For me, it was pretty obvious early on that the people who are telling their stories are actors. I've watched enough true crime/reality shows to be able to tell when someone's story is scripted. Although I will say that the actors do get better in later episodes - to the point that I sometimes forget they're actors.
It's not like the show is specifically trying to trick people. There's a difference between "inspired by" and "based on". The show says that the stories are "inspired by true events". The operative words here are "inspired by" - meaning the idea was only *triggered* by a real situation/person, but it doesn't follow the trajectory of the true story and really may only contain the essence of it. "Based on", however, means that it's much more of an accurate accounting of the true story.
More than anything, I was pleasantly surprised as I was expecting another somewhat-disturbing true crime show, and then found myself cracking up at the absolutely crazy, hilarious stories.
