Parents' Guide to Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas

Sin City Gigolo TV show poster: Forehead of Herleen Dulai above image of Gigolos cast in white pants,

Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Violence, sex, drugs in compassionless docuseries.

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Why Age 15+?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

SIN CITY GIGOLO: A MURDER IN LAS VEGAS is a true crime docuseries that explores the murder case of a former reality TV star. The Showtime series Gigolos (2011-2016) followed five male escorts living and working in Las Vegas. Known for blurring the lines between fact and fiction, it became a short-lived pop culture phenomenon. But in July 2020 former Gigolos cast member Ash Armand (aka Akshaya Kubiak) was arrested for the beating death of Herleen Dulai. Claiming that he was under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms at the time, he eventually plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and mayhem and received an 8- to 20-year sentence. Now interviews with Gigolos producers Jay Blumenfield and Tony Marsh, along with former series cast members Brace Land, Nick Hawk, Vin Armani, Jimmy Clabots, and Steven Ganttof, talk about their personal experiences working with Armand and their thoughts about the case. Also offering insights is Detective Jarrod Grimmett, who investigated the case, journalist Joyce Lupiani, and some of Armand's former and current friends, including his legal advisor Whitney Wester. Scenes from the original unscripted series, along with police audio recordings and camera footage, archive news stories and scenes from Only Fans shoots and social media images help tell the story.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

This bizarre true crime series pieces together interviews, scenes from the popular series Gigolos, and other archive media in an attempt to offer a coherent narrative about a horrific murder. While Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas explores some interesting facts about the case, such as the immediate assumptions made by the Las Vegas police that led to the initial misidentification of the deceased, it also offers some outlandish moments, such as producers Jay Blumenfield and Tony Marsh noting that they always thought that one or more members of the cast would end up in serious trouble, but that Armand seemed the least likely to commit a murder. There's also an attempt to recreate some of the ridiculous conversations and behaviors featured in Gigolos, like featuring some of Armand's former costars openly talking about how they tampered with the crime scene before the police arrived, while his mother talks about what amounts to her polygamous household. Meanwhile, Ash Armand only appears in archive or law enforcement footage. But the most disturbing part of Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas is how little compassion and respect is shown for Herleen Dulai, whose blurred body was visible in the constant replays of the bloody crime scene recordings, and whose death is treated as of secondary importance when compared to the way people discuss her killer.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way Las Vegas is portrayed in the media. What are some of the common stereotypes? Does this series reinforce or challenge them?

  • Is Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas meant to generate sympathy for Ash Armand? Or something else?

TV Details

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Sin City Gigolo TV show poster: Forehead of Herleen Dulai above image of Gigolos cast in white pants,

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