Review from the LA Times
'Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath' is a compelling, if unsophisticated, investigation of church
In recent years the church, founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, has spawned a cottage industry of journalistic exposes and jaw-dropping memoirs in which former devotees allege abusive, cult-like behavior and outlandish beliefs.
At this point, Scientology is as much an active religion as it is fodder for the various juicy tell-alls that have familiarized readers of People magazine with once-obscure concepts like Operating Thetans and the Bridge to Total Freedom.
Unlike Alex Gibney’s Going Clear (HBO), this series is a strictly basic-cable affair that relies on some regrettable reality-TV conventions. There are hokey re-creations, lots of generic stock footage, an interview with Remini that has the look and feel of a “Real Housewives” confessional and superfluous montages highlighting the drama in episodes ahead.
Remini comes off as authentic, even if “Scientology and the Aftermath” can also seem self-serving. (Her name is in the title, after all.) Remini may have paid a price for speaking out but leaving the church has also undeniably boosted her visibility.
And however well-intentioned Remini seems to be, there’s something a tad ironic about an investigation of a celebrity-driven cult that plays like a star vehicle.
Read the full 790 word unedited review:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-leah-remini-scientology-review-20161129-story.html