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  • 6/17/2025
Netflix’s Trainwreck series is back, and this time it’s trading music festivals and media hoaxes for political spectacle as it dives into the chaotic life of Toronto’s Rob Ford. Known for spotlighting cultural disasters we couldn’t look away from, the franchise returns with new weekly episodes starting June 10th. Series producer Ben Rumney leads the charge on Mayor of Mayhem, which chronicles how Ford turned a city hall campaign into international tabloid fodder—earning both headlines and loyal fans online.

Elected in 2010 on a populist promise to “stop the gravy train,” Ford’s mayoralty quickly spiraled into scandal, with viral videos, substance abuse admissions, and late-night comedy roasts. Despite losing many of his powers, he remained shockingly popular until his tragic decline. The Guardian calls Mayor of Mayhem a fast, provocative look at Ford’s rise and fall—highlighting how his media-baiting tactics eerily prefigured the Trump era, and how his legacy still echoes in today’s political landscape.

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00:00Netflix's Trainwreck series is back and it's diving headfirst into political chaos,
00:04scandal, and spectacle as it heads north into the turbulent life of Toronto's most infamous mayor,
00:09Rob Ford. The Trainwreck documentary franchise is all about the disasters we couldn't look away
00:15from, including festivals gone wrong, media hoaxes, reality TV meltdowns, and now political
00:20implosions. After debuting with Woodstock's 99 in 2022, the series returns with a fresh lineup of
00:27infamous cultural catastrophes, dropping weekly starting June 10th, according to Netflix.
00:32Series producer Ben Rumney is behind seven of these installments, including the latest Mayor
00:36of Mayhem, which zeroes in on the man who turned Toronto politics into international tabloid news.
00:42Fans online have been loving the Trainwreck series. One thread user wrote,
00:46Thank you Netflix for the Trainwreck series. So good, every one of them. Can't wait to watch
00:51the Trainwreck mayor of mayhem about Rob Ford comes out Tuesday. Rob Ford was elected mayor of Toronto
00:58in 2010, running on a populist platform with a promise to stop the gravy train, a term used in
01:03politics to describe the misuse of political funds by officials for personal gain or to benefit their
01:08allies through corruption, waste, or shady deals. Soon after Ford's election, however, the headlines
01:14weren't about budget cuts. Instead, they focused on crack cocaine, drunken rants, and viral videos.
01:19While in office, Ford admitted to smoking crack cocaine, was stripped of many of his mayoral
01:24powers, and became a late-night comedy staple, yet somehow still maintained a loyal voter base
01:30until his tragic and unprecedented fall. The Guardian, in its review of the new documentary
01:35released on June 17th, described Mayor of Mayhem as a fast-paced, chaotic exploration of the rise
01:41and scandal-ridden downfall of Toronto's most infamous mayor, while highlighting how Ford's populist
01:47tactics, media manipulation, and shamelessness eerily foreshadowed the politics of the Trump era,
01:53stating,
01:54He sowed the seeds of doubt when it came to institutions, offering checks and balances
01:58on his power. He bamboozled observers, supporters, and detractors by repeatedly transgressing boundaries.
02:04All of this made it difficult for the electorate to know what to believe.
02:08After stepping back from politics, Rob Ford was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and passed
02:13away in 2016 at just 46 years old. His legacy and the questions it raises about power, media,
02:19and spectacle still echo today. The Guardian's review describes Mayor of Mayhem as shocking
02:24and thought-provoking, a striking reflection of how parts of the Western world arrived at today's
02:29political climate. But what's your take? Share your thoughts below and follow us everywhere
02:33at What's Trending.

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