In 2003, Northern Irish journalists outed Freddie Scappaticci as one of Britain's most notorious double agents. His code name was “Stakeknife.” For years he was in charge of finding and killing informants within the IRA, and was now accused of working with the Brits all along.   The story rocked those on both sides of The Troubles. High-ranking British officials were criticized for allowing their secret asset to kill and torture with impunity. And families of those killed for being alleged informants questioned whether they were executed to keep the IRA from suspecting Scappaticci was the real traitor.“Stakeknife” is the second season of the podcast “Cover” from BBC Sounds, Second Captains &amp; Little Wing. Host Mark Horgan explores how British Army intelligence sanctioned Scappaticci’s dirty work and the lengths taken to protect their valuable operative. He also brings us relatives of those murdered by Stakeknife to talk about the lifelong pain and stigma of having a loved one executed for being an informant - whether it was true or not.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STAKEKNIFE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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In October 1980, a motorcycle packed with explosives went off outside a Paris synagogue, killing four and wounding nearly four dozen others. French investigators gathered evidence the attack was planned by a Palestinian militant group, but the trail for the bomber went cold for years. Twenty-eight years after the attack on Rue Copernic, French authorities accused a Canadian sociology professor of Lebanese descent of planting the bomb. Hassan Diab proclaimed his innocence, saying their evidence was flawed and circumstantial. It spawned a diplomatic crisis, as Canadian judicial authorities also questioned whether Diab should be turned over to France for trial.“The Copernic Affair” from Canadaland and House of Many Windows re-examines the controversial terrorism probe. Hosts Dana Ballout and Alex Atack talk to victims, investigators, and Diab himself to make sense of how an unassuming academic with a common name was accused of a horrific crime four decades ago. Is Hassan Diab guilty of an unspeakable act of political violence? Or is he a scapegoat for a failed investigation?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE COPERNIC AFFAIR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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The Copernic Affair

Stakeknife

In 1995, when a woman’s body was discovered in a Dayton, Ohio park, Kari thought her boyfriend Mick McQuerter and his prison buddy Tim Terrell may be involved. Before the two could skip town, Kari discovered incriminating evidence in the car.  After the men went to prison, detectives turned up at Kari’s door, looking for connections to a decade’s old pair of unsolved murders on a secluded farm. Demonic symbolism at the crime scene cast suspicion on Tim, who served time with a self-styled Satanist and who sported an occultic tattoo for the “Lords of Death.”From Tenderfoot TV and Audacy comes the podcast “Lords of Death.” Host Thrasher Banks grapples with his long held presumptions about the culpability of his mother’s boyfriend Mick in the murder of Cindy Cozad. He also looks into whether Tim Terrell bludgeoned an elderly farmer in 1987 - then returned a year later to kill his widow with a screwdriver through the head.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LORDS OF DEATH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TWELVE MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.In Crime of the Week: knowing the ropes.
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Lords of Death

In the 1940s and 50s, Dr. John Bodkin Adams grew a large practice in East Sussex caring for the elderly. But few knew that Adams was administering heroin to his wealthy patients before they slipped into comas. Many listed the doctor as executor of their estates or left him a sizable inheritance in their wills. Officials later determined the deaths of over 160 of Adams’s patients were suspicious. His 1957 prosecution for murder was dubbed the “Trial of the Century.” But was Adams killing his elderly patients for money or was he simply easing the pain of their dying days?Broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster and distributed by BBC Sounds, “Assume Nothing: A Deadly Diagnosis” is the latest installment in the investigative podcast series. Host Vinny Hurrell revisits the historical true crime case of the Northern Irish GP suspected of being a serial killer. Was Adams an angel of mercy or an angel of death?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ASSUME NOTHING: A DEADLY DIAGNOSIS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Souper Bowl-less.
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Assume Nothing: A Deadly Diagnosis

In 1979, a teenage girl drowned while vacationing in Hawai’i. Months later, her distraught mother drove her car off a cliff with her nanny in the passenger seat. In each case, the beneficiary in their wills was Terri Lee Hoffman, the leader of a Dallas-based spiritual group. Over the next ten years, a dozen people in her orbit died by suicide or accident, including two who believed they had terminal illnesses but did not. Several left Terri their assets, and for years, family members have suspected the spiritual leader may have used her power of persuasion to cause the deaths.From Sony Music Entertainment comes “Scary Terri.” Host Jonathan Hirsch revisits the deaths and attempts to answer whether she manipulated her devotees into taking deadly action. He also tries to follow the money that disappeared when Terri claimed she was bankrupt.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SCARY TERRI" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Scary Terri

After ratting out John Gotti and leaving witness protection, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano joins his adult children in Phoenix to start over. Despite trying to go legit, his son, Gerald, is making extra money selling ecstasy at underground raves. Gerald finds himself in a turf war with English Shaun, a former British stockbroker who’s now Arizona’s biggest E dealer. As police look to disrupt the party drug trade, they’re stunned to learn the famous New York hitman is in the middle of it all.The Max Original documentary “Sons of Ecstasy” features Sammy the Bull and the whole Gravano family, plus members of the rival crew locked in a lucrative turf war over Molly. The show lets its subjects do the talking about their crimes, their beefs, and their ideas of what “loyalty” means.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SONS OF ECSTASY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: ballin'.
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Sons of Ecstasy

Audiences were charmed by “Free Willy,” the 1993 movie about a captive orca returning to the wild. But when the world learned the real whale was wasting away in a Mexican amusement park, scientists and activists united in a project to re-introduce Keiko to the open ocean, just like his on-screen counterpart.NOTE: We are reviewing the entirety of The Good Whale, although some of it is still behind a payway via The New York Times. (It is being released weekly on public platforms)But learning the skills to fend for himself in the sea proved difficult for an orca who grew up in an aquarium, not in a killer whale pod. Meanwhile, as the public waited for a cinematic conclusion, disagreement grew about how best to help Keiko and whether his lifelong reliance on humans made it impossible for him to return to the ocean.From Serial Productions and The New York Times comes “The Good Whale.” Host Daniel Alarcón recounts the ambitious, multinational experiment to rewild the famous orca, as well as the scientific and ethical struggles around the effort. The series also includes a controversial creative choice: presenting Keiko’s unseen journey through the ocean in the form of a musical number.OUR SPOILER FREE REVIEWS OF "THE GOOD WHALE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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The Good Whale

The Garvey sisters gather to celebrate Grace’s wedding to Ian, a man far more loving than her dead first husband, John Paul. But Roger is struggling with his guilt of helping Grace get rid of The Prick and making it look like an accident. After an unexpected turn, Eva and her sisters struggle with a pushy neighbor, an unexplained absence, and a possible blackmail scheme. As the Garveys dig themselves deeper into a hole, the Garda re-examine John Paul’s untimely death and the sisters’ connection to it.The second season of the Emmy-nominated “Bad Sisters” from Apple TV+ finds Eva, Bibi, Becka, and Ursula trying to cover up more crimes and confront their own family turmoil. The dark comedy explores how far people will go to protect the ones they love.OUR SPOILER FREE REVIEWS OF "BAD SISTERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Can do it with my eyes closed.
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Bad Sisters 2

Jared Akron seemed to be living the perfect life: a newlywed with a new house and twins on the way. But as the due date approached, that life started to unravel. Their home was destroyed in a fire. Then, kept from the delivery room by COVID protocols, his wife Kristy texted that the babies were gravely ill. As he tried to put their lives back together, Jared realized he overlooked some red flags about the pregnancy and his social media-obsessed wife. Were the calamities  around them caused by bad luck - or by someone close to him?From iHeartMedia, Audio Up, and Just Sweep Press Productions comes the podcast “The Unborn.” Host Trisha LaFache talks with Jared and his loved ones about his tale of illusion, deception, and psychosis.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE UNBORN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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The Unborn

After she quits Scotland Yard, detective Millie Black takes a post in her native Jamaica to confront her troubled past. She tries to reconnect with Hibiscus, the sibling who for years she thought was dead, but is now living on the margins as a trans sex worker. Millie works the case of a missing child who may be connected to a powerful family. The investigation takes a turn when a British detective turns up in Kingston with an interest in a lead suspect.Tamara Lawrence and Joe Dempsie star in the HBO Original “Get Millie Black.” The crime thriller follows the detective haunted by unsolved cases and unresolved trauma as she navigates the gritty parts of Jamaica tourists don’t see.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GET MILLIE BLACK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: ding dong dog.
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Get Millie Black

There was something for everyone on the TV in 2024. We saw documentaries that revealed intimate aspects of the justice system. And there were some that challenged viewers to decide what is fact and what is fiction. But there were also shows that made us laugh…and more than one that made us cry. But which TV shows and documentaries truly stood out? Here are the crime writers; top ten lists for the best TV of 2024.Lara Bricker:JUSTICE, USAThe Program: Cons, Cults and KidnappingBad MonkeyTrue Detective: Night CountyDaughtersSay NothingThe Diplomat season 2Only Murders in the Building season 4Ren FaireThey Called Him Mostly Harmless Toby Ball:The Program: Cons, Cults and KidnappingSay NothingRipleyWoman of the HourThe Diplomat season 2Baby ReindeerFight Night: The Million Dollar HeistOnly Murders in the Building season 4The Stanford Prison ExperimentTell Them You Love Me Kevin Flynn:DaughtersBaby ReindeerRipleySay NothingThe Program: Cons, Cults, and KidnappingJUSTICE, USARen FaireWoman of the HourThe Truth vs. Alex JonesAmerican Nightmare Rebecca Lavoie:The Program: Cons, Cults, and KidnappingThe Jinx: Part TwoThe Diplomat season 2Say NothingBaby ReindeerThe Perfect CoupleRipleyDaughtersOnly Murders in the Building season 4Woman of the Hour
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Best TV of 2024

