The Diplomat season 3

With the sudden death of the President, Ambassador to the UK Kate Wyler is passed over as Vice-President. Grace Penn instead selects Kate’s husband, Hal, to join her in the White House. The move forces Kate to choose between going to Washington with Hal as his Second Lady or staying in London as a diplomat. As the Wyler’s marital relationship dissolves, so does the diplomatic relationship between the nations, as the US’s role in the false flag attack on a British warship goes public. And when the Prime Minister won’t cooperate with the Americans on a crisis involving a missing Russian submarine, Kate realizes Hal’s solution could lead the strained allies to war.

Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell return in season three of Netflix’s “The Diplomat.” Kate is tested as personal and political power dynamics shift. In both affairs of state and of the heart, new alliances are formed, old ones are abandoned, and Kate contemplates what's best for her and the country.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE DIPLOMAT" SEASON THREE BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: fluffy nutters.

Only Murders in the Building season 5

Podcasters Charles, Oliver and Mabel are shocked to find a severed finger in a platter of shrimp cocktail! Is it connected to the suspicious death of their doorman? Or their search for a missing dry-cleaning mobster? The investigation takes a turn when they uncover a secret casino hidden beneath the Arconia. The gaming room contains a card table with a cleaver-shaped gash and is frequented by a trio of billionaires, one who’s missing a finger. But as they dig deeper into the mystery, stories don’t add up, the podcast is muzzled, and the killer remains even more elusive. 

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return for season five of Hulu’s Emmy-winning “Only Murders in the Building.” Television’s fictional favorite true crime podcast team looks into yet another death - or two - in the Arconia. The cast of suspects includes a mob widow, a crooked politician, the world’s richest people, and a robot. This time the crew learns the residents aren’t the real target - it’s the building itself. 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING" SEASON FIVE BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Task

Returning to work after a family tragedy, FBI Agent Tom Brandis is put in charge of a task force to find who has been robbing drug stash houses run by the ruthless Darkhearts motorcycle gang. Robbie Prendergrast is out for revenge since the bikers killed his brother for sleeping with a leader’s wife. But when a holdup turns deadly, Robbie leaves with the eight-year-old son of the people they just killed. Now both the bikers and law enforcement are looking for the stolen drugs and the kidnapped boy. Meanwhile, Tom fears someone on the task force is sabotaging the investigation.

Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey star in the HBO Original drama “Task.” As Tom struggles with his shattered family, Robbie searches for a way out of his impossible situation. In addition to its gripping characters and gritty violence, the crime series is rich in themes of loss, vengeance, and redemption

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "TASK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: I'm not lovin' it.

Dirtbag Climber

British Columbia police were stumped by the 2017 murder of Jessie James, an avid “dirtbag” rock climber, campground philosopher, and shit-posting online troll who lived out of his truck. After years of dead ends, investigators learned the victim had been using an alias, after walking away from a checkered past in the US. Reporter and local climber Steven Chua dug into the story of this con artist who was among the first to harness the Internet’s power for hate speech, spam advertising, and online fraud. After making a world wide web of enemies, did someone finally locate the shape-shifting provocateur in the Canadian woods and take their revenge?  

From CBC Podcasts comes “Dirtbag Climber from Uncover.” Chua crisscrosses North America to learn more about Andrew Britt Greenbaum and his life of cons and contradictions. The host’s search for truth follows the trail he left behind - one alias, one scam, one climb at a time.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DIRTBAG CLIMBER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL EIGHT MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

The Woman in Cabin 10

Journalist Laura "Lo" Blacklock is invited on a cruise aboard a superyacht filled with Richard and Anne Bullmer’s ultra-wealthy friends to raise money for the terminally ill woman’s charity. On the first night, Lo hears a commotion from the cabin next door and spots a woman floating in the water. Lo believes it was the mysterious blonde she saw taking a shower in cabin 10. But with all of the crew and passengers accounted for, no one believes her sighting. The reporter snoops stem-to-stern looking for clues as to who the woman was and why someone would want to push her overboard.

Based on the bestselling novel, the film “The Woman in Cabin 10” stars Keira Knightley and Guy Pearce and is streaming on Netflix. The nautical closed circle mystery finds its heroine doubting her sanity and sniffing out a murderous plot, as she tries to avoid becoming the killer’s next victim.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: terror alert.

