11 "Based On A True Story" TV Shows That Were Criticized By The Real-Life People And Families They Are About

The lawsuit further reportedly contested that Griselda used the likeness of Griselda without their permission. Furthermore, in an interview with the Daily Mail , Michael reportedly claimed that Sofía's portrayal of his mother was "disrespectful," and he felt they portrayed her in an ugly way.

Ultimately, Griselda's family and estate settled the lawsuit with Netflix and Sofía. In documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter , the family reportedly dismissed the complaint "with prejudice," meaning the claim "can't be brought back to court."

The lawsuit also alleged that Netflix told "brutal lies" in Baby Reindeer , with the show following Martha (Jessica Gunning), who begins stalking Donny (Richard Gadd), an aspiring comedian and bartender.

The suit continued, saying , "Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money," particularly alleging that Harvey is a "twice-convicted stalker" and that she sexually assaulted Gadd.

He continued, saying, "That’s going to become the new reality, and that's very troubling to me."

In an interview with the Daily Mail , Tanya continued to criticize the cast, namely David Schwimmer, who portrayed Robert Kardashian in the series. She reportedly said, "Well, don’t you think David Schwimmer could have taken an opportunity to meet with the families of the victims if he went out of his way to meet with [Kris Jenner]?"

She added, "If anything, they should have at least contacted my mom"

In the series, Fairstein was portrayed by Felicity Huffman. The lawsuit further alleged that the script invented fictional dialogue in order to "mischaracterize" Fairsteain as a racist. The suit reportedly stated, "On a number of occasions, Ms. Fairstein is portrayed using inflammatory language, referring to young men of color as 'thugs,' 'animals' and 'bastards,' that she never used."

In 2024, Fairstein and Netflix settled their lawsuit. Per Variety, the settlement included Netflix agreeing to donate $1 million to the Innocence Project , a non-profit organization that works to free people who are wrongly convicted. Fairstein reportedly received no money.

Also, Netflix reportedly agreed to add a disclaimer at the beginning of When They See Us that says the show is inspired by actual events and that events, people, incidents, dialogue, etc, are "fictionalized for the purposes of dramatization."

Meanwhile, Rita Isbell, who is the sister of Dahmer's victim Errol Lindsey, penned an essay for Insider where she detailed what it was like having to relive the tragedy upon the release of Dahmer .

She wrote, "When I saw some of the show, it bothered me, especially when I saw myself — when I saw my name come across the screen and this lady saying verbatim exactly what I said. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought it was me. Her hair was like mine, she had on the same clothes. That's why it felt like reliving it all over again. It brought back all the emotions I was feeling back then."

Rita was also portrayed in the series giving an emotional victim impact statement in court during Dahmer's 1992 sentencing.

In response, executive producer Ryan Murphy told Entertainment Weekly, "The Versace family has said it’s a work of fiction — it is not a work of fiction." He stated that much like The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story , the show was based on a non-fiction book which has "been discussed and dissected and vetted for close to 20 years."

Ryan continued, saying, "Our show is based on her reporting, so, in that way, it is not a work of fiction; it’s a work of non-fiction, obviously with docudrama elements. We're not making a documentary."

Donatella Versace reportedly praised the series and Penélope Cruz's portrayal of her, even sending flowers to the actor with a card reading, "Good luck."

Williams notably wrote about her experience with Anna and their Morocco trip in a Vanity Fair article and later a book . The Netflix series was based on The Cut's article about Anna by Jessica Pressler, who was also depicted in the show.

In 2024, Williams was allowed to proceed with her defamation lawsuit, per Variety . Reportedly, Netflix had argued that Shonda Rhimes and the other show's creators had "literary license" to interpret the events surrounding Anna and her story.

He added, "Possibly, Anatoly Dyatlov became the main anti-hero in the show because that was how he was perceived by the power plant's workers, his subordinates, and top management in the beginning. Later, this perception changed."

Executive producer and series creator Craig Mazin said on the Chernobyl podcast that he still believes Dyatlov was a "real bully," namely due to the fact he made statements that were reportedly "not credible" later on.

Major appeared throughout Season 5 of The Crown and was played by Jonny Lee Miller.

Netflix was also facing backlash for the series from Oliver Dowden, the then-culture secretary, who reportedly called for Netflix to add a "health warning" ahead of Season 4.

In a statement obtained by The Guardian, Netflix reportedly said that the series "has always been presented as a drama based on historical events."

Elsewhere in the 20/20 special, Conrad's aunt talked about his death, adding, "To see my whole family crumble, it just didn’t seem real. I was so upset at him for what he did to his mom and sisters."