2024 was an exceptionally strong year for podcasts. There were multiple investigative series, fascinating retrospectives of the history you thought you knew, and even some light-hearted fare that was quirky and entertaining. But which titles truly stood out?  Here are our top ten selections for 2024. Lara Bricker:In the Dark season 3Stolen: Trouble in SweetwaterBeyond All RepairHystericalHushThe Runaway PrincessesOn Our Watch: New FolsomCover Up: The Anthrax ThreatMurder on Music RowVarnamtown Toby Ball:In the Dark season 3Murder on Music RowOn Our Watch: New FolsomStolen: Trouble in SweetwaterFallen AngelsSlow Burn: Gays against BriggsRadicalHystericalThe Vanishing PointThe Man Who Calculated Death Kevin Flynn:Beyond All RepairHystericalMurder in Boston In the Dark season 3Murder on Music RowHushVarnamtownBackfired: The Vaping WarsFallen AngelsBroomgate: A Curling Scandal Rebecca Lavoie:Beyond All Repair  In the Dark season 3  Hysterical  Murder in BostonStolen: Trouble in Sweetwater  On Our Watch: New Folsom  Hush  Broomgate: A Curling Scandal  The Man Who Calculated Death  Backfired: The Vaping Wars 
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Best podcasts of 2024

Sap farmer Ruth Landry is deeply in debt and faces losing her property to the Quebec Maple Association. Her friend Mike hatches a million dollar scheme with a security guard to rip off the association. They plan on stealing barrels of syrup from the warehouse and selling it themselves. Plans for the heist become more ambitious, but a murder connected to the conspirators threatens to complicate the operation. And if Mike’s mob bosses find out what he’s up to, the trio will have more to worry about than the police. Margo Martindale stars in “The Sticky” from Prime. Inspired by the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, the comedy-thriller mixes “Ocean's Eleven” with “Fargo.” Can this unlikely trio syphon millions of dollars in syrup and land a sweet deal?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE STICKY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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The Sticky

By day, Kevin Curtis was a janitor at a Mississippi hospital. By night, he was an Elvis impersonator, performing with his brother - who was also an Elvis impersonator. But after seeing something disturbing in the morgue, Kevin became consumed with conspiracies about illegal organ harvesting rings. Fueled by his paranoia, Kevin damaged personal relationships and crossed swords with powerful people in Tupelo. Then in 2013, when ricin-laced letters were sent to Kevin’s enemies - as well as the President - authorities homed in on him. Was the scheme the Elvis impersonator’s attempt to foil the body parts cabal once and for all…or was it a conspiracy to get rid of him?From the directors of “Wild Wild Country” comes Netflix’s “The Kings of Tupelo.” Filled with its twists and turns, and extensive access to the story’s colorful cast of characters, the series explores how one man’s obsession could leave a whole town - and the White House - all shook up.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE KINGS OF TUPELO" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODEIn Crime of the Week: Old love, new love.
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The Kings of Tupelo

In 1974, Karen Silkwood wanted to blow the whistle on the nuclear fuel plant she worked at. Armed with documentation about insufficient safety measures, radiation leaks, and unaccounted plutonium, Silkwood drove to meet an investigative reporter. But on her way, she was killed when her car went off the road - an accident some believed was caused by the powerful company hoping to silence her.Though police said they believed Silkwood fell asleep at the wheel, the mysterious nature of her crash continues to fascinate the public and haunt her family. But now, two reporters who’ve spent decades covering the story believe they’ve discovered newly-revealed evidence that could shed light on what happened on State Highway 47.In “Radioactive: The Karen Silkwood Mystery” from ABC Audio and Standing Bear Entertainment, hosts Bob Sands and Mike Boettcher break down the story and use modern techniques to analyze the wreck for evidence her car was run off the road. They also reveal long-hidden audiotapes about those who may be responsible for the death of nuclear power’s most famous whistleblower. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "RADIOACTIVE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Radioactive: The Karen Silkwood Mystery

Thirty years after his involvement in the shooting of a cop, Todd Scott prepares for his sixth parole hearing and a chance to demonstrate his rehabilitation. Convicted at age 14 for killing another teen and a baby, Chad Campbell faces the parole board for the ninth time to argue for his release. But their lawyers fear the board will only ever consider one factor: the heinous nature of their original offenses. Because they can never go back and change the crime, they believe the inmates have no hope of ever receiving parole, despite their exemplary prison records and expressions of remorse.The HBO Original documentary “Nature of the Crime” takes us into the closed-door interviews with those seeking parole in New York. It explores how, for certain inmates convicted of high profile crimes, the hearings are foregone conclusions because of public pressure and the desires of politically-appointed board members to appear tough on crime. It also highlights a Connecticut program that focuses on the emotional growth of offenders who were juveniles when they committed their crimes.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "NATURE OF THE CRIME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Santa's little Elphabas.
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Nature of the Crime

Her mother’s dying wish was that her daughter complete her memoir about her childhood in Nazi Germany. That’s how reporter Suzanne Rico learned a secret about her grandfather. Years before Robert Lusser was an American rocket designer, he was the German engineer who invented the V-1 flying bombs that rained down on London. Suzanne’s grandmother was killed when Allied planes dropped bombs on their secluded farmhouse, a revenge attack her elderly aunts believe was targeting Lusser. Suzanne and her sister headed to Germany to make sense of their family history, investigate the 1945 bombing, and confront the legacy of a grandfather who played such a deadly role in the Third Reich.“The Man Who Calculated Death” from Discount Sushi and Novel is part family memoir, part historical puzzle. We follow Suzanne’s journey to uncover the mystery of her grandmother’s death. And as she unearths more of her grandfather’s story, she ponders what responsibly her family bears today for the horror of Lusser’s flying bomb.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE MAN WHO CALCULATED DEATH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. 
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The Man Who Calculated Death

San Diego’s McKamey Manor drew fame as a boundary breaking, interactive haunted house - not one filled with ghosts and goblins - but one where visitors are tied up, waterboarded, or buried alive. Now located in Tennessee, attraction goers are saying the manor is going too far with its physical and mental abuse. Owner Russ McKamey disagrees, pointing to its rabid online following for his no charge, “extreme haunt” experience. But its murky waiver forms, military-grade stress techniques, and intimidation of visitors who want to leave the haunted house now have the authorities wondering if McKamey Manor is actually a torture chamber.In the podcast “Inside McKamey Manor” from Always True Crime, host Elizabeth McCafferty explores the controversial scare attraction, why people are drawn to it, and why it’s still in operation. She also talks to a variety of experts with insight into various aspects of the horror experience.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "INSIDE McKAMEY MANOR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: O brother, where art thou?
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Inside McKamey Manor

Karen Falasca was the last person to see her sister Denise alive before she was murdered in 1969. Haunted by the tragedy, Karen spoke to podcaster Anthony Scalia about her five decade search for Denise’s unidentified killer. Scalia retraced Karen’s investigation into likely suspects. But the sister remained skeptical of the police’s findings. And as a terminal illness threatened to take her life, Karen made one request of Scalia: finish her work and learn the truth behind Denise’s murder.In the podcast “Denise Didn’t Come Home” from truth.media and Sony Music Entertainment, Scalia repeats Karen’s investigation and questions the person the cops say strangled the 15-year-old all those years ago. He also recounts Karen’s life story, their blossoming friendship, and explores whether her memories of that day hold up.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DENISE DIDN'T COME HOME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Denise Didn't Come Home

In 1971, Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment with college students to evaluate behavior in a mock prison. Within days, the guards were abusing their power and mistreating the prisoners so badly the study was shut down early. The “Stanford Prison Experiment” was heralded in academia and in pop culture as a landmark study into the corrupting power of authority. But a re-examination of Zimbardo’s methods questions whether he manipulated the subjects into those behaviors, challenging whether its shocking results - and its legacy - should be discredited.The three-part series “The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth,” is produced by Nat Geo and is available on several streaming services. It unearths Zimbardo’s scientifically dubious methods that steered the study toward its violent conclusion. It also reunites the former guards and prisoners - some for the first time - to explain what was really driving their actions.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: If the shoe splits...
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The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth

When researchers found that providing stimulants to hyperactive children improved their behavior in school, educators, pediatricians, and drug manufacturers helped build interest in identifying and treating a new condition: Attention Deficit Disorder. Some saw it as a breakthrough in treating learning disabilities. But the implications of medicating children drew a backlash from advocates. Plus, doctors could not agree on concrete tools for identifying ADHD, prompting suspicions of over-diagnosis. And Big Pharma’s attempts to expand the market has resulted in unintended consequences.“Backfired: Attention Deficit” is the latest season of the podcast from Prologue Projects and Audible Originals. Hosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes explore the origins of ADHD, public reaction to its treatment, and the unforeseen outcomes of diversifying the customer base for stimulants first intended for children.OUR SPOILER-FREE EPISODES OF "BACKFIRED: SAY NOTHING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Backfired: Attention Deficit

Speaking to an historian, Dolours Price discussed her life as a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army. Beginning in the 1970s, Dolours and her sister, Marian, convinced its operatives, including leader Gerry Adams, to let them fight in their guerilla war against British troops in Belfast. Throughout The Troubles, the sisters were part of a secret IRA unit whose missions included robbing banks, blowing up cars, and making traitors disappear. But decades later, as Adams negotiated an end to the conflict, Dolours became disillusioned about her past actions and the future of Northern Ireland.Based on the book by Patrick Radden Keefe, “Say Nothing” tells Price’s four-decade story as a young IRA soldier and her attempts later in life to set the record straight. The series by FX on Hulu also focuses on the search for the mother of ten children, whose 1972 disappearance threatens to take down some of modern day Ireland’s most powerful figures.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SAY NOTHING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.Crime of the Week:  rat race.
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Say Nothing

Through her Facebook friends in the London Sikh community, Kirat Assi met a charming man named Bobby Jandu. Though a series of health problems and other entanglements kept him away from Great Britain, the two began a long term, online romance. But their virtual relationship took a turn as Bobby became more cruel and controlling. When Kirat learned he was back in the UK and living with his ex, her confrontation with him ended in confusion.In the Netflix documentary “Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare” Kirat, Jandu, and those close to them discuss the story in their own words. Based on the 2021 hit podcast of the same name, the film brings us inside the victim’s tale of credulity, coercion, and heartbreak.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SWEET BOBBY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare

American ambassador Kate Wyler believes the Prime Minister orchestrated a false flag operation to rally the nation and thwart a Scottish secession movement. As British forces hunt the Russian fixer behind the attacks, Kate takes a risk hiding a politician with inside knowledge of the plot. Kate sets aside her attraction to the Foreign Secretary to help expose the PM. Meanwhile, her politically-savvy husband, Hal, tries to convince his reluctant wife to embrace the offer to replace the sitting Vice President on the presidential ticket. Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell return for season two of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated political thriller “The Diplomat.” Kate and her staff navigate personal and professional relationships, all while trying to expose a conspiracy and ease geopolitical tensions.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE DIPLOMAT" SEASON TWO BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: bearly legal.
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The Diplomat season 2

Set in a Chicago housing project, the 1992 horror movie “Candyman” features a deadly ghost who can be summoned by chanting in a bathroom mirror. But some plot points were inspired by a real life robbery homicide in which the killer broke into an apartment through a hole in the medicine cabinet. A reporter found the flawed design of the bathroom walls were a contributing factor into Ruthie Mae McCoy’s 1987 death. The exposé raised questions about City Hall’s indifference to violence in the projects and the dangers faced by its Black residents. By the time the supernatural retelling made it into theaters, the creature in the mirror did not reflect those systemic issues.From CBS News and 48 Hours Production comes the podcast “Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder.” Host Dometi Pongo explores not only McCoy’s homicide. He dives into the larger issues around race, safety in the projects, and the ways they shaped the Hollywood narrative. The series asks how a mainstream audience can find big screen horror in the hallmarks of poverty.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CANDYMAN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder

Just before the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” could dismiss writer Elizabeth Finch for mediocre work, she revealed she had a rare form of cancer. Finch drew on her experience to write some powerful episodes for the medical drama. Finch crafted acclaimed storylines based on her own struggles with health, assault, sexual harassment and stalking. Hollywood was shocked when it was revealed Finch was faking. She’d taken other people’s real life trauma and claimed it for her own, stringing along those close to her for sympathy and attention for years.Peacock’s “Anatomy of Lies” recounts the writer’s elaborate ruse and how she parlayed other’s pain into personal and professional gain. It leans heavily into the perspective of Finch’s wife who worked to expose the woman who fooled so many.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ANATOMY OF LIES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: R-O-T-T-O-G-O!
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Anatomy of Lies

A white hat hacker provides journalist Carl Miller with backdoor access to a page on the dark web offering the services of a hit man. The site is just a scam, but the transactions identify more than 100 people who are in real life danger from someone motivated to harm them. Though the buyers are anonymous, Miller feels an obligation to find the targets and warn them someone is willing to pay to have them killed. Miller’s team is met with skepticism from the authorities, but many would-be victims realize who might be behind their threat. While Miller works to trip up the hitman-shoppers before they turn to real world violence, the team turns its attention to taking apart the website offering murder for hire.The podcast “Kill List” from Wondery and Novel follows Miller’s race against time to warn unsuspecting people around the world that their lives are in danger before the scammed buyers take matters into their own hands. It also covers Miller’s own ethical struggle of inserting himself into the story and the emotional toll his newsgathering takes.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "KILL LIST"  BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Kill List

Looking to get a break in show business, struggling actress Sheryl Bradshaw appears on “The Dating Game.” The first two bachelors are either shallow or lascivious, but bachelor number three has an easy charm that makes him the clear favorite. But Rodney Alcala is more than a smooth-talking photographer looking for love. He’s spent the past decade murdering unsuspecting women and eluding detection. How could Sheryl - or the TV audience - know she was about to go on a date with a serial killer?The Netflix thriller “Woman of the Hour” dramatizes Sheryl’s real life encounter with a predator. Lead actress and director Anna Kendrick ratchets up the tension with a character resigned to 1970s misogyny and its lurking menace, all while showing us in parallel what Rodney is capable of. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WOMAN OF THE HOUR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: ice to see you.
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Woman of the Hour

A Hollywood studio courts Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to make a star-studded movie based on their hit podcast. But Charles is shaken by another murder in the building: his longtime stunt double, Sazz, was killed in his apartment by a sniper, and her body burned in the incinerator.Before she died, Sazz had been poking into something about the first season of the podcast. The fatal shot came from the west side of the Arconia, occupied by an odd collection of residents with a secret to hide. Writers, directors, executives and stuntmen also make up the suspect list. Now the podcasters are on a new case: what bombshell did Sazz uncover and who was willing to kill to keep it quiet?Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return for season four of “Only Murders in the Building.” This time, the Emmy Award-winning series deconstructs the murder mystery through the lens of film. The movie forces Mabel to ponder how the world views her, and leads Oliver to re-examine his relationship with Loretta. Meanwhile, Charles is racked with guilt that his old friend may have died because of him. As usual, “Only Murders” delivers sly humor, a touch of pathos, and crackling performances by the leads and many guest stars.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING" SEASON FOUR BEGIN IN THE FINAL [ XX ] MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Only Murders in the Building S4

Comedian Gary Vider had a great childhood story about him and his father sneaking into scores of games at Madison Square Garden posing as a reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids. But the charming tale belied a deeper truth. Manny Vider was a prolific con artist, with a never ending stream of business scams, insurance fraud, and other schemes that eventually tore his family apart. Twenty-four years later, now a father himself, Gary set out on a quest to locate Manny. His goal was to process the effects of his estranged dad’s actions on his life and family. He also wanted to learn whether the unrepentant conman has changed his ways.From iHeartMedia and Big Money Players Network comes “#1 Dad.” Vider talks to relatives, partners, his own therapist, and fellow comedians about Manny’s many swindles - both personal and professional. Can he convince his father to meet and confront their past? And will the son get the truth from a man who’s spent his life spinning lies?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "#1 DAD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: techno pop.
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#1 Dad

Filmmakers follow officers in a troubled Michigan city to confront the challenges of policing, race relations, politics, and what it means to be a community. We’ll go back to our 2018 review of the documentary series “Flint Town.”
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Flint Town

Former prosecutor Paul Bergrin made a name for himself as an aggressive defense attorney, handling difficult cases involving celebrities and hardened criminals in New Jersey. But as his reputation grew, so did suspicions about the lengths he’d go to get his clients off the hook.An FBI investigation found that Bergrin wasn’t just representing his unsavory clients; he was directing their criminal activities. They learned the lawyer was overseeing drug trafficking, directing an escort service, and involved in money laundering and witness intimidation. It left agents wondering how far Bergrin would go to get an acquittal. From Wondery comes the podcast “Criminal Attorney.”  Host Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins introduces us to the voices of those who knew Bergrin, those who investigated him, and those affected by his actions. Why would an accomplished lawyer risk everything and find himself - and not his clients - pleading his case before a jury?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CRIMINAL ATTORNEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Whopper copper.
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Criminal Attorney

In 1992, relatively stable patients at the VA hospital in Columbia, Missouri were dying on one ward’s overnight shift at an alarming rate. A review of the charts showed nurse Richard Williams had been present for most of the Code Blues, but he denied being responsible for the deaths. Whistleblowers accused VA administrators of keeping the situation quiet and retaliating against staff who tried to stop it. Even the FBI seemed to slow-walk the investigation, leaving grieving families to wonder whether anyone will be held accountable for the deaths of up to 50 ill veterans. In the latest installment of the podcast from Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, “Witnessed: Night Shift” reinvestigates the Columbia VA deaths. Who did it? Why did the hospital try to cover them up? Author Jake Adelstein interviews doctors - including his own father - who fought the government to identify one of the most prolific serial killers to roam a hospital.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: NIGHT SHIFT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Witnessed: Night Shift

After fishermen reel in a severed arm off of Key West, demoted police detective Andrew Yancy grows suspicious of the victim’s young widow and her mysterious new boyfriend. Yancy thinks Eve’s husband Nick might not be the victim of a boating accident, especially as more people wind up dead.Meanwhile, the couple have been scooping up property and displacing residents on the nearby island of Andros. Neville approaches the sultry Dragon Queen to put a curse on the speculators who stole his shack. Yancy and Neville’s stories become intertwined, as the wisecracking detective wonders how far Eve will go to execute her plan.“Bad Monkey” from Apple TV+ stars Vince Vaughn as the fleet-footed and silver-tongued Yancy. Based on Carl Hiaasen’s best seller, this part noir/part dark comedy features rat-a-tat-tat dialogue and a host of quirky characters. Can Yancy get his badge back, straighten out his love life, thwart a crooked cop and the neighborhood real estate agent, and bring the scheming couple to justice?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BAD MONKEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week:  Lost in the mail.
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Bad Monkey

