I'm Not a Monster season 2

In 2015, a 15-year-old East London girl left for Syria with two of her friends to live in the so-called Caliphate. After Shamima Begum was captured in a refugee camp in 2019, the British public was enraged by her attitude that she’d done nothing wrong and for downplaying the violence committed by ISIS.

Journalist Josh Baker traveled to Syria to interview the evasive prisoner, then retraced her steps to fact check her story - that she went to the Caliphate to practice fundamentalism, not to become an ISIS soldier.  

BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live present season two of “I’m Not a Monster: The Shamima Begum Story.” Josh Baker explores war ravaged Syria to discover the network which smuggled her into ISIS territory, examine her life as a soldier's bride in the Caliphate, and confirm whether or not the British teen was an active combatant against Coalition forces. The host repeatedly risks his safety to answer the simple question: should Shamima be believed?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "I'M NOT A MONSTER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL  TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: shitty review.

Ghost Herd

The Easterdays drew a lot of water in southeast Washington. Cody Easterday was a titan of agriculture who provided Tyson food with two percent of its beef. But a series of bad investments and commodities speculation put the rancher in a desperate financial position.  

Easterday engineered a quarter-billion dollar hoax: tricking Tyson into paying for the upkeep of cattle that only existed on paper. When the hoax was discovered it disrupted the food supply and threatened the farming empire the community depended on.

KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio and Northwest Public Broadcasting present “Ghost Herd.” Host Anna King plows into the livestock swindle, as well as shines a light on the precarious nature of farming and the food supply in modern America.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GHOST HERD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Killing County

A wave of gunfire in a parking lot. A man hogtied and beaten to death. A grandfather with dementia shot in his driveway while holding a crucifix. The many families of victims in Bakersfield and Kern County, California search for justice in the county with the highest death rate by police violence in America.

In a system where police brutality is investigated by the police, few cops here are held accountable for even the most egregious uses of deadly force. And its police chief is more interested in giving taxpayer money to settle lawsuits than improving public safety.

From producer Colin Kaepernick, the ABC News Studio Hulu’s “Killing County” explores one community’s cops known to shoot first and ask questions later. It provides video and witness accounts of police brutality, and introduces us to several families affected by law enforcement violence. In an era where police murders are prevalent, “Killing County” asks why is it so bad here?  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "KILLING COUNTY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Naked justice.

Stolen Youth

In 2010, a group of students at Sarah Lawrence College were surprised when a co-ed’s father began sleeping on the couch in their dorm. One by one, Larry Ray became a confidant and mentor to the young men and women, eager for his worldly knowledge. 

After Ray and the students moved into a Manhattan apartment, his paternal guidance morphed into coercive control - complete with corporal punishment, sex trafficking, and group paranoia that evil forces were targeting them. For ten years, Ray exerted his influence over them, until authorities broke up what they labeled “a cult.”

The three-part Hulu documentary “Stolen Youth” brings us inside the so-called Sarah Lawrence College cult, with exclusive interviews from the former students and homemade video from inside their psychological prison. It then jumps to the present day to chronicle the remaining cult members’ struggle with the consequences of their pasts.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STOLEN YOUTH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Truth and Lies: The Informant

Kansas resident Dan Day discovers his new friends belong to a militia group fixated on the Somali refugees in their community. That’s when he’s approached by the FBI, asking him to join the right-wing group and report on whether they’re planning violence. When the informant learns the extremists are drawing up an attack on Muslims, the investigation takes on a new urgency. Dan finds himself in the middle of a plot in which the lives of many hang in the balance…including his own.

ABC Audio’s five-part podcast, “Truth and Lies: The Informant,” takes us inside the probe of extremists in the heartland and the ordinary guy thrust into the middle of the investigation. Host Dick Lehr supplements interviews with residents, agents, and prosecutors with undercover audio tapes documenting the plans of a domestic terror attack.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "TRUTH AND LIES: THE INFORMANT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: wingin' it.

