Paramount+’s New True-Crime Series Officially Turns Dominic Cooper Into a Charming Con Man
Paramount+ is releasing a new drama series based on the true story of globe-trotting con artist Hamish McLaren. Dominic Cooper stars as the charming and cultured Hamish, who uses his magnetic personality to gain the trust of Bec, a single mother with a substantial trust fund. The series adapts both a 2019 Australian podcast and real events, exploring how Bec gradually uncovers troubling patterns in Hamish's fabricated background.
The six-episode production has completed filming in Queensland, Australia, and will launch on Paramount+ globally in the latter part of 2026. Developed over six years, the series is written and created by Adam Zwar, known for his work on the Australian version of Wilfred, and directed by Jeffrey Walker. Producers have highlighted the sharpness of the writing and the polished execution of the adaptation.
- Paramount+ debuts a new adaptation of con artist Hamish McLaren's true story, with Dominic Cooper in the lead role
- The six-episode series premieres globally on Paramount+ later in 2026 after six years in development
- Created by Adam Zwar and directed by Jeffrey Walker, the drama follows Hamish as he exploits a single mother's trust
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Con artist Hamish McLaren spent years travelling the world under different guises, using charm and cultivated stories about his background to win the trust of the people he met. One of those people was Bec, a single mother with a sizeable trust fund, who slowly began noticing that details of his life didn't add up. His case became well known in Australia after a 2019 podcast investigated what really happened.
That podcast is now being turned into a six-part drama for Paramount+, with Dominic Cooper playing Hamish. The show was written by Adam Zwar, previously known for the Australian version of the comedy Wilfred, and directed by Jeffrey Walker, with filming carried out in Queensland, Australia.
The story matters partly because of how it blends true crime with television drama, and partly because it raises questions about how con artists build trust and how their targets come to recognise the deception. It also marks a notable dramatic role for Cooper, an actor generally associated with more straightforwardly heroic or historical parts.