New York’s police department says its mission is to protect and serve, but its long forgotten origin story says something different. Before they carried weapons and wore uniforms, the city’s loose affiliation of constables and watchmen hunted escaped enslaved people and made arrests for a fee. New York eventually formed a police force, one less focused on solving crime and more to serve the mayor’s political interests. In the 150-plus years that followed, police reforms and counter reforms shaped how the NYPD uses its authority.  But the debate continues on how modern law enforcement interacts with the community.From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack, comes the podcast “Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD.” Peabody Award winner Chenjerai Kumanyika recounts the lost history of Gotham’s police, and brings his personal experiences as a second-generation police reform advocate.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EMPIRE CITY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

A small-time Atlanta numbers runner named Chicken Man is given a big-time opportunity: throw a party for all the bosses of the Black mafia after Muhammad Ali’s comeback fight. But a group of robbers holds up the partygoers, making off with nearly a million dollars in cash and jewelry. Detective JD Hudson is tasked with finding the violent robbers - that is unless “Black Godfather” Frank Moten finds them first. Chicken Man finds himself in the crosshairs of both the police and the mob, needing to convince both he had nothing to do with the heist.“Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” from Peacock is based on the podcast about the 1971 real-life caper. Kevin Hart leads an all-star cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson. The crime drama goes beyond the holdup, focusing on the characters’ dreams of what life in a modern Atlanta could be.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: The G.O.A.T. of goats.
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Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

Oregon death row inmate Jesse Lee Johnson always proclaimed his innocence in the 1998 murder of Harriet Thompson. Seventeen years later, with little fanfare, authorities released Johnson from prison instead of retrying him for the crime. But if the case was too weak to pursue a conviction, how was Johnson arrested in the first place? Why did Salem police rely on recanted witness statements and badly documented evidence, while ignoring DNA placing other people at the crime scene? And was Johnson’s race a factor for the investigators with a history of problematic statements? From Oregon Public Broadcasting comes the investigative series “Hush.” Host Leah Sottile and producer Ryan Haas examine the investigators and their evidence that nearly sent Johnson to the execution chamber. It explores the inequities in policing policies. And it refutes the state’s claim Johnson was the only suspect in Thompson’s murder.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HUSH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Hush

A young woman from a posh English family sought clarity about her sexual orientation from therapist Anne Craig. She convinced Fipsi her issues were a result of childhood abuse at the hands of her family - abuse Fipsi had no recollection of. Anne convinced her to cut ties with them and focus instead on their sessions. Anne diagnosed most of her well-to-do patients as victims of an underground pedophile ring. The women spent years estranged from their families. It left their parents convinced Anne brainwashed their daughters and unsure of how to get them back.The podcast “Dangerous Memories” from Tortoise explores the work of the self-styled counselor who convinced women of privilege they were victims and lured them into isolation and dependence. Host Grace Hugh Hallett talks to former clients and their families about Anne’s cult-like hold on them and the efforts to stop her. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DANGEROUS MEMORIES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: digital downloads.Here's the GOURDS article from McSweeney's!And here's the one from the Baroness Von Schraeder! 
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Dangerous Memories

Cathy Terkanian learned the daughter she gave up for adoption decades earlier vanished under mysterious circumstances while a teenager. When she dug deeper into Aundria Bowman’s disappearance, she learned police never investigated her adoptive father, despite his history of violence. Convinced the Bowmans knew more than they were saying, Cathy began a crusade to force Aundria’s adoptive parents to talk. Could a chance encounter between cold case detectives and evidence left 1,000 miles away be the break they’ve been waiting for?From the producers of the true crime classic “The Keepers” comes the two-part Netflix series “Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter.” It follows Cathy’s journey to do right by the child she never knew and learn what happened to her. Her journey is filled with surprising twists and leaves the viewer to ponder how far is too far to seek justice for a daughter. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "INTO THE FIRE: THE LOST DAUGHTER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter

Dr. Robert Young rose to prominence in the world of holistic medicine claiming cancer was not a cell, but rather poisonous acid in the body, so a diet rich in alkaline would neutralize it. The charismatic practitioner opened the so-called Miracle Ranch, where sick people sought expensive treatments to balance their pH. Though he doled out advice and performed baking soda IVs, Young had never been to medical school. And as his devoted followers favored vegetable smoothies instead of chemotherapy, their conditions worsened. “Chameleon: Dr. Miracle” is the latest season of the podcast from Campside Media, Sony Music Entertainment, and Dorothy Street Pictures. Host Larrison Campbell recounts Young’s pseudoscientific alkaline diet and talks to ranch employees and patients who received his quack treatments. It also looks into the difficulty of holding Young accountable - and where he is today.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CHAMELEON: DR. MIRACLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Behind iron(y) bars.
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Chameleon: Dr. Miracle

When we last listened to season three of “In the Dark,” Madeleine Baran had collected signatures from the families of the Haditha victims, hoping to obtain secret photographs of the massacre. In the final episodes of the season, the team gives the pictures to an analyst who says the images are clear evidence of a war crime. Military prosecutors eventually charged eight Marines for killing two dozen unarmed Iraqi men, women and children. But a cascade of immunity offers, intervention by commanding officers, and a generous plea bargain meant no one was held accountable for the murders in any meaningful way.The final episodes of “In the Dark” season three probes what went wrong with the prosecution of the infantrymen who rounded up and slaughtered civilians in retaliation for an IED attack. And while the number of victims in Haditha have been listed as 24, Baran and her team find evidence the number is too low.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "IN THE DARK" EPISODES 6 THROUGH 9 BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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In the Dark season 3 (eps 6-9)

Hours before a wedding at the Winbury’s Nantucket estate, the maid of honor’s body washes ashore. Investigators believe the death was no accident. All the family members are now suspects in the case. They include man-of-leisure Tag Winbury, his high-strung wife and mystery novelist Greer, and their three sons: cash strapped Thomas, adolescent Will, and Benji, the groom. Together with the fish-out-of-water bride, Thomas’s pregnant wife, a shifty best man, and a French cougar, everyone had reasons to kill Merritt Monaco - but who did?Based on the best-selling novel, the six part Netflix series “The Perfect Couple” stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, and Eve Hewson. The high-profile investigation threatens to undermine Tag and Greer’s facade of considerable wealth and an ideal marriage so necessary for their public persona.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE PERFECT COUPLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Goodbye yellow brick nose.
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The Perfect Couple

Secondary school student Pippa Fitz-Amobi selects a controversial topic for an extra credit project. She wants to re-investigate the murder/suicide that rocked her sleepy English village five years earlier. She’s not convinced popular teen Andie Bell was killed by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, and Pip enlists his brother to help her. Pip grills Andie’s friends about what led up to her death and disappearance. Soon she gets anonymous threats to back off. Is someone willing to kill again to keep the truth about Andie from surfacing?From BBC Studios and streaming on Netflix comes the adaptation of the YA bestseller, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” starring Emma Myers. The thriller series follows Pip’s growing obsession with the Andie Bell case, as she pushes her good girl boundaries to solve the mystery, and navigate adolescent relationships as complicated as the crime.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. 
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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Working off a tip, investigators in a small Georgia town made a gruesome discovery at Tri-State Crematory. Bodies that were supposed to be cremated were instead dumped around the business’s property. The deceased numbered in the hundreds and had been left to rot for years. Owner Brent Marsh was charged with several crimes. Meanwhile, loved ones felt re-traumatized, left wondering who - or what - was really in the urns they had.The true crime podcast “Noble” from Wavland and Campside Media revisits the 2002 Tri-State Crematory scandal. Host Shaun Raviv talks to relatives, lawyers, and investigators about the case, and seeks answers as to why Marsh never put hundreds of remains in the oven.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "NOBLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: line(up) dance. 
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Noble

In 2007, 18-year-old Justin Gaines left an Atlanta-area nightclub, got into a black car and disappeared. Seven years later, Dylan Glass told police he took part in Justin’s murder at an after-hours party and his mother helped clean it up. He was never charged and later recanted his statement.Over the years, tips about Justin’s fate and his whereabouts have led investigators to nothing but dead ends. Theories include a robbery, a jealous boyfriend, and a drug debt to the Mexican cartel. But podcast host Sean Kipe uncovered a promising lead: that Justin’s body was placed in a toolbox and submerged in Lake Lanier.  In the podcast “Drowning Creek” from Wavland, Kipe chases down witnesses, suspects, and possible motives for the disappearance of Justin Gaines. Along the way, he uncovers new clues that might be helpful to the investigation. Kipe also lands an exclusive interview with the man believed to have information that can break open the case.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DROWNING CREEK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL EIGHT MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Drowning Creek

California, September 1975. Within a span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women, working separately, tried to assassinate the president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. These are the only two times we know of that a woman has tried to assassinate an American president. The first, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, was already infamous as a prominent follower of cult leader Charles Manson.The second, Sara Jane Moore, was a 45 year-old housewife who infiltrated San Francisco's violent radical underground  working undercover for the FBI.The story of one strange and violent Summer, this season on RIP CURRENT.
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Introducing: Toby Ball's RIP CURRENT

