Customer Reviews

"I had always wanted to know a fuller telling of what the allegations regarding Jeff Smith. As viewers and fans of The Frugal Gourmet, I only knew the on air persona. However, this series is showing me the behind the scenes aspect of him. The series has been informative and answered questions. I think it's been done very well."

GennyR

"Great documentary"

Emma

"Well done overall. Should get picked up by streamers, I think there is a def an audience for this. I do think this could have been 4 episodes instead of 5, a tad redundant at times. The take away from people in his life is deeply concerning honestly, don't want to spoil anything. I will leave it at that."

Andrea C

"I found the documentary was very well researched and filmed. There were several points of view and this presented the viewers with many sides and allowed for making your own thoughts about the story. I agree he was genius in his approach to culinary arts and was a great teacher… the rest… detestable in my opinion … a real sad story indeed. Thank you."

Marlene

"i enjoyed the series and felt it did a good job presenting all the facts and stories from the people that were affected by this horrible time in their lives."

Derek Donahue

"Interesting documentary and covering a topic I (surprisingly) wasn’t aware of previously. That said, there was a lot of repetition contributing to the 5 full episodes yet not enough background on Jeff’s personal and family life. The first few episodes felt like a love letter and then out of nowhere was this sex abuse angle which wasn’t all that well developed from a holistic point of view."

Alicia

"I was always a huge fan of the Frugal Gourmet. I found the documentary every interesting and I enjoyed learning about Jeff Smith’s educational and career history. The interviews seems to be a bit overkill; seemed that the same people interviewed were saying the same thing in a different way. I admit I would fast forward, then feel like I missed something, and go back."

Penelope

"This was a very well done and interesting documentary. I hesitated to call it excellent because at times the subject matter was extremely difficult but that’s not the fault of the creator. A Good job dealing the facts, showing compassion for the victims and seeing different sides to this complex story. Well done."

Jennifer D

"I loved the Frugal Gormet show. This documentary was very well done. Good memories of the show but also very sad to watch how it all fell apart."

MaryAnn

"This is informative and the victims’ stories are moving. The documentary is a good reminder of what a sensation The Frugal Gourmet was and how quick the downfall was (for the public). It spent a bit too much time on the Elmo phase. Also I at times wondered if any commentary was left on the cutting room floor - it tended to be repetitive. Nevertheless I watched it with interest. It was aggravating to see the pastor making excuses for Jeff Smith. But let’s face it - people do make excuses for abusers."

Former Fan

"Touching ... disturbing ... sad. I knew about this story years ago - having watched The Frugal Gourmet on PBS a handful or so of times as a young man, it caught my attention and surprised me. It's hard to sort through the complexity of this man's life, but the creators have done an impressive job of doing just that. Well worth watching ... it's hard to believe that Netflix isn't interested in this series."

Bill

"A very well done and in depth story about someone so popular and respected in the 80's and 90's. Incredibly sad and tragic to hear from those who suffered because of him and even worse that true justice was never carried out. I can't help but feel for his children right now, who are experiencing and reliving all of this again."

Hal R.