The Real Bling Ring – A New Netflix Series

When Sofia Coppola adapted the true, but still kind of unbelievable story of teenager burglary bunch the Bling Ring into a 2013 film, it had all the markings of a critical darling: a juicy ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter, Emma Watson’s star power, and a director renowned for her stylized depictions of glitzy decadence (Marie Antoinette). The fact that it also happened to feature Alexis Neiers and Nick Prugo, two of the actual thieves, didn’t hurt.

Now, a new three-part Netflix series, The Real Bling Ring, revisits the story of the Bling Ring and explores what happened to its main players a decade after they were arrested. It also offers in-depth interviews with Prugo and Neiers, who are both still incarcerated for their roles in the crime.

Aside from the usual courtroom drama, The Real Bling Ring is an insightful look into a celebrity scandal that had a lot of lingering questions over it. For instance, why did the ring only target celebrities? Prugo explains that the decision was partly practical: The Bling Ring would use news and gossip websites to figure out when celebs were going out of town. And they’d study their properties’ terrain to see if they were likely to leave the door unlocked.

The Real Bling Ring is the first film to delve into the Bling Ring’s real-life lives after their convictions, and it gives audiences a closer look at how a bunch of teenagers who lived for celebrity could end up behind bars for such a long time. It’s a must-watch for anyone who needs a refresher on the story, or for those who are just interested in hearing more about the main players over a decade after their convictions.