A pair of Stanford students turned their senior project on making a new kind of clean e-cigarette into the multi-billion dollar company known as JUUL. But a product envisioned as a way to give adults an alternative to smoking soon contributed to a new epidemic of teens getting hooked on nicotine.Though public outrage, bad press, and legislative action has largely gutted JUUL’s market share, new vape products have taken its place - many with dubious quality and questionable ingredients. And while advocates and regulators continue their fight against sales to minors, one controversial question remains unanswered: is vaping actually safer than smoking cigarettes?From Prologue Projects and exclusively on Audible, “Backfired: The Vaping Wars” chronicles the rise and fall - and rebirth - of a multi-billion dollar industry laser focused on satisfying customers’ nicotine cravings. Hosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes go beyond JUUL’s cautionary tale and explore the current marketplace. It features an extended interview with JUUL founder James Monsees. It also follows Neyfakh’s own struggle with vaping and his quest to learn what the early science actually says about the hazards of the product.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BACKFIRED: THE VAPING WARS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: sticks nix chick flicks. 
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Backfired: The Vaping Wars

For the first time, network TV’s biggest true crime personality brings his signature style to podcasting. We’ll rewind to our September 30, 2019 review of the quirky classic from Dateline NBC, “The Thing About Pam,” with a "Date with Dateline" cameo appearance. 
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The Thing About Pam

An Iraqi lawyer reaches out to an American investigative journalist about a massacre that killed family members and others in his hometown. In 2005, after an IED attack on their convoy, US Marines stormed a village and executed 24 men, women, and children. The servicemen claimed they were returning fire from insurgents, but the evidence collected - including secret photographs - suggested a war crime was committed. Despite international condemnation of the Haditha massacre, none of the Marines served time for the killings. Two decades later, Madeleine Baran asks the question “why not?”Season three of the two-time Peabody Award winning podcast “In The Dark” from The New Yorker digs into the arcane world of the military justice system. The nine-part series is the result of four years of investigation, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of unreleased documents. Along the way, they uncover new details about that day in Haditha, the Marine Corps’s efforts to minimize it, and why no one involved in the biggest American war crime since Vietnam was ever punished.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF EPISODES 1-5 OF "IN THE DARK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: who can it be now?
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In the Dark: Season 3 (eps 1-5)

A man awakes to find his one-night stand has been murdered. Can a down-on-his-luck lawyer win his freedom? We’ll go back to our July 22, 2016 review of HBO’s Emmy award winning “The Night Of."
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The Night Of

A group of young girls prepare for a special Daddy-Daughter dance with their incarcerated fathers at a Washington, D.C. jail. For most, it’s the only time they’ll be able to touch or hug their dads until they’ve completed their sentences. The inmates must first complete a course on the meaning of fatherhood and contemplate their relationships with their children. But after the tearful last dance, the men grapple with how to be part of their daughters’ lives either in or out of jail.The Netflix documentary “Daughters” looks at the collateral damage of the criminal legal system through the eyes of four girls growing up with a father behind bars. It shows the men coming to terms with the effects of their incarceration on their children. It also follows the daughters long after the dance to see whether the event had a lasting impact on their relationships.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DAUGHTERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODEIn Crime of the Week: golden opportunity.
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Daughters

An intelligence analyst and a cunning assassin play a sexy game of cat and mouse. We’ll do a classic rewind to our June 8, 2018 review of BBC America’s “Killing Eve” starring Emmy winners Sandra Oh and Jody Comer.
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Killing Eve

As he nears the end of his life, an aging hitman makes a confession to podcast host Marc Smerling. In 1978, he traveled to Rome to help the Italian mafia assassinate Pope John Paul I to cover up wrongdoings by the Vatican bank. Anthony Raimondi says he got into organized crime because his father was a ruthless mob enforcer. Instead of going to prison for killing a rival, he was recruited into a secret commando squad in Vietnam, and later instructed mobsters how to poison the Pontiff. The only problem for Smerling is he can’t verify anything he’s saying.In “The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi,” Smerling walks us through the mobster’s tales and his proclaimed role in the secret killing of the head of the Catholic Church. As the “Crooked City” host tries to discern fact from fiction, he wonders if the exploits are real…or whether Raimondi believes they are.OUR SPOILER-FREE EPISODES OF "THE CONFESSIONS OF ANTHONY RAIMONDI" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: no bones about it.
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The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi

Who’s ready for a “number two”? America’s favorite true crime teenagers return to investigate who is the Turd Burglar. We’ll go back to Oct 7, 2018 for a classic rewind to our review of the Peabody Award-winning comedy series “American Vandal" season 2.
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Don't F**k with Cats

Their parents think they need tough love to get off drugs or improve their behavior. That’s how many adolescents wind up in a facility for so-called troubled teens. Billed as schools or camps, staff members often use violence to maintain discipline or mete out punishment. For decades, these programs resulted in physical and sexual abuse, deaths, long-lasting trauma, and few consequences for staff or management. Only now, after a series of high-profile incidents and celebrity awareness, attention is focused on the loosely-regulated industry and its legacy of pain.“Teen Torture, Inc.” from Max Originals is the latest title in the growing true crime subgenre about the billion dollar Troubled Teen Industry. This three part series features survivors from a variety of programs. It also looks into the history of the business, the corporations making money off the families, and the political efforts to add some accountability to the industry.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "TEEN TORTURE, INC." BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: thar she blows.
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Teen Torture, Inc.

Was a cold war rock song actually a piece of CIA propaganda? We’ll rewind the cassette to our May 25, 2020 review of "Wind of Change " from Spotify, Pineapple Street, and Crooked Media, with host Patrick Radden Keefe.
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Wind of Change

In 2009, after her release from the LA County Sheriff’s Department on a minor arrest, Mitrice Richardson walked into the night and vanished. Her naked, mummified body was discovered months later in a remote Malibu Canyon creek bed. Authorities said the cause and manner of her death were undetermined. Mitrice’s family accused the department of botching the investigation, mishandling her remains, and ignoring signs of foul play. They also failed to get answers from the last person who saw her alive: a man with a violent past living in a wilderness fort near the creek.“Lost Hills: Dark Canyon” is the fourth season of the true crime podcast from Pushkin Industries and Western Sound.  Host Dana Goodyear traces Mitrice’s last steps in an effort to learn how she died. She also identifies a new person of interest and tries to do what detectives couldn’t: get evidence against this prime suspect.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOST HILLS: DARK CANYON" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Lost Hills: Dark Canyon

A therapist discovers the mysterious clinic where she works is treating war vets by erasing their memories. We’ll go back to our Dec 30, 2016 review of Gimlet’s “Homecoming” starring Catherine Keener and Oscar Isaac.
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Homecoming

In 2011, more than a dozen high school girls in Le Roy, New York began displaying Tourette-like twitches and tics. Health officials could not find a physical or environmental cause for the symptoms, and believed the teens were suffering from conversion disorder. But some rejected the implication their illness was all in their heads, insisting a medical cause was to blame. Was Le Roy High School the site of the latest chapter in the history of mass hysteria? From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios comes the seven part podcast “Hysterical.” Host Dan Taberski looks to answer whether the teens were victims of a mysterious illness or a psychosomatic contagion. He also examines Havana Syndrome and fentanyl-exposure overdoses, other instances where victims may be affected more by suggestion than by science.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HYSTERICAL" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: send our regrets.
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Hysterical

It was a water park focused on crazy rides and little concern for safety...and Rebecca has the scars to prove it. We’ll return to our Sept 21, 2020 review of “Class Action Park.”
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Class Action Park

While conducting a routine firearms background check, a federal agent hears a rumor about Thomas Gibison that dated back to high school. He’d bragged that he and a friend shot a Black man to earn a skinhead spider web tattoo. Investigators get accomplice Craig Peterson to confirm 15 years earlier they killed a random pedestrian in Philadelphia. But with no name, date, or open case to work from, the agents are at a loss as to how to solve this crime. They’re able to match the details to the unsolved death of Aaron Wood, the victim of a random shooting in 1989. But can prosecutors win a conviction for a real life hate crime working off of loose talk and old memories?“Deep Cover: The Nameless Man” is the fourth season of the investigative podcast from Pushkin Industries. Pulitzer Prize winner Jake Halpert talks to investigators, jurors and family members about the crime and its implications. How were the authorities’ questions answered about who was their victim and the family’s questions about who was the shooter?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEEP COVER: THE NAMELESS MAN" IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.
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Deep Cover: The Nameless Man

A pair of FBI agents teams with a researcher to interview the most dangerous serial killers to create a new investigative tool: criminal profiling. We’ll revisit our Oct 27, 2017 review of Netflix’s “Mindhunter”
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Mindhunter

In 1989, 23-year-old Kevin Hughes was killed when he was ambushed by a gunman along Nashville’s famous Music Row. Hughes had been troubled that the country music record chart he worked for was accepting money under the table to manipulate the rankings of up-and-coming artists.Hughes’s opposition to the dirty practice put him in the crosshairs of powerful independent music promoters who paid for chart positions to milk money from their unsuspecting clients. Detectives wondered if Hughes was executed because he didn’t want to play ball…and whether someone lured him into a deadly trap to get back on the chart with a bullet.In the podcast “Music on Murder Row” from The Tennessean, host Keith Sharon explores who benefitted from Hughes’s killing, challenges the claims of the passenger in the car, and looks at the unscrupulous actions of promoters who prey on those dreaming of stardom. Sharon also tells the tale of the hit country music song “Music on Murder Row” and how it does and doesn’t fit in with the case.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER ON MUSIC ROW" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: bust a gut!
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Murder on Music Row

