Inventing Anna: Netflix’s frothy scammer drama is ‘all a bit silly’
Show tells story of Anna Delvey, the woman who infiltrated New York society

Few stories feel as “perfectly poised for the screen” as that of Anna Delvey – the Russian truck driver’s daughter who infiltrated New York society by posing as a German heiress, and defrauded banks and individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way. A magazine article about her went viral in 2018; now Netflix has turned the affair into a “nine-episode romp”, said Annabel Nugent in The Independent.
Julia Garner‘s Delvey is a smirky “mean girl” with a weird pan-European accent. Hot on her tail is semi-fictionalised journalist Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), who is trying to unravel her story. It is a fascinating tale, but the series feels like a wasted opportunity: we never really get a sense of who Delvey was, or what motivated her.
The problem isn’t Garner’s portrayal of the young grifter, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph – though it is “no more than adequate”. It is the way the drama takes the spotlight off her, “and makes a reporter the star of the show”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kent comes across as a wildly unrealistic “Lois Lane/ Nancy Drew figure determined to crack the case”. She’s in the last stages of pregnancy with her first child, but cares so much more about the case, she papers the walls of the nursery with mugshots of Delvey (inside info: real-life journalists don’t actually do this).
It’s all a bit silly, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. Producer Shonda Rhimes has opted to turn this true-life story into “a modern soap opera” that invites viewers into the glossy world of the super-rich; but it is great fun.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
Film review: Materialists
Feature Two suitors seek to win over a jaded matchmaker