McMillion$

I don’t know how, but I’m sure I had seen the McDonald’s Monopoly game somewhere when I was a kid. I think it might have been in an Archie comic that I used to read at my cousin’s house. Or maybe it was in an issue of an X-Men comic. But when I played that first episode of the new HBO documentary McMillion$, something about the peel away stickers was immediately recognisable.

HBO’s new six-part docuseries tells the story of the McDonald’s Monopoly game and how in 2001, a group of people had infiltrated and cheated the game, in order to win the ultimate grand prize. I was given access to the first three episodes and am now just incredibly annoyed at having to wait to see how it all plays out.

Also be prepared to fight off the need to order yourself some McDonald’s as you watch this.

But first, a quick primer on the McDonald’s Monopoly game for those of us who may be unfamiliar with it.

McDonald’s customers would receive a set of two tokens with every purchase which corresponded to a property space on the Monopoly board. When combined into colour matched properties, the tokens can be redeemed for money. There were also “instant win” tokens that can be redeemed for McDonald’s food, or if you’re lucky, a cash prize.
Or if you’re REALLLY lucky, 1 million dollars.

And that was where the problems began. McMillion$ opens up with the FBI investigating a rumour that fraud was taking place, with all of the grand prize winners having some sort of relation to each other. The story ramps up from there, with allusions to internal conspiracies, security breaches at McDonald’s, or the marketing company, or the printers doing the printing, and eventually, the Italian Mafia. 

In true HBO fashion, the series is presented like an Adam McKay movie; serious, but light in tone. Because let’s be honest, this isn’t a murder mystery or a kidnapping. Sure, millions of dollars were scammed, but it was from a multibajillion dollar international company that sells obesity. A McDonald’s competition being investigated by the FBI. How can you take that pitch seriously?

But the tone isn’t just down to the production; the cast of characters that cross the screen are at once serious at their job, but also perfect for TV. The FBI agent that is featured is boisterous and full of bravado. One of the lead orchestrators wife is a colourful character herself. His younger brother is like the younger brother of a gangster on The Sopranos.

Interestingly, in 2018, it was announced that a film project called McScam was in the works at Fox, with Ben Affleck directing Matt Damon in the lead role, and the writers of the first Deadpool movie attached. That project has since gone quiet following the Disney buyout.

McMillion$ is a great watch if you’re looking for a fascinating story about FBI investigations, intrigue, colourful characters with mob-adjacent ties, and, in the grander scheme of things, relatively low stakes.

Also, if you’re wondering why this is a story that didn’t really get much attention, it could be because the investigation reached its conclusion on September 10th, 2001.

McMillion$ debuts, same time as the U.S., on Tuesday, February 4 2020, at 11am. It streams exclusively on HBO GO.

McMillion$
HBO GO, Miniseries, 6 Episodes
Executive Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, James Lee Hernandez, and Brian Lazarte
Writers: James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte
Directors: James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte