Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare — Release date, plot, cast, and more about Netflix's newest true crime documentary

The poster for Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare(Image via Netflix)
The poster for Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare(Image via Netflix)

The latest release from Netflix, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare is a chilling true crime documentary. It can be aptly described as an hour and 22 minutes of a woman's emotional and psychological descent from the build-up to when her online relationship starts spiraling out of control.

Such is the premise behind the popular Tortoise Media podcast Sweet Bobby which is a frightening documentary that lets you in on years of deception faced by a London woman, who thought she had found her soulmate in Bobby, only to realize it all was based on a series of shocking lies.

This documentary tracks down the dangerous complexities of online dating and catfishing. Using exclusive interviews, screenshots, and footage that has never been seen before, this documentary pieces together a jaw-dropping truth.


Release date of Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare

Kirat recounts her catfishing tale in the documentary (Image via Netflix)
Kirat recounts her catfishing tale in the documentary (Image via Netflix)

Netflix will be rolling out Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare for its 278 million international subscribers on October 16, 2024. Netflix, of course, is already widely known for its smart true crime content, which features angling grifters: The Tinder Swindler and American Nightmare.

Both these releases quickly became popular with documentaries that dared to tread the boundaries of scamming and catfish plots.

With its emotionally charged subject matter and a plot of surprises, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare will drop in October. There is, however, a way of ensuring that no drop date is ever missed: fans can add it to their watchlist.


What is the plot of Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare?

The title card for the Sweet Bobby documentary (Image via Netflix)
The title card for the Sweet Bobby documentary (Image via Netflix)

At the heart of Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare lies Kirat Assi's story, after connecting with a man named Bobby in 2009, when she was thirty and hugely career-driven. What begins as a harmless online friendship, quickly spirals into a deeply romantic relationship.

Kirat, being of the same Sikh background as Bobby, had assumed their bond was real. More so, given that they shared the acquaintance within the London Sikh community. However, every time they tried to take their relationship to a more human level (and that is exactly what Kirat was asking for), obstacles arose.

First, it was from Bobby's alleged health issues, and later from his personal traumas. This included him being shot and having suffered a stroke. As this relationship spread over nearly a decade, Bobby's grip on Kirat almost became suffocating.

The documentary will be a rollercoaster ride of the cat-and-mouse maneuvering done by Bobby to catfish Kirat. Audiences will see an intimate look at the world when someone they have never met has flipped their world upside down.


Cast and crew of Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare

Kirat Assi herself stars in the Sweet Bobby documentary (Image via Netflix)
Kirat Assi herself stars in the Sweet Bobby documentary (Image via Netflix)

The documentary not only puts forth Kirat Assi herself, but also introduces important figures from her life and those who witnessed her ordeal unfolding in real time. She will tell her story through the documentary for the audience's understanding of the emotional weight this relationship brought along.

Audiences will also get to hear from family and friends who were also wondering why, in the first place, Bobby would not meet them in person and would keep giving various excuses for doing so. It will also have its experts interviewing them regarding the psychology of catfishing schemes.

Directed by Lyttanya Shannon, known for Subnormal: A British Scandal, and produced by Rebecca North and Kiran Sira, the documentary promises to provide a well-rounded look at the personal and societal impacts of online deception.


Trailer breakdown for Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare

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From the Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare trailer, one gets a glimpse into nearly ten years of devastation Kirat Assi went through. This sets up as she recounts some moments in her relationship with Bobby: from that innocent Facebook friend request to the thousands of messages they traded and Bobby's increasingly outlandish excuses for not meeting in person.

In "It was a total takeover of her life," and "I want answers," the trailer shows a woman stuck in a web of lies. Some of the clips from the trailer include screenshots of their messages, emotional testimonials from friends and family, and the moment Kirat begins to unveil the elaborate deceit in Bobby's online persona.

The trailer concludes with a chilling question:

“Who was the real Bobby?”

This central underlying question is one of identity and trust in the online age, making Sweet Bobby a story of betrayal and deception.


Catch the documentary on Netflix starting October 16, 2024, and go into one of the most convoluted catfishing cases in recent memory.

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Edited by Mudeet Arora