The Perfect Neighbor

In February 2022, Florida deputies responded to a service call in which a white woman complained about Black children in her neighborhood playing near her property. Though deputies found the behavior innocuous, Susan Lorincz continued to call the police on the kids, fueling growing tension among neighbors. Then in June 2023, Ajike Owens went to Lorincz’s door to confront her after the woman allegedly threw a roller skate at her son. Within minutes, gunshots rang out—leaving one woman dead and another in custody. Detectives were left to determine whether this was a case of self-defense or a premeditated attack. 

The documentary The Perfect Neighbor, now streaming on Netflix, is shot almost entirely through police body-worn camera footage. It recounts Lorincz’s slow burn from Karen to killer and examines the racial disparity in the application of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law—asking whether the suspect was motivated by fear or by anger.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Bone Valley 3 | Graves County

Fascinated by a 2000 unsolved local murder, Susan Galbreath decided to become a citizen sleuth. With the help of a British journalist, the Mayfield, KY homemaker identified Quincy Cross and five others of kidnapping and killing Jessica Currin, then raping her lifeless body and setting it on fire. While the press loved the story of an amateur detective cracking the case, serious problems were overlooked. The theory of the crime changed, evidence was circumstantial, and interrogation techniques were coercive. Witnesses have recanted their statements, and even Jessica’s father thinks the wrong man is in prison. But what the world didn’t know at the trial was that Galbreath had a reason to lead police to Cross and away from their original suspect.

“Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County” from Lava for Good asks whether the made-for-movie tale of an average citizen solving a murder is too good to be true and the consequences of that fiction. Host Maggie Freleng picks apart the inconsistencies in the investigation and actions of investigators and journalists too eager to believe the information Galbreath was selling.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BONE VALLEY SEASON 3 | GRAVES COUNTY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: torts and treats.

Wisecrack

TV producer Jodi Tovay caught a standup comedy set in Scotland that took a dark and captivating turn. Interwoven with his earnest jokes, comedian Edd Hedges told the terrifying story of how a killer struck his neighborhood - then attempted to get into his house. Years later Tovay convinced Hedges to further explore the crime that continued to haunt him. And as she learned more about what happened that night in 2015, and Hedge’s place in it, she wondered how much of the entertainer’s story is based in truth.

From Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts comes “Wisecrack.” Listeners hear Hedges tell his story of mirth and murder live on stage, before the pair dig deeper into the causes behind the violence his family escaped from. With its “Baby Reindeer” echos, the series explores unreliable memories, criminal behavior, and lingering trauma. 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WISECRACK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

While studying in Italy, Amanda Knox and her boyfriend are arrested for the brutal murder of her British roommate. Although they convicted another man for killing Meredith Kercher, authorities also try Knox - relying on a coerced confession and compromised DNA evidence. She finds herself cartooned and slut-shamed in a Kafkaesque legal system. Despite an eventual acquittal, Knox remains vilified in the tabloids and pursued by prosecutors. Unable to fully clear her name and restart her life in America, she returns to Italy to confront the man who refuses to believe her innocence.

Hulu’s dramatic series “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” stars Grace Van Patten. Co-written by Knox and told largely from her point of view, the series recounts the many turns in the sensational case. It depicts its protagonist as powerless to control the events around her and her quest to reclaim her own narrative. 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE TWISTED TALE OF AMANDA KNOX" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: horse collar.

Hands Tied

True crime fan Lizz Melgar Rose found herself in the middle of her own case. In 2012, her father Jim was murdered in his Texas home while her mother Sandy was tied up and left in a closet wedged shut by a chair. But Sandy Melgar’s inability to recall details of the home invasion made police suspicious. Lizz claimed investigators never pursued other leads, including evidence of a burglary, choosing instead to believe Sandy tied her own hands behind her back and staged the crime scene. Even with no motive or evidence linking her to the brutal stabbing, prosecutors charged her with murder.

iHeartPodcasts and BBC Studios present “Hands Tied.” Host Maggie Robinson Katz explores the theory that a middle-aged woman with epilepsy and arthritis could stab her husband 30 times, stay spotless, then bind herself in a closet locked from the outside. The podcast also follows Lizz’s fight to prove her mother’s innocence.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HANDS TIED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 15 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Breakdown: The Days in May

Ashley and Albert Debelbot had just put their newborn McKenzy to bed for the first time, but hours later rushed the infant back to the hospital after finding a bump on her forehead. When she died, police concluded the parents harmed her and charged them with murder. Facing an overzealous prosecutor, a partial judge, and ineffective defense attorneys, the Debelbots spent twelve years in prison trying to clear their names. But a new legal team uncovered evidence suggesting McKenzy died from a prenatal injury, not a beating.