Gunther's Millions

When a German countess died in 1992, she left her fortune to the only family she had: her dog Gunther. The world’s richest pooch enjoyed private jets, personal chefs, and a dedicated staff led by Gunther’s caretaker, Maurizio Mian.

The will also decreed that Gunther would form a pop band. The dog bought Madonna’s mansion where the group’s attractive members were directed to have sex with one another, while researchers studied their levels of happiness. But few questions were asked about the origins of the fortune or how Maurizio came to control Gunther’s financial empire.

The Netflix documentary series “Gunther’s Millions” turns the feel-good story of a rich dog into an investigation of media manipulation, tax fraud, sex cults and the man at the center of it all. Is this a story about one lucky dog or is it the ultimate test to see if money can buy happiness?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GUNTHER'S MILLIONS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Chameleon: Dr. Dante

In the 1960s, Ronald Pellar performed as nightclub hypnotist “Dr. Dante.” He thrilled crowds, mixed with celebrities, and even married a movie star. But Dante was a prolific con man, accused of stealing and attempting to have a rival hypnotist murdered.  

After prison, Dante expanded his stage act to include seminars, self-help tapes, tattooed makeup, and a collegiate diploma-mill. He made millions of dollars on false claims and was comfortable telling reporters all about them. When it seemed an elderly Dante was ready to retire from his life of deception, he planned a comeback.

Campside Media is out with season five of “Chameleon: Dr. Dante.” “Wild Boys” host Sam Mullens recounts the many lives of the hypnotist who used his powers of persuasion to be one of the greatest con men in history.  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DR. DANTE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: stuffing sausages.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

A racially-motivated attack on pedestrians was thwarted by the driver’s passenger: a man he picked up hitchhiking. He went simply by “Kai,” and the colorful way he described the incident became a viral sensation. Kai’s quirky personality and unlikely story made him Internet-famous. He declined TV offers in favor of going back off the grid. But months later, the carefree drifter the world thought was so charming when he struck a criminal with a hatchet would be implicated in a murder. 

The Netflix film “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker” recounts Kai’s rocky journey from meme to murderer, propelled by Hollywood and social media. Was the world so taken by the dude in the “smash smash smash” video they overlooked his violent tendencies which were in plain sight?  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE HATCHET WIELDING HITCHHIKER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle

When journalist Sam Anderson learned a high school friend was wanted for the murder of a Northern California pot farmer, he set off to prove his friend’s innocence. He discovered the infamous Emerald Triangle was not the hippie Shangri-la it was made out to be. Anderson tries to reconcile the friend of his youth with the man implicated in a fatal ripoff. He seeks answers as to what happened in the hills that drove Zach Wuester to violence.  

In “Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle,” Anderson makes his way through California’s strange and dangerous marijuana harvesting culture. Did Zach lead seven others to kill the farmer who ripped them off, or was he just an unwitting accomplice?  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE EMERALD TRIANGLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE

Crime of the Week: hotel parking.

Alabama Astronaut

Ex-preacher and musician Abe Partridge went on a journey to discover songs never recorded, but passed down for generations in Appalachia. He discovered the largest repository of undocumented music were in Pentecostal churches where preachers employed the controversial practice of handling snakes. But once getting over the customs of their unconventional worship, Partridge developed a true appreciation for the people, their beliefs, and their music. He’d eventually convince a snake-handling preacher/musician and his wife to record the songs of their faith.

In the podcast “Alabama Astronaut,” host Ferrill Gibbs relays Partridge’s odyssey through an often ridiculed subculture and his hunt for the folk art long hidden. It focuses less on the spectacle of handling snakes and drinking poison and more on how it informs their little-known musical expressions.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ALABAMA ASTRONAUT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo

As head of La Luz del Mundo, third generation church leader Naasón Joaquín García promised eternal salvation. All the while, he used his position as Apostle to groom children and young women for sexual abuse for years. When García’s victims in the US and Mexico meet on Reddit and compare stories, they ban together to expose the church’s secret. Once seeming untouchable, they convince authorities to go after García and hold him accountable.

