Keith Stone, staff writer
There are some things that can make one’s heart skip a beat. A moment of incredible fear or panic, the pride of seeing a good grade and the immeasurable joy that comes from discovering an amazing new TV show to occupy time.
Madoff may be only four, 45-minute long episodes, but each minute is just as tense and action-packed as 10 minutes of a shoot-em-up action movie. This series chronicles the inner machinations of the Madoff clan as they vie for positions in the family business.
Bernard L. Madoff was one of the most well-respected and trusted men on Wall Street until the final crisis of 2008, when it was revealed that his entire fund was a fraud and he was running a massive Ponzi scheme. Today, when most people think of a Ponzi scheme, Bernie Madoff’s rumpled hair and dastardly smirk pop into their heads.
ABC created one of the best shows on television with Madoff, through the drama and the complex character webs alone. Add to that the fact that viewers will also get an up close and personal look at the family aspect, and this show is first-rate. For viewers who have little to no knowledge whatsoever of the financial sector or of big banks or of Bernie Madoff, this show will take them fantastically in depth and turn a typically dull issue into something worth shaking your fist over.
Apart from the education and the dramatic value of this show, Richard Dreyfuss simply plays a tremendous role, incredibly well. He manages to humanize one of the most hated men in America who was unfaithful to his wife and swindled helpless people out of millions and millions of dollars. Dreyfuss plays the part so well that even a philandering scumbag like Madoff becomes a lovable father, husband and boss, when he’s not falsifying records or ruining lives.
This show may be short and will leave viewers angry at an establishment where innocent people could have their life savings stolen, but it is far and away one of the greatest shows of the last 10 years and worth a watch.