After seeing a report about facilitated communication, a student of professor Anna Stubblefield asked if she could help his disabled brother. With support for his arm and hand, Derrick Johnson could type on a small keyboard. With Stubblefield’s assistance, the nonverbal man could express a wide range of thought, feelings, and academic promise. Over time, the pair fell in love and started a sexual relationship. But the Johnsons speculated Stubblefield was manipulating his communication, guiding his finger to type out what she wanted. They also believed Derrick was incapable of consenting to a relationship and the professor was raping the man she promised to help. Who was actually typing his messages? In the Netflix documentary “Tell Them You Love Me,” we hear from both Stubblefield and the Johnsons and their differing takes on what happened to Derrick. It also explores the controversy around facilitated communication and the likelihood of bias by those assisting nonverbal users.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "TELL THEM YOU LOVE ME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Tell Them You Love Me

In 1982, restaurant manager Michael Moore shot accountant Jordan Rasmussen, then laundry van driver Buddy Booth who discovered the body. Though he escaped the firing squad, Moore sought advice from the sentencing board on how he might someday win his release from prison. The murders left gaping holes in the lives of the victims’ families, but when they learned Moore was an exemplary prisoner who was contrite about his crimes, some saw the killer in a new light. They began a process of forgiveness, one to provide compassion for Moore and one to heal their own pain they’d been carrying for years.From Lemonada and KSL Podcasts comes the second season of “The Letter: Ripple Effect.” Host Amy Donaldson brings another unlikely tale on the power of restorative justice. Could a grieving family recover by extending mercy to Jordan and Buddy’s killer? And can Moore be completely rehabilitated - or is he just playing the family in a long con to get out of prison? OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE LETTER: RIPPLE EFFECT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Happy birthdays to me
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The Letter: Ripple Effect

As California’s gay community began flourishing in the 1970s, a conservative politician pushed through a statewide ballot question: should gay and lesbian teachers be banned from California schools? State Senator John Briggs told voters children were at risk of molestation and indoctrination in the classroom. Though their political influence was small, queer activists began to mobilize against a growing anti-gay countermovement. If Proposition 6 passed at the ballot box, it would be more than a defeat for the teachers. It could set gay rights back for decades.In its ninth season, Slate’s “Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs” revisits this consequential dispute on equality - the first time a state held a vote on gay rights. Host Christina Cauterucci brings us the voices of the activists and political consultants on both sides of the referendum which echoes in today’s news.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SLOW BURN: GAYS AGAINST BRIGGS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs

In May 2021, Belize police superintendent Henry Jammott was shot in the head with his own service weapon. Investigators arrested socialite Jasmine Hartin, who claimed the gun accidentally fired while Jammott was teaching her to handle it. Many in Belize assumed Hartin would get special consideration because her common-law husband was the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft. Instead, Hartin believed the Ashcrofts weren’t using their considerable clout to help her - they were doing all they could to bend the rules, convict her, and cut her out of the family and its fortune.In the 12-part series “White Devil” from Campside Media, host Josh Dean uses extensive interviews with Hartin to dig into the puzzling investigation of the shooting, as well as examine her high stakes custody case and financial disputes with the Ashcrofts. It also looks into the depths of corruption in Belize and the unchecked influence of a businessman dubbed by locals as a “white devil.”OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WHITE DEVIL" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: take it from a Top.
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White Devil

In 2019, authorities in California searched the sea for Scottish tourist Kim Avis, who was last seen going for a swim. BBC journalist Myles Bonnar remembered Avis as an eccentric street vendor from his hometown. But American police believed Avis faked his disappearance to avoid criminal prosecution for sexual assault back in Scotland. An international manhunt failed to turn up the fugitive. But a thousand miles away, a Colorado woman was growing suspicious of her new friend with the indiscernible accent.In “Dead Man Running” from BBC Sounds, Bonnar recounts the search for Avis. It also does a deep dive into his life as a figure around town, the crimes he committed, and why it took years to bring him to justice.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEAD MAN RUNNING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. 
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Dead Man Running

For fifty years, George Coulam has owned the Texas Renaissance Faire, which he runs with an iron fist. Seeking to fill his remaining years with romance, the 86-year-old is considering selling the faire. His earnest general manager Jeff Baldwin believes “King George” will someday pass the reigns to him.For reasons unclear, the mercurial owner sours on his loyal employee, forcing him to share responsibility with a former elephant trainer. Meanwhile, a kettle korn vendor with deep pockets makes a play for the faire. It sparks a game of thrones among those seeking to rule, and for the future of the kingdom.The HBO Documentary series “Ren Faire” mixes cinema verité and fantasy to tell this feud among subcultures. Will the festival’s temperamental monarch sell his prized asset? And how will those decisions affect those in this Shakespearean-sized story of succession?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "REN FAIRE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: nut case.
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Ren Faire

In 2015, the gentlemanly world of professional curling was rocked by a new breakthrough. A team debuted the Hardline broom, one whose brushes were incredibly effective at guiding the gliding rock across the ice to the target with astonishing precision. Opponents bristled, claiming the Hardline broom provided an unfair advantage. Then a competing manufacturer unveiled an even better broom, one that practically allowed players to steer the rock. In a sport operating mostly on handshakes, this broom arms race threatened to alter the game and sweep away the bonds among the curling community. In the podcast “Broomgate: A Curling Scandal” from CBC and USG Audio, comedian and curler John Cullen recounts those rancorous days when gamesmanship nearly won over sportsmanship in the most unlikely of athletic controversies. Cullen talks to the central figures who brought curling to the brink, but later found a way to preserve the sport.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BROOMGATE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Broomgate: A Curling Scandal

Workers discover a young woman has overdosed in a hotel room filled with drugs and a video camera, but the police never take any action against the older man who was with her. After getting a tip, LA Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle learns the man is Doctor Carmen Puliafito, the dean of USC’s medical school, who’s been living a secret life of hard drugs and coercive sex with the victim. Pringle and his colleagues are stonewalled by Pasadena police and the administration at USC. But once they uncover enough to print an explosive story about Puliafito and the medical school, they find their own editors are slow-walking the exposé on the powerful university. From iHeart Podcasts and Best Case Studios comes “Fallen Angels: A Story of California Corruption.” Pringle recounts the steps of his investigation into Puliafito and lengths taken by USC to cover up the scandal. Pringle also points fingers at the bosses in his own paper who acted as if they were in cahoots with the university to kill the story.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "FALLEN ANGELS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.In Crime of the Week: cock up.
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Fallen Angels

What do some of the most prominent Indigenous celebrities, politicians, and cultural leaders have in common? They’re not actually affiliated with the tribes they claim to have ties with. More and more so-called “pretendians” are being unmasked, accused of fabricating their native heritage. Some fake their ancestry to accumulate power, reshape their public image, or obtain benefits meant for Indigenous people. While motivations vary, risk of exposure or accountability remains low.In “Pretendians” from Canadaland, co-hosts Robert Jago and Angel Ellis reveal unbelievable stories of audacious fraudsters and investigate the complex phenomenon of Indigenous identity theft.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PRETENDIANS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE SHOW.
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Pretendians

Writer Rebecca Godfrey returns to her parents’ home in Vancouver to develop a book about local teens in a foster home. One of the troubled girls she focuses on is soon connected to the disappearance of her frenemy, Reena Virk, last seen fleeing a group of teens who chased her from a party. When Reena’s body is discovered, Rebecca inserts herself in the teens’ world to find the real story for her book. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s childhood friend, Officer Cam Bentland, seeks her own answers as to what happened that night under the bridge.  Hulu’s “Under the Bridge” stars Riley Keough and Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone in this adaptation of Godfrey’s nonfiction book. The series combines the real life story of Reena Virk and the teens responsible for her death with a dramatized story of women confronting their pasts.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNDER THE BRIDGE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: traffic jam.
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Under the Bridge

Two decades ago, reporter Tonya Mosley got an unexpected phone call from a man claiming to be her nephew by a half-sister she never knew about. Antonio Wiley said his mom vanished in Detroit in the 1980s when he was just 14-years-old. When Anita Wiley’s body was identified in 2020, Tonya and Antonio teamed up to retrace her life and examine why she died. The journey changed the way the journalist looked at her hometown, her family, and herself.From APM Studios and TMI Productions comes the latest season of “Truth Be Told Presents: She Has a Name.” The series is part investigation/part memoir, with the host exploring Anita’s troubled life and unsolved murder. It also examines Tonya’s and Antonio’s struggles to reconcile their feelings about absent parents and their lives that could have been.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHE HAS A NAME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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She Has a Name

Behind the scenes, years before Robert Durst’s hot mic murder confession made it to air, investigators in the Susan Berman case had been reviewing evidence uncovered by the producers of “The Jinx.” And as America grew transfixed with the 2015 TV series, the man connected to three high-profile crimes felt the heat.Once the millionaire fugitive was captured, prosecutors began building their legal case by tying together two crimes. They argued Berman knew Durst was behind the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen, and he murdered Berman to keep her quiet. But to prove their theory, they’ll have to get it out of Durst’s many loyal friends and associates.In “The Jinx - Part Two,” director Andrew Jarecki reveals in real time what was happening as the original HBO series shook up the cold case. With extensive jailhouse recordings and courtroom footage, the sequel dissects the murder trial and seeks to answer the final mystery: what happened to Durst’s money?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE JINX - PART TWO" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: inhospitable.
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The Jinx - Part Two