The HBO Original “Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo” is the latest documentary exploring the sins of religious leaders using their position as God’s messenger to coerce followers into sexual exploitation. It provides plenty of space for American and Mexican victims to tell their truth and covers García’s fall from grace.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNVEILED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: doggie style.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

A group of uber-successful professionals are invited on a weekend trip to their billionaire friend’s island to play a game: solve his own murder. But one stranger is also tagging along: the famed detective Benoit Blanc, who fears a more sinister game is afoot. 

The lights go out. A body is sprawled on the floor. Who’s the killer? The politician? The fashion model? The scientist? The video gamer? Or the former business partner the host swindled?

Daniel Craig leads an all-star cast in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” A modern take on the parlor mystery, the audience follows Blanc as he attempts to solve the case before the killer can strike again.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GLASS ONION" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Undetermined

In August 2019, her friend reported Jessica Easterly Durning missing. When family members got little response from New Orleans police, they conducted their own search and found Jessica’s body in a field a short distance from her home. Several forensic factors made it impossible for authorities to definitively say whether Jessica’s death was homicide, accidental or some other manner. Meanwhile suspicion has fallen on her husband Justin whose story about her last night at home kept changing.

Jessica Noll hosts “Undetermined” from Tenderfoot TV & Resonate Recordings. The podcast dives into the mystery around the death, including her volatile marriage and secret hustle as a cam girl. The series asks whether Jessica’s untimely death was murder - and if so - who was responsible.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNDETERMINED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: bug in the restaurant.

The Battle for Justina Pelletier

Justina Pelletier was a 14-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that required numerous surgeries and caused severe pain. When she was taken to Boston Children’s Hospital, doctors suspected Justina’s issues were psychological and not physical - and they suspected her parents were committing medical child abuse.

Over the next 16 months, the Pelletiers used the media and threats of litigation to apply pressure on the hospital and the state to discharge their daughter. But administrators said these hardball tactics made it impossible to get Justina care at other facilities, further harming her prognosis.

The Peacock documentary series “The Battle for Justina Pelletier” looks at the very public tug-of-war between parents and physicians convinced they’re doing the best thing for a sick child, as well as the exploits of a computer hacker who came to her cause. It also explores the thornier question of what Justina’s medical issues truly were and how that affected the adults’ decisions.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BATTLE FOR JUSTINA PELLETIER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Verified: Full Disclosure

JeAnna Anderson says Officer Anthony Armour sexually assaulted her during a traffic stop. Frances Salazar went to prison over Armour’s false testimony.  And fellow officer Abby Dennison says Armour drugged and raped her.

At the time, Armour was on something called the Brady List, a catalog kept by Arizona prosecutors of cops who shouldn’t be called to the stand - cops whose history of lying or misconduct could impeach their testimony. And that evidence was never disclosed to the women.

In the latest season of “Verified: Full Disclosure” host Natasha Del Toro looks at how Arizona failed to hold disreputable cops accountable or track them from job to job. Piggybacking on the work of an investigative reporter, Del Toro explores a system in which cops can lie and no one needs to know.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "VERIFIED: FULL DISCLOSURE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: shag doll.

Best TV of 2022

Scheming families, conniving con men, and dangerous killers. We saw a lot of great series and documentaries on the small screen this year. We’ll each give our top ten list for the Best TV of 2022.

Lara

1. Only Murders in the Building season 2

2. Yellowjackets

3. The Vow, Part Two

4. Bad Sisters

5. Blackbird

6. Fireboys

7. The Tinder Swindler

8. The White Lotus season 2

9. Landscapers

10. The Dropout

Toby

1. We Need to Talk About Cosby

2. Bad Sisters

3. The Patient

4. Ozark

5. The White Lotus season 2

6. Candy

7. A Friend of the Family

8. Only Murders in the Building season 2

9. Captive Audience

10. Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis

Kevin

1. Yellowjackets

2. The Patient

3. HBO's The Staircase

4. Bad Sisters

5. The White Lotus season 2

6. Only Murders in the Building season 2

7. Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis

8. The Dropout

9. A Friend of the Family

10. NBC’s The Thing About Pam

Rebecca

1. Yellowjackets

2. The White Lotus season 2

3. The Patient

4. Bad Sisters

5. Ozark

6. Only Murders in the Building season 2

7. The Dropout

8. Blackbird

9. Friend of the Family

10. Undercurrent

Best Podcasts of 2022

Wrongful convictions, political investigations, and colorful characters were BIG this year. We’ll each give our lists for the Top Ten Podcasts of 2022.

