Lies We Tell

Luminary | Jigsaw Productions

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and former Radiolab executive producer Ellen Horne uncover basic truths about human nature — by untangling twisted true stories set in motion by lies. read less

Society & CultureSociety & Culture

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Introducing Lies We Tell

Introducing Lies We Tell

An anthology series that features character-driven puzzles, each with a central lie at the heart of the story. We’ll meet all kinds of liars, and we will look in the mirror at the ways we all tell ourselves things which are fundamentally untrue. This series, in hallmark Jigsaw Productions style, will investigate the powerful and bring new truths to light.

Episodes

The Ethics of Lying: A Conversation with Sam Harris

The Ethics of Lying: A Conversation with Sam Harris

When Alex Gibney began investigating the idea of this series, he turned to Sam Harris for insight. Host of the Making Sense with Sam Harris podcast, Sam is a best-selling author, philosopher and neuroscientist. He is also the author of the book Lying.Originally published in April, 2020.

A suspicious death. A letter from the grave. A murder trial. Over two decades of legal battles. A look at the complicated case of a poisoned woman, and the lie of believing we can ever tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

When a school aide tried out a new communication technique with a non-verbal autistic girl, everyone involved had only the best intentions. This is the story of one woman’s journey to make amends for the damage she caused by coming to terms with her own self-deception.

After two men lied, pretending to have served in the military to get out of jail, a Montana judge sentenced them to carry signs announcing “I am a liar” in some very unusual and detailed parole conditions. We examine the war between American values in cases of Stolen Valor.

Syed Arbab starts a frat house hedge fund that begins to spiral out of control and brings his life crashing down. Why do hundreds around him buy into the lie, and how in his own heart does Syed deceive himself?

Race Investigator

Race Investigator

When one man’s obsession to hold long distance race cheaters to public account goes viral, there are tragic human consequences. Sometimes bringing the truth to light has profound implications.

Lying for a Living

Lying for a Living

What are the long-term effects of deception? Undercover cops put their own identity on the line for their work, the risks – and the value of this work – may itself also be hidden.

When one aspiring screenwriter stumbles into a web of lies, the scale of this elaborate scam reveals quite a production, and hundreds of victims.

The Lie That Sparked This Series

The Lie That Sparked This Series

Pulitzer-prize winning historian Joseph Ellis’ vivid storytelling about our national history earned him many fans, including Alex Gibney. But when the Boston Globe’s Walter Robinson looked into Ellis’ personal history, he found some darker truths.

Introducing Lies We Tell

Introducing Lies We Tell

An anthology series that features character-driven puzzles, each with a central lie at the heart of the story. We’ll meet all kinds of liars, and we will look in the mirror at the ways we all tell ourselves things which are fundamentally untrue. This series, in hallmark Jigsaw Productions style, will investigate the powerful and bring new truths to light.