Beyond true crime: Recent Episodes
Tally Abecassis
Stories about crime, but about much more than that, too.
Curated by Tally Abecassis, the host and creator of First Day Back, a documentary podcast about trying to get your life back after an event that changes you. Season 1 is about going back to work after maternity leave; Season 2 is about coming out of prison.
When do you ever get to hear what life is actually like inside a prison? This podcast is being produced by inmates at San Quentin, but has the amazing production and narrative prowess that comes with being a Radiotopia show. It’s not about the prisoners’ crimes (so far), but about life after.
Criminal is definitely the gateway drug for Beyond True Crime and this episode would be fascinating even without the mega twist that happens. That just makes it doubly engrossing.
This miniseries packed so much into it and raised some fascinating questions about how we perceive people on the autism spectrum. Sruthi gives a master class in conducting hostile interviews.
This is my own show that follows the story of Lucie Paquette, coming out of prison for killing her husband. What’s more, she has no memory of doing it. The story starts with the crime, but it’s really about what comes after — how Lucie manages to knit her life back together after doing one of the worst things someone can do.
This is another series for which almost every episode somehow fits the theme of Beyond True Crime. This episode is the winding story of the first African American Secret Service agent. It has rich sound design, and I could listen to this gentleman speak all day long.
This 2-part series is about a former NYC drug kingpin just out of jail and wooing investors to buy into his unorthodox business idea. I love it when podcasts get out of the studio and follow people in the real world and of course StartUp is the best at that. Plus Coss Marte is so charming I dare you not root for him.