Oobah Butler Brings His Hoaxes to HBO in 'Scams for a Better Tomorrow'

Oobah Butler, the gonzo journalist behind TripAdvisor's fake No. 1 restaurant, is getting an HBO series. "Scams for a Better Tomorrow," produced by A24, will target what Butler calls bullshit across the wine, wellness and royal-family industries.

HBO has released a trailer. In it, Butler builds a mock skincare brand — a serum made of children's tears — and pitches it to influencers, consumers and Wall Street investors. "It's a gold rush of bullshit, and I want in," he tells an incredulous attorney in the clip.

The show's logline says it plainly: Butler "hatches elaborate and increasingly audacious schemes by gaming online reviews, assuming made-up personas, and launching fake companies with entirely bogus backstories." That's his method, stripped to its mechanism. He doesn't just report on fraud; he manufactures a version of it, then films how readily institutions buy in.

Who is Oobah Butler?

Butler built his reputation at Vice magazine, hosting YouTube videos that drew tens of millions of views. His signature stunt: creating a fake restaurant that climbed to London's No. 1 rating on TripAdvisor, exposing how easily review systems can be gamed (manipulated through fake feedback rather than genuine customers).

Since then his credits have stacked up. In 2021 he became co-host of "Catfish UK." In 2026 he released "How To Trick Your Way Onto The Property Ladder" on Channel 4. Each project follows the same template — pick a credulous industry, infiltrate it with a fabrication, document the fallout.

Who's making it?

Butler created the series and executive produces alongside a long roster:

• Dave Kneebone and Janel Kranking for Abso Lutely Productions
• Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie for Central
• A24
• Daniel Lucchesi (who also directs), Tristan Cross, Adam Schwartz, Richie Doyle and Conor Hannon

The Safdie name carries weight here. Josh Safdie's involvement signals HBO's interest in the provocateur end of unscripted television, not the polite end.

What does this change for HBO and A24?

The series marks A24's fourth unscripted collaboration with HBO, a slate that now includes:

• "Neighbors," a docuseries renewed for a second season
• "Born to Bowl"
• Ben Stiller's series on the history, culture and legacy of the New York Knicks

For HBO, the deal deepens a pipeline of off-kilter nonfiction at a moment when streaming platforms compete heavily on stunt-driven, personality-led formats. For Butler, it's the biggest platform yet for a career built on proving that gatekeepers — reviewers, investors, broadcasters — rarely check the story they're sold.

The trailer for "Oobah: Scams for a Better Tomorrow" is available now; a premiere date has not been announced.