Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme Focus Of Two Upcoming TV Projects

While Bernie Madoff continues to serve his 100-year sentence for his massive financial fraud scheme, Robert DeNiro and Richard Dreyfuss will be portraying him on the small screen.

Bernie Madoff On TV

The first Madoff-centered project, ABC miniseries Madoff, stars Dreyfus as the New York financial investor, while Blythe Danner plays his wife Ruth. Directed by Raymond De Felitta, Madoff will air on ABC as a two-night, four-hour event. It kicks off Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST.

HBO Film is behind The Wizard of Lies, which stars DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer. Though the film, helmed by Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson, was initially intended to air on the premium cable network in 2016, its premiere has been pushed back to 2017 – possibly to create more space between the Dreyfuss vehicle and DeNiro’s made-for-TV movie.

“I’m glad we were first. I’m proud of this film and my performance,” Dreyfuss told USA Today. “This is not a competition with Robert. As a citizen, in order to understand history, you have to see both.”

Madoff’s second two-hour episode will air on ABC Thursday night. At 10 p.m., ABC will present Madoff: After the Fall. The special will include archival footage of Bernie Madoff, and interviews with Ruth Madoff and others involved with the high-profile case.