How did America law enforcement get to its present state of near-unaccountability? An examination of its history shows policing has its origins in running slave patrols, displacing indigenous tribes, and coercing organized labor. Once used as a tool by the powerful to maintain social order and protect their personal property, modern police have become a power unto themselves.With the help of “tough on crime” politicians, law enforcement has only grown in strength and resources. And despite an onslaught of high-profile police brutality, murder, and misconduct cases, legal protections prevent most cops from being answerable for their actions.The Netflix documentary “Power” is a deep dive into the history of policing in America and where it’s going in the future. Historians, academics, and critics discuss the problems of a system that demands unqualified compliance from its citizens. The film also asks whether the police - or the people that they serve and protect - ultimately hold the real power in America.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "POWER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Power

Why is (almost) everyone talking about the Karen Read case? If you've also been wondering, you're in luck. Rebecca was asked to dive into it for the Boston Globe's Say More podcast, and on this special crossover edition of Crime Writers On, we're thrilled to share that episode. Rebecca chats with host Shirley Leung and courts reporter Sean Cotter about the case, why it's gotten so much attention, and what's happening in the trial. Plus, what should we be watching for?FOLLOW SAY MORE FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, OR WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR AUDIO!
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What's up with the Karen Read Case? (A Boston Globe/Say More crossover!)

A hardscrabble journalist is reassigned to help an American podcaster investigate a cold case in a remote Irish village. After twenty years, Bodkin is set to resume its annual Samhain  celebration - a tradition that was canceled after three people disappeared the night of the pagan festival.While host Gilbert Power focuses primarily on the human interest angle,  Dove Maloney thinks a larger story is hiding within Bodkin. Along with their researcher Emmy, Dove looks for connections between the festival victims and an infamous smuggler living in the village under an assumed name. The Netflix comedy/mystery series “Bodkin” stars Siobhán Cullen and Will Forte. The team tries to navigate car fires, hit-and-runs, yoga teaching nuns, an eel smuggling ring, and the secrets a small town wants to bury, peppered with insider quips about the state of podcasting.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BODKIN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: home shopping.
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Bodkin

Donnie Dunn, an aspiring stand-up comedian, extends a courtesy to a distraught pub customer. Martha Scott becomes a friend and a regular at the bar, but her fixation on Donnie starts crossing boundaries. He tries to push away, but a spurned Martha begins an unrelenting stalking campaign which upends his life. The stress of the stalking triggers repressed feelings of Donnie’s own sexual assault at the hands of an influential television writer. As things continue to spin out of control, Donnie struggles to understand himself and decipher the woman who’s obsessed with him.Netflix’s buzzworthy dark comedy-slash-searing drama “Baby Reindeer” stars Richard Gadd and is based on his autofictional one man show. The series mines deep emotional territory, with performances that are fiercely raw and often unsettling.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BABY REINDEER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Baby Reindeer

Police in Austin, Texas had no clue as to who was behind a package bomb that killed a homeowner in March 2018. Ten days later, when two more devices exploded in the city, investigators knew they were dealing with a serial bomber. With each new attack, the devices were more sophisticated. But authorities caught a break when bombs found at a FedEx facility could be traced to a suspicious man who dropped them off.In the newest installment of the series from Campside Media, Pegalo Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment, “Witnessed: 19 Days” recounts the hunt for the Austin serial bomber. Host Sean Flynn describes the shoe leather efforts of law enforcement to stop the attacks and discern the motive behind the terror campaign.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: 19 DAYS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Don't stop bee-lieving.
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Witnessed: 19 Days

Grifter Thomas Ripley is hired by a wealthy businessman to convince his prodigal son to return from his extended holiday in Italy. But instead he ingratiates himself with Dickie Greenleaf and shares in his host’s life of luxury. Once he overstays his welcome, Ripley hatches a plan to get rid of Dickie and assume his playboy identity.Instead of Easy Street, Ripley finds himself living one step ahead of Dickie’s suspicious girlfriend, Marge, and an Italian detective investigating the missing bon vivant. Can the talented con man keep up the ruse and avoid getting tangled in the web of lies he’s spun?Netflix’s series “Ripley” stars Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning, and is based on the book and movie “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The moody black &amp; white thriller is punctuated with rich symbolism, awe-inspiring scenery, and heart-stopping suspense, wrapped around a tour de force performance by Scott.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "RIPLEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Ripley

In 1988, three months after going missing from a lake in San Angelo, Texas, the bodies of teenagers Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly were discovered - the pair had been shot. Among those in their friend group were a collection of self-styled occultists, and evidence of satanic rituals was found near the park where they vanished. Evidence suggested there was more than one killer and rumors of a falling out between the victims and members of the cult interested investigators. Other possibilities included a drug debt, a random robbery, or police perpetrators and a cover-up. Decades after the murders, new clues keep emerging, but detectives seem no closer to solving this cold case.From Texas Monthly True Crime comes “Shane and Sally.” Hosts Rob D’Amico and Karen Jacobs take a fresh look at the prominent unsolved mystery. They track down past suspects and seek a motive for the killing of the teens. Did they really double-cross a drug dealer, provoke a satanic cult, or were they the latest victims of a stick-up gang prowling the lake?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHANE AND SALLY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: give us this play.
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Shane and Sally

Among the missing persons cases online sleuth Todd Matthews followed were that of two boys from the same family who vanished 25 years apart. He was shocked to receive a call from a man who thought he might be Phillip Steven Brandenburg, the baby who went missing in 1974.Todd determined Steve Patterson was indeed the John Doe they’d been searching for and helped him reconnect with the mother he never knew. Sandi Brandenburgh claimed the underground adoption was brokered by her husband. Soon after, Franklin Floyd disappeared with Sandi’s oldest daughter and lived on the run with her for years. Authorities would not tie all these threads together until three more people were dead or missing.From iHeartMedia, Revelations Entertainment, First and Last Productions, and Neon Hum Media, comes "Hello, John Doe." We hear Todd work with Steve to learn more about where he came from, though the answers are discouraging. It also guides listeners through the connections to the Sharon Marshall and Michael Hughes cases and Todd’s efforts to reunite a family torn apart by tragedy.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HELLO, JOHN DOE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Hello, John Doe

In 2014, Sarah Koenig and Dana Chivvis traveled to Guantánamo Bay hoping to find the untold stories about the infamous military prison. They found many friendly soldiers willing to repeat Army talking points, but no one willing to be candid about life at the detention center.A decade later, the pair reached out to those people, many who had left the military and were now willing to go on the record. Many remembered Gitmo as a plum wartime assignment in sunny Cuba, filled with strong drinks and sexy personnel. Others have slowly come to terms with what the mission was and the role they played in it. Koenig also spoke with former prisoners, some with little or no connection to the Taliban or Al Qaeda when they were detained. In season four of “Serial,” Koenig and Chivvis drift away from the podcast format it popularized ten years ago, telling a variety of stories week-to-week about Guantánamo Bay from the people who were there. Instead of a deep investigation into policies and procedures at Gitmo, the hosts seek personal, unexplored stories from more than 100 of those on the ground. The podcast promises an oral history of the military detention center long cloaked in mystery and infamy.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF SEASON 4 OF "SERIAL" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODEIn Crime of the Week: distill my heart.
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Serial season 4

After being booked, defendants in Nashville’s justice system must navigate a labyrinth of challenges. They include people whose mental illness gets them in trouble, an abuse survivor who finds herself both victim and defendant, a couple using jail as an opportunity to get clean from heroin, and teenagers facing life sentences for murder. There are also judges and corrections officials who acknowledge the system’s default setting is for incarceration, not rehabilitation. And they recognize the inadequate resources available for those who need help once they’re released.The Max Original JUSTICE, USA is an insider’s view of Nashville's criminal justice system, going into the jails for men, women, and juveniles. The series features a variety of stories about inmates, lawyers, and judges who confront issues of incarceration, mental illness, and addiction.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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JUSTICE, USA

With the nation already on edge after 9/11, envelopes containing deadly anthrax were mailed to journalists and politicians. It killed five postal workers and reporters, and sickened Congressional staffers. Government officials claimed these attacks originated overseas, and used the threat as justification for the invasion of Iraq. The FBI relied on leading experts to decipher the anthrax, and traced the weaponized strain to a particular beaker in a US biolab. Was one of the scientists working with investigators actually responsible for the attacks? In the latest installment of the series from Sony Music and Campside Media, “Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat” recounts the seven-year probe that shocked the nation, ruined lives and careers, and set the country on the path to war. Host Josh Dean details the sprawling investigation into who mailed the bio-weapon and why.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "COVER UP: THE ANTHRAX THREAT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Octomess!
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Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat

The 2012 murders of 20 school children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary shocked the nation and shattered their grieving families. But InfoWars host Alex Jones immediately unspooled a series of conspiracy theories accusing the parents of faking their kids’ deaths in an elaborate hoax. For years, the families were harassed by conspiracy theorists and routinely slandered by Jones. Fed up, a group of parents sued the host for libel and asked courts in Texas and Connecticut to hold him accountable in the biggest defamation case in US history.The HBO Original documentary “The Truth vs. Alex Jones” goes behind the scenes of the billion-dollar-plus lawsuit. It also digs into the origins of Jones’s unrepentant personna and his scandal-driven business model, as well as the worldview of the followers he inspired to torment the victims’ loved ones.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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The Truth vs. Alex Jones

