Why Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar Is the Rare Series You’ll Happily Rewatch Again and Again

If you only catch the opening scene of Netflix's Apple Cider Vinegar, odds are you'll feel like you're doing five things at once: riding an emotional roller coaster, dodging a blink-and-you-miss-it storm of emojis, and double-checking to see if you clicked the right show. The season kicks off with Britney Spears' 'Toxic'—which, as you'll realize, is maybe the most on-the-nose soundtrack choice in a recent true crime drama. The show comes across as unserious—at least until you're two sips in, and suddenly it yanks the rug: oh, this is one of those.

Scammer, Influencer, and Definitely Not a Doctor

The series is a six-parter, and it loosely traces the jaw-dropping story of Belle Gibson—a real-life Australian wellness influencer who managed the rare feat of lying about having cancer and, somehow, parlaying her fake diagnosis into tech fame, a cookbook deal, and a spot on shelves around the world. Not real fame, by the way—this is the kind of story where you already know the scam is coming. The show doesn't play coy; it spells out in the first ten minutes that Belle's cancer is fake, her Instagram tears are suspect, and the only thing more baffling than her ascent is how many people wanted to believe her.

Belle built a wellness app, sold the idea that kale juice and "clean living" had cured her "deadly" illness, and ended up snagging a deal with Apple to have her app pre-loaded on iPhones. Naturally, a publisher saw dollar signs and gave her a cookbook deal too. All this happened before people started peeling back the layers and, whoops, found out it was all a fairytale.

Meet the Cast of Characters (and Co-Conspirators)

Kaitlyn Dever (who you may recognize from Unbelievable and The Last of Us) plays Belle as a character you'll want to throttle but can't quite root against. She's manipulative, narcissistic, and lies more casually than most people say 'good morning,' but somehow Dever finds this weird sweet spot where you get why people got swindled. It's not that you want her to succeed—it’s just that she’s good at making you see how hungry people are for hope, attention, or just someone who makes them feel seen (and isn't that a commentary on the internet itself?).

Belle's orbit includes an all-too-familiar collection of people who should know better, but don’t. There’s Clive, her beleaguered partner played by Ashley Zuckerman, who mostly looks like he wishes he’d swiped left and bailed a long time ago. He flits between being her enabler and her victim, a storyline that’s as frustrating as it is believable. Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) gets roped in as a genuinely ill cancer patient, basically providing a mirror for all of Belle's nonsense—a walking, talking rebuke to the power of ‘wellness industry’ wishful thinking.

But wait, there’s more: Belle’s main rival in the wellness scam sweepstakes is Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey), herself a cancer survivor who, thanks in no small part to Belle, spirals into doubting modern medicine and promotes "alternatives" that don't end well. This is apparently a nod to the real-life author Jessica Ainscough, who recanted her anti-science advocacy before passing away from cancer.

One of the more interesting sideplots involves Chanelle, played with real punch by Aisha Dee. Chanelle is Milla's best friend, Belle's manager-turned-whistleblower, and the only character whose sarcasm might be sharp enough to cut through Belle's fog of B.S. If you’ve ever had an exhausting friend who turns every hangout into a TED talk about dietary cleanses—yeah, she’s in this too.

The Infuriating Snub: Why Zero Awards?

This is where the story gets downright bizarre, even by Netflix standards. Apple Cider Vinegar dropped in January 2025, a release window usually reserved for projects the industry expects to sink quietly. Despite that, it became a streaming giant with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores—seriously, you’d expect it to at least get a pity nomination at the Golden Globes. But nope: nothing. Totally overlooked, even though the series was executive produced by Kaitlyn Dever (an American) and made by See-Saw Films (a British-Australian company). Eligibility wasn’t the issue; it was just, apparently, invisible in all the ways the show warns you about.

Honestly, the snub makes about as much sense as Belle’s nutritional advice. The show hits a nerve about how social media churns out heroes and villains, often in the same person, and how we’re all somewhere on the spectrum between naive and complicit. It’s pointed, surprisingly moving, and, in the end, flips the whole idea of "wellness" on its head.

Quick-Glance: Who is Who

• Belle Gibson: Kaitlyn Dever – con artist, Instagram wellness guru, not actually dying of anything except attention addiction
• Clive: Ashley Zuckerman – Belle’s long-suffering boyfriend, best described as ‘accidental accomplice’
• Lucy: Tilda Cobham-Hervey – actual cancer patient, the opposite of Belle in every way
• Milla Blake: Alycia Debnam-Carey – Belle’s rival, cancer survivor, cautionary tale
• Chanelle: Aisha Dee – manager, best friend, ultimate truth-teller

If you thought you’d seen every take on scam culture, this one manages to keep things messy, human, and, somehow, still a blast to watch—even when you’re cringing at the secondhand embarrassment. If the opening Britney Spears montage doesn’t suck you in, seeing Dever’s commitment to playing one of Australia’s most notorious frauds will.

'We can't help but — dare it be said? — empathize with her, at least to a degree. After all, like Belle, who doesn’t want to be noticed for their strengths, let alone their simple presence on this blue marble we call Earth?'

The fact that this wild, painfully relevant miniseries got shut out at the awards honestly feels like its own kind of scam.