie, puts a queer spin on a story that is very much inspired by the 1989 classic Meg Ryan/Billy Crystal movie “When Harry Met Sally.” In “The Thing About Harry,” two male friends who are obviously sexually attracted to each other try to keep their relationship platonic because one of the pals thinks that falling in love with a good friend is a recipe for disaster. This made-for-TV movie isn’t going to win any Emmys, but it’s a hilarious and sometimes emotionally touching ride that should please fans of romantic comedies.

“The Thing About Harry,” which takes place in Chicago over an approximate five-year period, begins with smart but neurotic Sam Biselli (played by Jake Borelli) an openly gay college student cuddling in bed with his straight female best friend Anatsasia “Stasia” Hooper (played by Britt Barron), a purple-haired sassy free spirit who’s a major commitment-phobe when it comes to dating. While cuddling with Stasia, Sam gets a call from two friends he knew in high school—a straight couple named Chris and Kelly, who ask Sam to attend their engagement party in their mutual hometown of Liberty, Missouri.

Sam says yes, and he plans to road trip to the party in his car. Chris and Kelly then ask Sam to do them a big favor: Give a ride to their friend and former high-school classmate Harry Turpin (played by Niko Tero), who doesn’t have a car. Sam and Harry attend the same college, but they’re not exactly friends. Sam has been openly gay since high school, and popular athlete Harry used to bully him mercilessly because of Sam’s sexuality and because Sam was the type of nerdy kid in school who was a know-it-all teacher’s pet. Sam had the unflattering nickname “Suck-up Sammy” in high school, and Harry was one of the classmates who taunted him with that name.

As far as Sam is concerned, Harry is one of the last people he wants to be stuck with on a road trip, but Sam is such a nice guy that he can’t say no to Chris and Kelly, and he reluctantly agrees to give Sam a ride to the party. Stasia, who has been Sam’s best friend since they met on their first day of college, doesn’t mince words when she tells Sam what she thinks about his decision to spend time with Harry: “You, my friend, are a medical marvel. It’s a wonder you can stand with a spine like that.”

Sam is the type of person who’s a romantic at heart. He believes in monogamy and that a partner should be mindful of things such as a three-month anniversary. It’s one of the reasons why he’s no longer with his ex-boyfriend Malcolm, who cheated on him and definitely was not the type of person who would remember anniversaries. Sam and Malcolm started off as close friends, but as a result of the breakup, Sam has sworn off ever dating someone who’s starts off as a close friend.

When Sam arrives at the arranged meeting place on campus to pick up Harry for the road trip, Harry is almost a half-hour late. Their meeting is somewhat awkward because Sam is very mistrustful of Harry and extremely annoyed at Harry’s tardiness. Harry offers a flippant apology and rambles on that he’s been preoccupied with some of the people he’s been dating, and he’s broken up with his most recent girlfriend. Sam doesn’t seem too surprised, since Harry was a playboy in high school too.

Sam asks Harry if he remembers how much of a hard time he gave Sam in high school. Harry, like a lot of school bullies who’ve grown up, doesn’t remember being as harsh on Sam as Sam remembers it. But Sam reminds him how much Harry’s behavior was mean-spirited and hurtful. Harry is a little taken aback, but then Harry mentions that he has an ex-boyfriend, which leads to Harry telling Sam that he’s pansexual—someone who’s attracted to people of all sexualities and genders.

This time, it’s Sam’s turn to be surprised, since he thought that from the way Harry acted in high school, Harry must be heterosexual. Sam is so shocked that he nearly runs into a truck on the other side of the road. They have a minor car accident when the car swerves into an embankment and has to be towed away for repairs.

While they’re waiting for Sam’s car to fixed, Sam and Harry share a motel room, where Harry confesses to Sam that the reason why he bullied Sam was because he was envious that Sam was open about his sexuality. Harry hadn’t come out with his true sexuality back then, and he said that if he acted nice toward Sam in high school, people would think he was queer “by association.”

After Harry’s confession, the two men open up to each other a little more by talking about their favorite things and their life goals. Sam is surprised to learn that despite Harry’s playboy ways and “macho jock” image, he has a sweet and sensitive side: Harry tells Sam that his favorite movie is “Up” and that his biggest life goal is to become a father. By contrast, Sam says he’s not sure if he wants to bring kids into this world. Later, Harry gives a sincere apology to Sam for being a bully to him in high school.

With Sam’s car back in commission, they continue on the road trip, but Harry ends up ditching him in the middle of the trip to meet up with his most recent ex-girlfriend because they’ve decided to get back together. The engagement party isn’t shown in the movie, but another party is shown that’s a turning point in Sam and Harry’s relationship.

Back in Chicago, not long after the engagement party, Sam and Stasia go to a singles-only Valentine’s Day party. And, of course, Harry happens to be there too. At the party, Harry is wearing an outfit that looks like he just came from a 1992 Kris Kross video: overalls with one of the arm straps unbuttoned. Despite this fashion faux pas, Harry is still the best-looking guy at the party and there’s still a spark of mutual attraction between Sam and Harry.

But talk about bad timing: Harry tells Sam that he’s decided to try being celibate for a while. Sam doesn’t think Harry’s celibacy vow will last, but it makes him feel more comfortable with becoming friends with Harry. Stasia meets Harry for the first time at this party, and although she’s initially suspicious of him, she eventually accepts him when she sees that Sam has forgiven Harry and that they’ve decided to be friends.

The rest of the movie is a “will they or won’t they” guessing game on whether or not Sam and Harry will ever reveal their true feelings for each other while they date other people. “Queer Eye” co-star Karamo Brown has a memorable cameo as a pretentious art dealer named Paul, who dates Sam. In a genuinely funny scene where Sam and Paul join a group of friends at a local bar’s trivia night, Paul shows his true petty nature and Harry surprises everyone with how much trivia he knows. The message is clear: Harry’s not such a dumb jock after all.

Sam and Harry each have platonic male roommates who offer their advice and observations. Sam’s roommate is a middle-aged gay man named Casey (played by former “Queer as Folk” co-star Peter Paige, who directed this movie), who’s like a caring older brother to Sam. Harry’s roommate is a straight guy close to his age named Zack (played by Japhet Balaban), who frequently joins Harry, Sam and Stasia for their friend get-togethers.

Before and after he graduates from college, Sam shows an interest in progressive liberal politics, and he starts his career as a community organizer for a mayoral candidate. Meanwhile, Harry (who’s a marketing major) flounders around after college in low-paying entry-level jobs, such as a sales associate at a clothing store or selling phones at a kiosk.

One of the reasons why Sam is attracted to Harry is that he’s not just another pretty face. Harry is a lot smarter than people assume that he is (although he’s still not as smart as Sam), and he’s a fun and loyal friend. Harry also gets involved with issues that Sam cares deeply about, such as LGBTQ rights. When Sam and Harry go to a party after a Pride parade, something happens at the party that changes the course of their relationship.

“The Thing About Harry,” which was written by director Paige and Joshua Senter, has some unpredictable twists as well as some formulaic aspects to the story. The movie’s biggest appeal is in how realistically the characters are written and portrayed. The whip-smart dialogue of Sam, Stasia and Casey will remind viewers of people they know who can give sassy and sensible romance advice all day to friends, but their own love lives are kind of a mess. And because Harry is a very handsome and commitment-phobic playboy, he has that realistic mix of being charming and frustrating, which are common traits for people who know they have their pick of partners who are competing to fall in love with them.

If Sam and Harry are secretly in love with each other, what’s holding them back? Sam doesn’t want to get his heart broken by Harry, who doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to monogamy and long-term relationships. Harry doesn’t want to fall short of Sam’s high expectations when it comes to romance, and he probably feels that Sam deserves to have a partner who’s on a similar intellectual level.

Despite their differences, Sam and Harry are easy to root for in his love story. The whole point of this movie is to show that when it comes to love, there’s no explaining a lot of attractions. Instead of seeing if a potential love partner fits a list of requirements, many times it’s just best to just go with what feels right if it doesn’t hurt anyone and it makes you happy.

Freeform will premiere “The Thing About Harry” at 8 p.m. ET/PT on February 15, 2020.

2018 Comic-Con International: Freeform announces ‘Siren’ panel details; TLC’s Chilli will moderate

June 26, 2018

The following is a press release from Freeform:

Freeform announced that it will be bringing the cast and executive producers of the critically acclaimed, mermaid drama “Siren” to San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 19, to breakdown behind-the-scenes secrets and discuss the upcoming season, which begins production in Vancouver in July. Freeform has tapped the ultimate “Siren” superfan and four-time GRAMMY(R) Award winner to moderate: iconic singer Chilli, best known as 1/3 of TLC, the best-selling American girl group of all time.

Among those coming to San Diego Comic-Con include stars Eline Powell (‘Ryn’), Alex Roe (‘Ben’), Fola Evans-Akingbola (‘Maddie’), Ian Verdun (‘Xander’), Rena Owen (‘Helen’) and executive producers Emily Whitesell and Eric Wald.

PANEL TIME: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m. PDT

PANEL LOCATION: Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront

The number one new cable drama among women 18-34, “Siren,” Freeform’s smash hit drama, will return to Vancouver to begin production on season two, set to debut in 2019.

In this epic tale, the coastal town of Bristol Cove, known for its legend of once being home to mermaids, is turned upside down when a mysterious girl (Powell) appears and begins wreaking havoc upon the small fishing town. Using their resources, marine biologists Ben (Roe) and Maddie (Evans-Akingbola) must work together to find out who and what drove this primal hunter of the deep sea to land, and are there more like her out there?

“Siren” is based on a story by Eric Wald and Dean White who both serve as executive producers. Emily Whitesell (“Finding Carter”) serves as showrunner and executive producer. Brad Luff, Nate Hopper and RD Robb also serve as executive producers.

About Freeform

Part of Disney|ABC Television, Freeform connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold, original programming and immersive social engagement. As Disney’s young adult television and streaming network, it delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan-favorite movies and the holiday events “31 Nights of Halloween,” “Kick Off to Christmas” and “25 Days of Christmas.” The Freeform app is a service that allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access via a wide array of devices.

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