Are there any non-sensationalistic and non-speculative true crime stuff like that you like?...
- tv series
- podcasts
- etc
It's a genre I'm interested in but 95% of the time I don't like stuff. Audiences want endless salacious, sensationalistic, and purely speculative details. I don't want any of that stuff.
The only thing I've ever watched or listened to that I've liked was the Forensic Files.
Forensic Files (TV Series 1996-2011)
A series featuring detailed accounts on how notable crimes and diseases were solved through forensic science.
I ended up downloading all seasons off TPB. But I had stop watching after season 7. I deleted the rest of the episodes unwatched.
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As well done as it was - it was relentlessly bleak. I took breaks lasting months but episodes were still too depressing.
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The narrator was Peter Thomas. When I was young he was the voice of PBS to me. He seemed to narrate everything PBS did. I never thought I'd get sick of his voice but, man, did I ever. Too much of anything can get to you.
If there's a Forensic Files-like podcast with at least some lighthearted stuff as a break from the depressing stuff - that might be perfect for me.
Have you ever listened to Last Podcast on the Left? It's three comedians and horror fans doing deep dives on anything macabre or spooky, mixing educational and hilarious. They cover serial killers, cults, spree killers, family annihilators, along with paranormal and cryptid stuff.
The first 100 episodes or so aren't great and some of the humor was pretty abrasive and problematic, but they've grown a lot over the last 11 years and it's my favorite podcast.
Was gonna recommend lpotl. They do a good job of focusing on the failures and systemic issues with policing that accompany many of these stories. It's also my favorite podcast full of racist caricatures.
My Favorite Murder does the same thing, but not quite as deep, and they're much more sensitive (if you can deal with them being huge libs). My partner got me into them and its good comfort slop we listen to together each week.
They did a six part series on the origins of Mormonism and Blood Atonement that completely changed my view on Mormons from "weirdly stuffy christians who write a lot of speculative fiction" to "well the same thing but also the most successful cult in US history."
I literally just finished relistening to the Mormonism series last week. It's one of their best series!
It's crazy how popular Mormonism got when its origins are so thoroughly documented as a huge scam run by a horny grifter. And I didn't even know about the super occult-like rituals they had before I listened to this series.
I'll check that out.