Best of 2023: Dramatic Adaptations
What was 2023’s best dramatic adaptation of a true crime case?
the true crime that's worth your time
Before we get to today’s best ofs, a programming note from your pals Sarah and Eve: as we noted last week, we’ve grown increasingly concerned with Substack’s ongoing business model of monetizing hate speech and bigotry. The folks who run Substack responded to that collective, open letter from Substack publishers on Thursday, and basically said that they believe deplatforming people seeking to spread hate and harm is 1) not something that will have a positive impact on the world and 2) not something they are willing to do.
That first part is patently wrong. Ask anyone who was targeted by Tucker Carlson when he had a show on Fox News who was again targeted when Carlson launched his show on X. There’s no comparison in the level of harassment they receive now as opposed to then. Deplatforming those who seek to spread hate speech reduces the impact those hateful folks have.
Even Fox News realized that. But Substack doesn’t (or doesn’t care), and actually claims that deplatforming Nazis and other hateful people makes the problems they cause “worse.”
We disagree. We don’t want to share our subscription money with folks who believe handing a Nazi a mic somehow takes away his power. And, like anyone else, we want to be where the cool people are. With the statement Substack released today, we’re pretty sure that that isn’t here.
So we’re doing something we should have done a long time ago. We’re leaving Substack at the end of the month, though we’re not sure where we’ll be going quite yet. We’re hoping for little to no disruption for you, but we’re sure there will be some changes and hiccups, so please accept our apologies in advance. We promise to keep you posted on what will change and how it will impact you.
We’re sorry it has to be this way, because this platform has a lot to offer and is actually kind of neat! But as every ID and Lifetime movie about women who get out of toxic situations notes, when people tell you who they are, you need to listen. Substack’s leaders told us who they are this week.
Thanks for sticking with us. We’ll see you on the other, less hateful, side. — Sarah and Eve
Switching gears somewhat awkwardly…was 2023 a bad year for dramatic adaptations or what? So few of our panelists (all of whom are consumers of fiction, I am sure of it!) had a pick in this category. Were this year’s adaptations just unmemorable, or were they truly too crappy to even mention? We’d love to hear what you think, as always. — EB
I’ve sensed a bit of a gap between critical and consumer response to Killers of the Flower Moon, and I’m not just talking about the very relevant, very important conversations about whose story it is to tell and how it should be told. (The remarks from Devery Jacobs are especially notable, in my opinion.) But I do think that the in-theater experience of KOTFM is very different than the at-home one; critics and journalists (me included) saw screenings arranged by the studio in dark, quiet theaters, while way more people right now are probably watching it at home, phone in hand (or nearby). If you can, go to the theater. You won’t regret it.
But for the at-home, second-screen-friendly life — The Gold is a lot of good fun, Boston Strangler was Fincher for feminists, and — if I may stretch the definition of “adaptation” a bit — Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal was such a strange and fascinating experiment that it’s worth at least one episode. — Best Evidence co-author Eve Batey
Though licensing and patent rights might not sound like the most compelling of possible subjects for cinematic adaptation, Tetris makes game design and board meetings as tense and entertaining as any spy thriller. Though the crimes in the case are shady (international law and the 1980s Soviet surveillance state have different takes on intellectual property rights, shall we say), to me, that makes the film all the better. — True Crime Fiction author Tracy Bealer
I'm waiting for adaptations as brilliant as When They See Us, Unbelievable or Chernobyl - all from 2019. I'll be eagerly reading my colleagues' recommendations here to add to my huge 'to watch' list. — writer and Crime Seen co-host Sarah Carradine
I promise I'm still awaiting my check from Apple, but I’m going with KOTFM, the movie I've had the most intense discussions about ever since seeing it. — Margaret Howie is a marketing drone by day, co-founder of spacefruitpress.com by night.
Keeping in mind that I don't feel comfortable handing it to things I haven't seen, which is why I'm sure Killers of the Flower Moon really is that good but I can't say firsthand: Painkiller. Expected to have no use for it; was riveted. — Best Evidence co-author Sarah D. Bunting
Monday on Best Evidence: Merry Christmas, now have a true-crime flashback.
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