Season 11 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigative series “Breakdown: Three Days in May” looks into the Debelbots’ complicated case. Hosts Bill Rankin and Tamara Hallerman recount the investigative rush-to-judgment, the flawed trial, and the evidence pointing to a medical cause of the baby’s death—not a criminal one.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BREAKDOWN: THREE DAYS IN MAY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: going nuts!

The Thursday Murder Club

A group of pensioners at a British retirement village have an unusual hobby: they gather weekly to ponder cold cases. But when its co-owner is murdered in the midst of a business dispute over closing the Cooper Chase facility, the elderly sleuths insert themselves in the mystery. With a mix of senior citizen charm and a lifetime of hidden expertise, the Thursday Murder Club digs into the shady backgrounds and dodgy business associates of the retirement community’s remaining owners. As the bodies pile up, these armchair detectives find themselves in real-world peril as they get closer to solving the mystery. 

Based on the hit book series, “The Thursday Murder Club” stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley.  It brings the cozy murder trope into a quiet retirement village where the unlikely sleuths chase down a killer—and remind the world that experience, friendship, and love never grow old.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: I ain't saying she a gold digger™

Unknown Number: A High School Catfish

Thirteen-year-old Lauryn thought the cruel texts about her and her boyfriend were just another case of teenage cyberbullying. But the messages didn’t stop. They escalated, becoming more vicious, graphic, and relentless. Everyone had a theory. Parents blamed classmates. Teachers suspected students. Police hit dead ends. Then a digital breadcrumb buried deep in the texts exposed the last person anyone expected.

From Netflix and the director of “Abducted in Plain Sight” comes “Unknown Number: A High School Catfish,” a chilling dive into digital deception. Teen victims, shattered families, and stunned investigators retrace the damage. We also hear from the catfish, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about their actions and motives.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNKNOWN NUMBER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: A Dark Knight's sleep.

The Retrievals season 2

At a Chicago hospital, labor-and-delivery nurse Clara Hochhäuser prepared to give birth to her own set of twins. But during her Caesarian section, her epidural never kicked in, subjecting her to feel the pain of the entire procedure. Despite her cries of agony, her own colleagues downplayed her suffering as routine discomfort. The incident forced an obstetric anesthetist to realize Clara’s experience was not uncommon. Not only do the pain medications fail in a significant number of C-sections, but doctors often dismiss patients’ complaints as anxiety or over-reactions. It set her on a crusade to change the way her profession perceives and addresses women’s pain. 

In season two of “The Retrievals” from Serial Productions and The New York Times, host Susan Burton explores the under-reported horror of unmedicated C-sections and exposing how institutional neglect and cultural silence continue to shape the way women experience birth. It also follows the quest for systemic change in medical attitudes and procedures for dealing with women’s pain.

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

In Crime of the Week: Don't play it again, Sam.

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The Yogurt Shop Murders

In 1991, four teenage girls were found murdered inside a frozen yogurt store in Austin, Texas. The building had been set on fire, and the crime scene was compromised by the blaze. With no clear motive and little physical evidence, investigators struggled to make sense of what had happened. Years later, after coercive police interviews, a group of men pointed fingers at each other about the crime. Though their stories didn’t completely match, two were convicted and one of them sent to death row. But their convictions were overturned, and new DNA evidence pointed to an unknown suspect. The case remains unresolved, leaving investigators and relatives to wonder what went wrong.

From HBO Documentary Films comes “The Yogurt Shop Murders.” The series digs into the twists and turns of the homicide investigation. It also spends considerable time exploring the emotional toll the case has had on the accused, the grieving family members, and the detectives trying to get justice.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE YOGURT SHOP MURDERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: well done.

