Pretendians

For fifty years, George Coulam has owned the Texas Renaissance Faire, which he runs with an iron fist. Seeking to fill his remaining years with romance, the 86-year-old is considering selling the faire. His earnest general manager Jeff Baldwin believes “King George” will someday pass the reigns to him.For reasons unclear, the mercurial owner sours on his loyal employee, forcing him to share responsibility with a former elephant trainer. Meanwhile, a kettle korn vendor with deep pockets makes a play for the faire. It sparks a game of thrones among those seeking to rule, and for the future of the kingdom.The HBO Documentary series “Ren Faire” mixes cinema verité and fantasy to tell this feud among subcultures. Will the festival’s temperamental monarch sell his prized asset? And how will those decisions affect those in this Shakespearean-sized story of succession?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "REN FAIRE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: nut case. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

In 2015, the gentlemanly world of professional curling was rocked by a new breakthrough. A team debuted the Hardline broom, one whose brushes were incredibly effective at guiding the gliding rock across the ice to the target with astonishing precision. Opponents bristled, claiming the Hardline broom provided an unfair advantage. Then a competing manufacturer unveiled an even better broom, one that practically allowed players to steer the rock. In a sport operating mostly on handshakes, this broom arms race threatened to alter the game and sweep away the bonds among the curling community. In the podcast “Broomgate: A Curling Scandal” from CBC and USG Audio, comedian and curler John Cullen recounts those rancorous days when gamesmanship nearly won over sportsmanship in the most unlikely of athletic controversies. Cullen talks to the central figures who brought curling to the brink, but later found a way to preserve the sport.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BROOMGATE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Workers discover a young woman has overdosed in a hotel room filled with drugs and a video camera, but the police never take any action against the older man who was with her. After getting a tip, LA Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle learns the man is Doctor Carmen Puliafito, the dean of USC’s medical school, who’s been living a secret life of hard drugs and coercive sex with the victim. Pringle and his colleagues are stonewalled by Pasadena police and the administration at USC. But once they uncover enough to print an explosive story about Puliafito and the medical school, they find their own editors are slow-walking the exposé on the powerful university. From iHeart Podcasts and Best Case Studios comes “Fallen Angels: A Story of California Corruption.” Pringle recounts the steps of his investigation into Puliafito and lengths taken by USC to cover up the scandal. Pringle also points fingers at the bosses in his own paper who acted as if they were in cahoots with the university to kill the story.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "FALLEN ANGELS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.In Crime of the Week: cock up. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

What do some of the most prominent Indigenous celebrities, politicians, and cultural leaders have in common? They’re not actually affiliated with the tribes they claim to have ties with. More and more so-called “pretendians” are being unmasked, accused of fabricating their native heritage. Some fake their ancestry to accumulate power, reshape their public image, or obtain benefits meant for Indigenous people. While motivations vary, risk of exposure or accountability remains low.In “Pretendians” from Canadaland, co-hosts Robert Jago and Angel Ellis reveal unbelievable stories of audacious fraudsters and investigate the complex phenomenon of Indigenous identity theft.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PRETENDIANS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE SHOW. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Writer Rebecca Godfrey returns to her parents’ home in Vancouver to develop a book about local teens in a foster home. One of the troubled girls she focuses on is soon connected to the disappearance of her frenemy, Reena Virk, last seen fleeing a group of teens who chased her from a party. When Reena’s body is discovered, Rebecca inserts herself in the teens’ world to find the real story for her book. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s childhood friend, Officer Cam Bentland, seeks her own answers as to what happened that night under the bridge.  Hulu’s “Under the Bridge” stars Riley Keough and Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone in this adaptation of Godfrey’s nonfiction book. The series combines the real life story of Reena Virk and the teens responsible for her death with a dramatized story of women confronting their pasts.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNDER THE BRIDGE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: traffic jam. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Two decades ago, reporter Tonya Mosley got an unexpected phone call from a man claiming to be her nephew by a half-sister she never knew about. Antonio Wiley said his mom vanished in Detroit in the 1980s when he was just 14-years-old. When Anita Wiley’s body was identified in 2020, Tonya and Antonio teamed up to retrace her life and examine why she died. The journey changed the way the journalist looked at her hometown, her family, and herself.From APM Studios and TMI Productions comes the latest season of “Truth Be Told Presents: She Has a Name.” The series is part investigation/part memoir, with the host exploring Anita’s troubled life and unsolved murder. It also examines Tonya’s and Antonio’s struggles to reconcile their feelings about absent parents and their lives that could have been.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHE HAS A NAME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Behind the scenes, years before Robert Durst’s hot mic murder confession made it to air, investigators in the Susan Berman case had been reviewing evidence uncovered by the producers of “The Jinx.” And as America grew transfixed with the 2015 TV series, the man connected to three high-profile crimes felt the heat.Once the millionaire fugitive was captured, prosecutors began building their legal case by tying together two crimes. They argued Berman knew Durst was behind the disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen, and he murdered Berman to keep her quiet. But to prove their theory, they’ll have to get it out of Durst’s many loyal friends and associates.In “The Jinx - Part Two,” director Andrew Jarecki reveals in real time what was happening as the original HBO series shook up the cold case. With extensive jailhouse recordings and courtroom footage, the sequel dissects the murder trial and seeks to answer the final mystery: what happened to Durst’s money?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE JINX - PART TWO" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: inhospitable. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

How did America law enforcement get to its present state of near-unaccountability? An examination of its history shows policing has its origins in running slave patrols, displacing indigenous tribes, and coercing organized labor. Once used as a tool by the powerful to maintain social order and protect their personal property, modern police have become a power unto themselves.With the help of “tough on crime” politicians, law enforcement has only grown in strength and resources. And despite an onslaught of high-profile police brutality, murder, and misconduct cases, legal protections prevent most cops from being answerable for their actions.The Netflix documentary “Power” is a deep dive into the history of policing in America and where it’s going in the future. Historians, academics, and critics discuss the problems of a system that demands unqualified compliance from its citizens. The film also asks whether the police - or the people that they serve and protect - ultimately hold the real power in America.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "POWER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Why is (almost) everyone talking about the Karen Read case? If you've also been wondering, you're in luck. Rebecca was asked to dive into it for the Boston Globe's Say More podcast, and on this special crossover edition of Crime Writers On, we're thrilled to share that episode. Rebecca chats with host Shirley Leung and courts reporter Sean Cotter about the case, why it's gotten so much attention, and what's happening in the trial. Plus, what should we be watching for?FOLLOW SAY MORE FROM THE BOSTON GLOBE ON APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, OR WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR AUDIO! For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

A hardscrabble journalist is reassigned to help an American podcaster investigate a cold case in a remote Irish village. After twenty years, Bodkin is set to resume its annual Samhain  celebration - a tradition that was canceled after three people disappeared the night of the pagan festival.While host Gilbert Power focuses primarily on the human interest angle,  Dove Maloney thinks a larger story is hiding within Bodkin. Along with their researcher Emmy, Dove looks for connections between the festival victims and an infamous smuggler living in the village under an assumed name. The Netflix comedy/mystery series “Bodkin” stars Siobhán Cullen and Will Forte. The team tries to navigate car fires, hit-and-runs, yoga teaching nuns, an eel smuggling ring, and the secrets a small town wants to bury, peppered with insider quips about the state of podcasting.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BODKIN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: home shopping. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com