Is A Man In Full based on a true story? Here's whether the new Netflix hit is fiction or a true tale

The drama-filled miniseries has fans wondering if there's any truth to the unbelievable plot...

Is A Man in Full based on a true story?
(Image credit: Netflix)

Fans have been left asking if A Man In Full is based on a true story as the new Netflix miniseries looks set to knock fan-favourite Baby Reindeer out of the streamer's top spot. 

A Man In Full may have only been on Netflix for a few days, but it's shocking storyline has already hooked in viewers and nearly dethroned Baby Reindeer as the streamer's top performing show, going straight to second place in the trending top 10. 

Following the story of Atlanta businessman Charlie Croker, A Man In Full details how the real estate mogul, who is on the verge of bankruptcy, attempts to protect his real estate empire from falling apart.

His efforts are hampered by his ex-wife, Martha Croker, and a fellow banker, Raymond Peepgrass, as they try to profit from his bad financial decisions - but an interesting solution soon raises its head. 

"Facing relentless foes and sudden bankruptcy, an Atlanta real estate tycoon must claw his way back to the top when his empire begins to crumble," the Netflix synopsis reads. 

At the same time, Croker's pregnant assistant is faced with her own problem. Her husband, Conrad, has been arrested for assaulting a police officer and, in a seemingly good turn of events, Croker’s lawyer takes on the case - a coincidence that prompts the mogul to hatch a scheme that, he hopes, will save his empire. 

The show quickly knocked hit drama Baby Reindeer, that has fans asking who the real life Martha is, out of its top spot, with fans flocking to watch the new miniseries. So, while we wait for Richard Gadd's new BBC series to be released, and once you've binged true-crime hit The Asunta Case, A Man In Full might be the show for you. 

But as you watch the series, the outlandish plot might being up a few questions - namely, is A Man In Full is based on a true story? 

Is A Man in Full based on a true story?

(Image credit: Netflix)

Is A Man In Full based on a true story?

Netflix's new miniseries A Man In Full is complete fiction and is not based on a true story. The series is instead based on the 2001 book of the same name, penned by acclaimed author Tom Wolfe who passed away in 2018. 

Like the series, Wolfe's book follows the story of Charlie Croker and his life in a high society that's overwhelmed with greed - greed that often leads to criminal activity. 


A Man In Full by Tom Wolfe, £14.34 (was £15.93) | Amazon 

A Man In Full by Tom Wolfe, £14.34 (was £15.93) | Amazon 

The New York Times Best Seller behind new Netflix hit, A Man In Full, is on sale on Amazon right now. 

 The series did make some pretty big changes to the overall plot in it's adaptation, but the themes of greed, the disparate lives of the wealthy when compared with the opportunities and resources given to those less fortunate, and the current race relations in the US are all still present. 

However, while the story is complete fiction, the character of Charlie Croker was loosely inspired by a general type of Atlanta businessmen, with the series also using a number of real offices and institutions as sets to add to the real-life feel. For example, Georgia Tech, one of the most prestigious and biggest universities in the Southern United States, as well as the actual government buildings in Fulton County, Georgia, were both used in the show. 

A Man In Full is available to stream on Netflix now. 

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse
Freelance news writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with Good To, BBC Good Food and The Independent.