The Hunting Wives

Leaving their troubled past in New England behind, Sophie O’Neil’s family moves to Texas, where she’s invited into a friend circle of rich wives. The bougie ladies enjoy couture fashion, boozy brunches, and shooting rifles in the woods. Sophie’s connection to group leader Margo Banks grows intense, stirring something more than friendship. As Margo’s oil magnate husband plans to run for governor, the sheriff is dealing with two violent crimes. Sophie’s secret life becomes entwined in a murder investigation. As the walls close in, Sophie finds she’s not the only one willing to hide their secrets.

The buzzy Netflix series “The Hunting Wives” stars Brittany Snow, Malin Åkerman, and Dermot Mulroney. It attempts to mix scandal, suspense, and obsession, all while serving up soapy mystery and plenty of skin.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE HUNTING WIVES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. 

In Crime of the Week: whole lotta faking goin' on.

Smoke

Fire investigator Dave Gudsen is assigned a new partner to help capture two arsonists. One has been setting fires with milk jugs filled with gasoline and grease. The other has been taunting officials with a delayed-ignition device that’s burning grocery stores. Dave draws on his experience to write a novel about a heroic arson investigator with unusual insight into his suspect’s mind. To Detective Michelle Calderone, the book reads more like a confession. She begins to wonder whether her partner’s uncanny ability to pinpoint these fires’ origins is because he’s been setting them himself.

Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett star in the Apple TV+ series “Smoke,” inspired by the podcast “Firebug.” The show also features Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo, and Anna Chlumsky. As Dave closes in on the other arsonist he’s hunting, Michelle secretly collects evidence to learn whether the smoke surrounding her partner will lead to actual fire.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SMOKE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: milkin' it.

Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War

In the 1990s, Teen Mania Ministries aimed to compete with pop culture influences and reach Christian youth with rock concert-like worship events and international mission trips. The program became a pipeline for the Honor Academy, a religious education facility built on a curriculum of fundamentalist beliefs and unquestioning obedience. Founder Ron Luce aligned his group with conservative political organizations looking to create the next generation of evangelical Americans.  But his program would soon take on a militaristic tone, putting teens through brutal boot camps, glorifying martyrdom, and building an army of actual cultural warriors.

“Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War” is season two of the hit series on Prime Video. Producers pivot away from the drama around reality TV family the Duggars and focus on the rise and fall of Teen Mania. It features alumni recounting how their membership went from joyful engagement to physical and spiritual abuse.  It also shows how the youth program fits into a larger political crusade to reshape the nation according to fundamentalist Christian values.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE: A TEENAGE HOLY WAR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: fresh, baked pizza.

Her Last Broadcast

In 1995, morning TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit was abducted from the parking lot of her Mason City, Iowa apartment. Among those the police questioned was her friend John Vansice who said she’d been at his home watching a videotape of the surprise party he recently threw for her. After a TV show in 2022 highlighted the mystery, Jodi’s best friend said the sketch of a suspect looked like her ex-husband, who’d also been fixated on Jodi. A cold case detective refocused his investigation on Brad Millerbernd, even searching a plot of land where the victim could have been buried.

The three-part series from ABC News Studios “Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit,” now on Hulu, follows an investigator as he examines four potential suspects, including a serial rapist and a serial killer. Instead of re-hashing the past investigation, viewers follow Detective Terrance Prochaska as he picks up the fresh lead, interrogates a new suspect, and sends cadaver dogs to a potential burial site.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HER LAST BROADCAST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: caught like a mouse.

Sirens

Devon DeWitt ventures to a seaside estate to collect her estranged sister, now the indispensable personal assistant to an idiosyncratic socialite. She finds Simone has changed her image, and her presence on the island threatens to upend the new persona Simone has crafted. Devon disrupts plans for Kiki Kell’s annual summer gala, pleading with Simone to return home and care for their ill father. But she finds Kiki’s influence on her sister and the island’s high-society ladies strangely cult-like, and rumors swirl about why the billionaire’s first wife is unaccounted for.

The Netflix comedy-drama “Sirens” features Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy, Julianne Moore, and Kevin Bacon. Filled with lavish settings and costuming, the tone of the series veers from farcical to deeply dark as the story explores themes of class, power, and trauma.

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

In Crime of the Week: pain in the grass.