Lara

1. Bone Valley

2. Motive: Blind Spot

3. Burn Wild

4. Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's

5. Accused: The Impending Execution of Elwood Jones

6. The Sunshine Place

7. Imperfect Paradise: The Sheriff

8. The Letter

9. Chameleon: Wild Boys

10. Smokescreen: Puppy Kingpin

Toby

1. Chameleon: Wild Boys

2. Bone Valley

3. Burn Wild

4. Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's

5. Cover Story: Seed Money  

6. Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis

7. Death of an Artist

8. Will Be Wild

9. Project Unabom

10. Suspect season 2

Kevin

1. Bone Valley

2. The Trojan Horse Affair

3. Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's

4. Chameleon: Wild Boys

5. Will Be Wild

6. Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis

7. Project Unabom

8. Breakdown: The Trump Grand Jury

9. Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin

10. Motive: Blind Spot

Rebecca

1. Bone Valley

2. Will Be Wild

3. Chameleon: Wild Boys

4. Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's

5. Cover Story: Seed Money

6. The Letter

7. Motive: Blind Spot

8. The Trojan Horse Affair

9. Burn Wild

10. Run Hide Repeat

Cover Story: Seed Money

Ex-spy Matt Marshall makes a stunning accusation: billionaire Mike Goguen has been trafficking women to his Montana safehouse, paying them for sex, and bribing law enforcement to get away with it. Matt said he knew this because he’d been Mike’s right-hand man for years. The rich philanthropist had a secret life of paying millions of dollars to strippers and harboring his own fantasies of saving the world. Was the billionaire with a superhero complex actually a super villain? And could the former CIA operative be trusted?

In season two of “Cover Story: Seed Money” from New York magazine and Vox, host Hanna Rosin and investigator Ken Silverstein interview both Mike and Matt and try to make sense of the accusations, lawsuits, and criminal charges in the case. How did two best friends find themselves in a world of sex, money and international intrigue…and what can the reporters believe of a story in which they know everyone has lied to them?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "COVER STORY: SEED MONEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Welcome to Chippendales

Steve Banerjee kept failing in his bid to create an upscale club in Los Angeles. His luck changed when he turned the strip club model on its head, creating the all-male dance review for women known as Chippendales. His new choreographer Nick De Noia elevated Chippendales with polished showmanship. But as the dance troupe attracted national attention, Nick vied for credit and control of the operation. Filled with resentment and jealousy, Steve set in motion a plan to get rid of his rival.

Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” stars Oscar nominee Kumail Nanjiani and Emmy winner Murray Bartlett. The drama shows how one man’s American dream turned into a murderous nightmare. The limited series tells the behind-the-scenes tale of greed, murder…and lots of sex.  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: hot dog.

Infamous: Boy Gone Wild

Joe Francis made a fortune on a simple concept: get drunken women to flash the camera for his direct-to-DVD series “Girls Gone Wild.” When the filming stopped the debauchery continued, as Francis allegedly coerced sex from the women…some of whom were underaged.  Local authorities wanted to protect the victims and put a stop to the filming. Francis remained defiant, until the night an armed man broke into his Bel-Air home to give him a taste of his own medicine.

In the five-part podcast “Infamous: Girls Gone Wild,”* host Vanessa Grigoriadis recounts her early days covering the show for Rolling Stone and the legal troubles Francis would later find himself in. It’s part profile of a vile libertine and part commentary on what constitutes exploitation.

*Note: the title of this series has also been listed as “Infamous: Girls Gone Wild.”

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "INFAMOUS: GIRLS GONE WILD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.