In June 2021, Ella Mae Begay vanished from her Sweetwater, Arizona home in the middle of the night. Preston Henry Tolth admitted to tribal police he stole the 62-year-old’s truck and beat her, but Ella Mae’s family pressured him to say where on the Navajo reservation he left her. A year later, 38-year-old Kristina Carrillo went missing from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. But as host Connie Walker investigates her disappearance, she uncovers an unlikely connection between the two cases.In the final season of “Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater,” Walker looks at two missing persons cases from the largest Indian reservation in the US and their potential link. In addition to her journalism on the issue of missing and murdered indigenous people, the Peabody Award-winning host also focuses on the systemic issues that make solving these cases so difficult.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STOLEN: TROUBLE IN SWEETWATER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: the beat slows down. 
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Stolen: Trouble in Sweetwater

To engage his sociology students, Elizabethton High School teacher Alex Campbell created a unique lesson plan. The class would research a 1970s cold case known as the Redhead Murders. By semester's end, the students had created a profile of the possible serial killer. Six months after the class released their findings, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified someone who fit their profile. They said DNA linked a now-deceased truck driver to one of the half-dozen murders. But with links to the other victims still missing, a new group of Mr. Campbell’s students pick up the trail to solve the case once and for all.From iHeart True Crime and KT Studios, “Murder 101” traces how a group project turned into a potential break in a 40-year-old mystery. The podcast brings us into the classroom discussions on possible clues and an interview with the one person who might tie the crimes of Jerry Leon Johns together: his one surviving victim.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER 101" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.
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Murder 101

Imogene Scott finds herself aboard a luxury cruise ship chartered by the Collier family. The guest list includes powerful friends, as well as Chinese investors interested in acquiring their clothing factory. But after setting sail, an obnoxious passenger is killed with a harpoon through his chest.Also on board is a figure from Imogene’s childhood: world famous detective Rufus Cotesworth, who tried to solve her mother’s car bombing but abruptly dropped the case. The murdered passenger was actually Rufus’s undercover partner, looking for connections between the Colliers and the enigmatic Viktor Sams. Though she despises him, Imogene agrees to help Rufus investigate when she learns Sams was somehow tied to her mother’s death.Hulu’s high seas whodunnit “Death and Other Details” stars Violett Beane and Mandy Patinkin. The stylized drama takes the locked room murder format and sets it afloat. Can the pair learn what Danny uncovered that got him killed? Why is Viktor Sams targeting the passengers ? And will Imogene discover who was responsible for her mother’s death all those years ago.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEATH AND OTHER DETAILS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Up shit's creek.This episode was recorded live at The Word Barn in Exeter, NH. 
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Death and Other Details

It was the scandal that took down a President…but it didn’t happen all at once. The road to Watergate was paved over time with small turns and little-known stories that need to be heard.In this CWO Classic: we’ll revisit our December 8, 2017 review of the classic podcast “Slow Burn.”
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Slow Burn

After profiling lawyer Shane Correia years ago for her podcast, part of his story stuck with host Amory Sivertson. He grew up under the cloud that his sister Sophia had been arrested for murdering her mother-in-law. And it was his brother Sean who said he witnessed Sophia commit the crime. But something about the story bothered Sivertson. Did the six-month pregnant 23-year-old really beat Marlyne Johnson with fireplace tongs just to steal some money? Why does the blood evidence only point to Sean, who was given a deal to testify against his sister? But her own investigation takes several turns, and Sivertson wonders if she’ll ever know who’s telling the truth.In “Beyond All Repair” from WBUR and ZSP Media, Sivertson offers up a classic murder mystery with an enthralling cast of characters. She brings a vibrant narrative style and leaves no stone unturned in her quest to find out who killed Marlyne . OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BEYOND ALL REPAIR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: sinking feeling.
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Beyond All Repair

He went from NFL tight end to having three murder charges. Could his rags-to-riches-to-ruin story have been different?In this CWO Classic, we’ll revisit our October 29, 2018 review of "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football, Inc." from Wondery and the Boston Globe Spotlight team.
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Gladiator

Western news outlets became fascinated with Chen Guangcheng, a blind self-taught lawyer who advocated for human rights inside communist China. When Guangcheng escaped house arrest and fled to the US in 2012, he was held up as a symbol of freedom and democracy. But in the subsequent years, observers were puzzled when Guangcheng re-entered the public sphere as a Trump supporter, repeating right-wing talking points. And the humble dissident who stood up to China’s authoritarian government was spotted in Washington on January 6th.The podcast “Dissident at the Doorstep” from Crooked Media looks at Guangcheng’s story, tracing his early advocacy for reproductive freedoms and disability rights, to the diplomatic crisis caused by his flight from captivity, and his latter day emergence as a right wing darling. Hosts Alison Klayman, Colin Jones, and Yangyang Cheng ask if the man known as “the barefoot lawyer” changed his political stripes…or was he misunderstood from the beginning?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DISSIDENT AT THE DOORSTEP" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Every dog has his DNA.
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Dissident at the Doorstep

“Twin Peaks” actor Kyle MacLachlan had a crazy story for his friend. In the 1980s, kingpin Pablo Escobar bribed an entire North Carolina town to let him land airplanes and smuggle cocaine into the US. The little-known story happened in Varnamtown, population 300. They found that residents, many with the last name of Varnam, got rich as a cog in the cartel's trafficking operation. But one fisherman who refused to be intimidated took on the town in a quixotic effort to stop the smuggling. It took a spate of bad luck and double crosses to bring the whole thing down.In the podcast “Varnamtown,” MacLachlan and war correspondent Joshua Davis revisit this drug war footnote in a tale that features REO Speedwagon, lawn mowing Playboy bunnies, and an attack turkey. We hear from residents, investigators and drug smugglers while the actor and the journalist banter with each other about the story’s quirky twists and turns. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "VARNAMTOWN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
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Varnamtown

Concerned by her adolescent behavior, Katherine Daniel’s parents sent the teenager to the Academy at Ivy Ridge, a school that promised to set her straight through a rigorous program. But within its walls, Ivy Ridge’s students were subjected to humiliation and violence at the hands of its staff. Years later, Katherine and her former classmates returned to the now-closed school. Riffling through its abandoned files and surveillance tape, they put together the pieces of their traumatic experiences, hoping to prove to an unconvinced world they were abused by so-called educators more interested in collecting tuition than in their well being.The Netflix documentary series “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping” is a unique view of the troubled teen industry told through the eyes of a former student. Katherine Kubler retraces the academy’s history while confronting former workers and pursuing current owners. She also attempts to come to terms with her own experience at the school and her strained relationship with the parent who put her there.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE PROGRAM" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: rise, dry, reboot.
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The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping

Journalist Jess Shane had become disillusioned with the documentary industry and its effects on those profiled. She set off to create a new paradigm and craft stories with input from the people whose lives she’s covering. Shane reveals her process of creating a new kind of storytelling, featuring four people who’ll receive compensation and editorial input. But after months of collaboration, the subjects are unable to offer meaningful contributions to Shane’s presentation of their life stories. And the documentarian must confront what happens when subjects want more of the control she offered.From PRX’s Radiotopia Presents comes “Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative.” Shane lets listeners into her earnest project to create stories that do right by their subjects, only to learn what is lost by doing so. It also asks questions about the commoditization of nonfiction programs by the companies that supply them and the audiences that demand them.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHOCKING, HEARTBREAKING, TRANSFORMATIVE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 16 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. 
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Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative

Sierra Barter’s step-grandfather had terrorized her family for years before his death in 2008. Jim Mordecai sexually abused the women in his life, including his step-daughter and his high school students. But he also seemed to have knowledge about a string of 1970s unsolved murders involving hitchhikers near his Northern California hometown. Sierra launches an investigation into Jim’s life which draws her closer to estranged relatives, but what she learns of her dead step-grandfather fits the profile of a man who could be responsible for some of the most infamous killings in the Bay Area.The Max Original “The Truth About Jim” follows Sierra’s journey to learn about Mordecai’s past, his victims, and his penchant for violence. Was this serial sexual offender also responsible for the Santa Anna Hitchhiker Murders? Or even more shocking…could he have been the Zodiac Killer?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE TRUTH ABOUT JIM" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: frankly disappointing. 
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The Truth About Jim

A young filmmaker sets off to find his mother’s killer. What he uncovers shocks him. In this CWO Classic Rewind we’ll revisit our December 7, 2020 review of HBO’s “Murder on Middle Beach.”
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Murder on Middle Beach

Sunset Mesa Funeral Home was a trusted business for bereaved residents in Montrose, Colorado. Director Megan Hess smooth-talked family members and offered steep discounts on cremations for those who donated their bodies to science. But the community was shocked when it learned the ashes in their urns were not those of their loved ones. Investigators discovered customers were being misled as to how their remains would be used. Hess was getting rich in the shadowy world of body dealing. In the backroom, she was dismembering heads and limbs to be illegally sold to medical companies for research.From Sony Music Entertainment, Campside Media and Black Bar Mitzvah, comes “Cover Up: Body Brokers.” The podcast recounts how Hess and her mother harvested body parts from their funeral home while giving families cremains from a mixed pile of ashes. Host Ashley Fantz talks to investigators, Sunset Mesa employees, and loved ones affected by the scam. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "COVER UP: BODY BROKERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: By any other name.
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