December 15, 2019
SOMETHING NEW
From the moment I saw that lowercase ‘i’ in the show name, I was certain this was going to be a fictional send up of true-crime podcasts, ala A Very Fatal Murder. I was dead wrong. This show is fictional, and is much closer to Law and Order than My Favorite Murder. It’s actually a bit of a mix between a crime drama and the beloved TV show Pushing Daisies (which is, I suppose, a crime comedy?). Our main character, forensic pathologist Jon Spacer, has just arrived in Springfield, and it is clear from the jump that weird things happen in this town. At first I was really intrigued by the idea that a podcast might be able to riff on that network procedural instinct, but I think the show has a bit more narrative ambition. Generally I would be in favor of placing self-contained episodes inside a broader story arc, but the novelty in the medium almost feels more innovative.
Spacer is excellently voiced by the show’s creator, Vincent Dajani, who also wrote and produced season 1. Shaina Wareing steps into the role of police chief Fran Crowley, bringing a gruffness that lands free of any unintended campiness, and David Dixon delivers a promising turn as the antagonistic Curtis (who looks to be more prominently featured in season 2). There are a number of minor characters who are more hit or miss, including a couple puzzling moments where the line read just doesn’t match the quality of the writing and the sound production. And the world is quite effectively evoked with sound. I imagine the variety of scenes necessitated by episode driving crimes helps with this, but that’s a byproduct of good writing that contextualizes the deaths in different circumstances.
Dajani buttons each episode with a bit of behind-the-scenes material that I could do without. It strikes me as bonus material fans might appreciate accessing a la carte - perhaps soon after listening to an episode, but not appended to the material itself. I do appreciate the way this time serves to act as a buffer between the world of the show and the next thing in my podcast cue. This show feels new and exciting to me, and I’m willing to stick with the evolution of the wider plot...while holding out hope I’m witnessing the rise of the Law and Order of podcasts.
Spacer is excellently voiced by the show’s creator, Vincent Dajani, who also wrote and produced season 1. Shaina Wareing steps into the role of police chief Fran Crowley, bringing a gruffness that lands free of any unintended campiness, and David Dixon delivers a promising turn as the antagonistic Curtis (who looks to be more prominently featured in season 2). There are a number of minor characters who are more hit or miss, including a couple puzzling moments where the line read just doesn’t match the quality of the writing and the sound production. And the world is quite effectively evoked with sound. I imagine the variety of scenes necessitated by episode driving crimes helps with this, but that’s a byproduct of good writing that contextualizes the deaths in different circumstances.
Dajani buttons each episode with a bit of behind-the-scenes material that I could do without. It strikes me as bonus material fans might appreciate accessing a la carte - perhaps soon after listening to an episode, but not appended to the material itself. I do appreciate the way this time serves to act as a buffer between the world of the show and the next thing in my podcast cue. This show feels new and exciting to me, and I’m willing to stick with the evolution of the wider plot...while holding out hope I’m witnessing the rise of the Law and Order of podcasts.
From: AudiOhm Media
Recommended for: True crime fans who feel like maybe they should maintain more of a healthy distance from gruesome murders.
Drop Schedule: Wednesday, Seasonal:Weekly (All episodes now available)
Average episode length: 20 minutes
Rating: Make It Work
THE LIST
This episode is framed with a simple gimmick - dissect the industry of car loans from the angle of the salesman, the consumer, and the repo man. But the humanity of the story and the prevalence of the industry is endlessly fascinating, and of course Planet Money delivers it with panache.
Each act in this episode stands out in some way. The prologue is beguilingly literary. Act One comes with some deeply personal access to familial roots. Act Two is a light parable about the separation between public and private lives. But Act Three really stuck with me. It's a conversation with a woman who wrote about the torrid origins of her lifelong romantic relationship from the perspective gleaned in the intervening years. It's the most unique story I’ve encountered in the realm of the Me-Too/Time’s-up era.
The inaugural episode of the "No Place To Hide" miniseries from So, Bob is a chilling look inside what may be the first murder made possible by the internet. But it kicks off an excellent narrative primer on the evolution of privacy in the digital age. Spoiler: privacy is not a new issue. I can't say I came away from the 3 episode arc feeling better or even completely informed, but it has got me thinking a lot more about privacy...which is really what we need.
On the occasion of 100th episode of Flash Forward, the speculative non-fiction podcast about the future, Rose Eveleth takes us to the past. Surprise! It's sort of like an episode of a history podcast, but one that makes connection to the present in a really important way.
HONORABLE MENTION
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