The story of Anna Delvey is now a TV series, and it is a strange one. Inventing Anna tells the tale of a woman who pretended to be a German heiress and conned her way through New York’s high society, leaving behind a trail of unpaid bills and broken hearts. The show is based on the true story of Anna Sorokin, but it plays like a dark comedy rather than a sober documentary. That choice explains both its strengths and its weaknesses.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Anna Delvey’s Rise
The series opens with Anna arriving in New York with nothing but a suitcase and a story. She claims to be a German aristocrat, the daughter of a wealthy family, and she quickly moves through the city’s elite circles. She gets into the right clubs, meets the right people, and starts spending money she does not have. Her charm is the engine of the plot, and the show leans into it heavily.
The performances carry the early episodes. Anna is played with a mix of innocence and calculation that makes her feel dangerous without ever becoming truly frightening. The supporting cast around her is solid, though they mostly exist to react to her schemes rather than drive the story forward. The show is at its best when it focuses on Anna’s manipulation, showing how she talks her way out of financial trouble and into new opportunities. Those scenes are the heart of the series, and they give the audience a reason to keep watching even when the plot slows down.
The Fall Begins
The turning point comes when Anna is exposed. A hotel bill goes unpaid, and the authorities start asking questions. The show follows the investigation closely, showing how the pieces of her deception slowly come together. This is where the pacing slows down, and the show loses some of its energy.
The investigation scenes are the weakest part of the series. They are necessary for the plot, but they drag. The show spends too much time on police interviews and legal details that could have been condensed. The tension that built up in the first half dissipates as the show moves toward its conclusion. The result is a stretch where the story feels less urgent, even though the stakes should be higher than ever.
The Comedy Problem
The tone of Inventing Anna is the biggest issue. The show wants to be a thriller, but it keeps leaning toward humor. Anna’s schemes are often played for laughs, and the show’s treatment of the people she defrauded can feel cold. There is a moment near the end where the show tries to make Anna sympathetic, but the earlier jokes about her victims make that shift hard to swallow.
The show also struggles with its own perspective. It presents Anna as a charismatic figure, but it never fully explains why anyone believed her. The series touches on the idea of status anxiety and the desire to belong, but it does not dig deep enough. The result is a show that is entertaining but shallow, and it leaves viewers wondering whether the creators care more about the spectacle than the people caught up in it.
The Craft
The production values are strong. The sets are lavish, the costumes are sharp, and the locations are beautiful. The show looks expensive, which fits the story of a woman living beyond her means. The music is atmospheric, and the editing keeps the pace brisk despite the slow middle stretch.
The show also benefits from a clear structure. Each episode follows a chapter of Anna’s life, and the series moves through her arrival, her rise, and her fall with a steady rhythm. The episodic format works in its favor, allowing the show to build suspense over multiple installments. It is a deliberate approach that gives the story room to breathe, even if the middle stretch drags.
What Works
- The central performance is strong and engaging
- The visual style is polished and fitting
- The pacing is quick in the early episodes
- The story has a clear arc
What Doesn’t Work
- The tone is inconsistent, mixing comedy and drama uncomfortably
- The middle episodes drag due to excessive detail
- The show fails to explain why people believed Anna
- The treatment of the victims feels cold
The Verdict
Inventing Anna is a watchable but uneven series. It has a compelling central character and a fascinating true story, but it never fully commits to telling it honestly. The show is at its best when it is playful and at its worst when it is serious. The result is a show that is entertaining but forgettable, and it will likely be remembered more for its premise than for its execution.
The final verdict is 5.7 out of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
