Netflix announced Tuesday that it would release “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” a four-part docuseries about the disgraced mogul directed by Alexandria Stapleton, on Dec. 2.

In the new four-part documentary by Emmy and Grammy Award–winning executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Emmy Award–winning director Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender. (In July, Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution, and is currently serving time in federal prison. He is appealing his conviction and his sentence.) Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Danity Kane. But along the way, and as detailed by his former associates, childhood friends, employees, and artists like former Bad Boy rapper Mark Curry whose voice you hear in the above teaser, something darker began to color his ambitions — much of which began coming to light following R&B singer Casandra Ventura’s lawsuit against Combs in November, 2023.

“Being a woman in the industry, and going through the #MeToo movement — watching giants in music and film go on trial, and to know what their outcomes were … When Cassie dropped her lawsuit, I just thought this could go a million different directions,” says director Alexandria Stapleton. “I wondered how she had the confidence to go out there against a mogul like Sean Combs. As a filmmaker, I instantly knew it was a stress test of whether we’ve changed as a culture, as far as being able to process allegations like this in a fair way.

“This isn’t just about the story of Sean Combs or the story of Cassie, or the story of any of the victims, or the allegations against him, or the trial. Ultimately, this story is a mirror [reflecting us] as the public, and what we are saying when we put our celebrities on such a high pedestal. I hope [this documentary] is a wake-up call for how we idolize people, and to understand that everybody is a human being,” Stapleton says.

 

“I’ve been committed to real storytelling for years through G-Unit Film and Television,” says executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. “I’m grateful to everyone who came forward and trusted us with their stories, and proud to have Alexandria Stapleton as the director on the project to bring this important story to the screen.”

Through explosive, never-before-seen materials, including exclusive interviews with those formerly in Combs’ orbit, this documentary will lay out the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the gilded empire he built — as well as the underworld that lay just beneath its surface.