Lifetime
The latest ripped-from-the-headlines TV movie is “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini,” premiering on Saturday, January 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the show on DirecTV Stream or Philo TV, which both include Lifetime and come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” online:
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DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Lifetime is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Philo TV
You can watch a live stream of Lifetime and 60-plus other TV channels on Philo TV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for Philo, you can watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” live on the Philo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast (compatible on Android mobile), any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. You can also watch on your computer on the Philo website.
If you can’t watch live, Philo allows you to DVR programs and watch them up to 30 days later. And even if you forget to DVR something, Philo also comes with a 72-hour rewind feature, which lets you to watch most shows on-demand if they have aired in the last three days.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of Lifetime and 30-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the second-cheapest (behind Philo) long-term streaming service with Lifetime, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of Lifetime and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which includes most shows after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of Lifetime and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo. It doesn’t come with a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
‘Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini’ Preview
The latest ripped-from-the-headlines Lifetime movie stars Jaime King as Sherri Papini, a young mother of two who got caught up in a crazy kidnapping plot.
The description reads:
“Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” is about the nation-wide, shocking story of a young mother of two, who disappears while jogging near her home, leading to national headlines as concerned citizens searched for her whereabouts. When she reappeared three weeks later on Thanksgiving Day, Sherri claimed she was abducted by two Hispanic women who chained and repeatedly abused her.
While Sherri’s return was celebrated, the state never stopped searching for her kidnappers. Four years later, Sherri’s world came crashing down as evidence revealed her kidnapping was all a hoax perpetrated by Sherri herself to spend time with her ex-boyfriend. Sherri was arrested and ultimately sentenced to 18 months in prison for lying to federal agents, creating hysteria in the community and wasting police time and funding with her nearly successful, elaborate scheme. Matt Hamilton stars as Sherri’s devoted husband, Keith.
“Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” is part of Lifetime’s series of four movies about notorious women. Cybill Shepherd and Steve Guttenberg starred in “How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story,” which premiered on January 14; Celinda Sinden starred in “Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias,” which premiered on 21; “Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” airs on January 28, and the fourth one stars Jennifer Grey in “Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation,” which premieres on February 4.
The four films “focus on these notorious women who fanned the flames of news headlines with their behavior.”
Following those four films comes a film made in partnership with kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted at age 14 and escaped nine months later. This new film is called “The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story” and it premieres on February 11, followed by a documentary special called “Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story.”
The TV movie stars Katie Douglas, Cara Buono and Kristian Bruun and depicts the harrowing true story of Kara Robinson who survived a brutal abduction and ultimately brought down a serial killer.
The Lifetime press release reads, “15-year-old Kara Robinson (Douglas) was watering plants in her best friend’s front yard in South Carolina when she was approached by a man who put a gun to her neck and forced her into a plastic storage bin and drove off. He took Kara to his apartment where he held her captive and sexually assaulted her for 18 hours. With her survival instincts kicking in, Kara memorized as many details as possible throughout her ordeal and when her captor finally fell asleep, she escaped the restraints and fled his apartment. Kara was able to lead the police back to the apartment’s exact location and identify her captor as Richard Evonitz (Bruun), a serial killer who was also responsible for the unsolved murders of at least three other young girls. Cara Buono portrays Kara’s mother Debra.”
“Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini” premieres on Saturday, January 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on Lifetime.