Randall and Sex Scandals · Judy Malinowski · Burden of Proof
Plus: a 1920s crime, revived
the true crime that's worth your time
Happy long weekend, U.S. readers! Here in the States, it’s Memorial Day weekend, which means a holiday on Monday — more on that later — and loads of new things to watch on TV. Out of the incredible bounty, I’ve chosen three shows to highlight in this Friday’s what we’re watching edition, but I hope you’ll share what you’re listening to, reading, and watching in the comments.
The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump
Commitment level: 84 minutes (it’s a documentary “feature,” so you’re in and out)
If you’re in the mood for: Watching Hollywood assholes be assholes, and you can tolerate some allegations of casual racism, abusive behavior, and sexual misconduct.
This trailer sounds like an episode of Who Weekly without Lindsay and Bobby’s commentary, and here’s the logline: “This Hulu documentary from ABC News Studios and LA Times Studios charts the unbelievable tale of B-movie mogul Randall Emmett who rose to fame on the heels of his engagement to Bravo megastar Lala Kent. When their relationship publicly collapses and a bitter custody dispute ensues, Randall is caught up in a swarm of bombshell allegations and lawsuits that rock Hollywood and the Bravo-verse.”
If you’re Housewife-averse as I am, this Decider stream-or-skip offers all the context you need to find the story engaging, including that the central figure is the basis of the Turtle character on Entourage. The LA Times did a nice podcast overview of the allegations Emmett faces last year, so if you’re on the fence about watching, you might give the pod a listen before logging into Hulu to watch. — EB
The Fire That Took Her
Commitment level: 94 minutes, but they’re difficult ones
If you’re in the mood for: a documentary that walks the walk when it comes to centering the victim.
This documentary on the domestic violence slaying of Judy Malinowski was released last fall to positive reviews, but didn’t make its way to streaming until it landed at Paramount+ this week. Malinowski is known as one of the first people ever to posthumously testify in their own murder trial: The Ohio woman testified in a pre-trial deposition that her then-boyfriend, Michael Slager, covered her in gas and set her on fire. She lived for two years, with burns on 90 percent of her body, before dying from her injuries.
The footage in the doc is brutal, from ATM surveillance footage of the attack to the gravely disfigured Malinowski’s detailing of the pattern of abuse she suffered at Slager’s hands. It’s understandable if you don’t feel like watching this show. It’s well done, but the subject matter is horrible. But, folks, if we’re going to demand that true crime content center the victim instead of the suspect, then this is — I’m sorry to say — the kind of heartbreaking content we’ll get.
Ugh, I do not like how that sounds! Seriously — and I say this as someone who’s been having a rough couple of months, and is being careful about what I read and watch because of that — please don’t feel this is a “must watch” because it is doing what we want ethical true crime to do. Take care of yourself first! You can still get some insight into her case via this solid People interview from this week. — EB
How To Create A Sex Scandal
Commitment level: Three episodes of around an hour each
If you’re in the mood for: messing with Texas, acquiring information you can use to debunk child sex abuse claims at Thanksgiving, getting frustrated.
This HBO (I am not ready to call it “Max” yet) docuseries is based on Texas Monthly reporter Michael Hall’s tireless work covering the Mineola Swingers Club sex scandal hoax, an 18-year-old case in which — per the Houston Chronicle — “with the encouragement of their foster family, a group of young children accused their biological parents of forcing them to perform terrible sexual acts for money.” But as the children grew older, they realized the stories they’d been urged to tell weren’t true.
Writing about the series, in which he appears, Hall says:
Okay, just how do you create a fake sex scandal? More particularly, how do you create a fake child sex scandal? Well, it’s a lot easier than you might think. All you need is one manipulative foster mother, a handful of impressionable young kids, some gullible law enforcement officials, and several juries of good country people determined to protect innocent children at all costs—even at the cost of common sense.
Journos like the Chron’s Matt Monagle are praising the series:
[How to Create a Sex Scandal] walks a fine line between streamlining the case into a digestible narrative and providing all the necessary, exhaustive detail. But below the surface, there's additional commentary on poverty and police malpractice that adds an extra layer to the injustices we see on screen.
All three episodes are available to watch now. — EB
Hearsay
The Cat Who Could Kill Horses [Grub Street]
I know I’ve been talking about this restaurant-focused divorce and abuse case a lot, but in food journo circles it’s just getting wilder and wilder. Writing for New York’s food vertical, reporter Ezra Marcus offers the most detailed story on the animal abuse allegations against famed L.A. chef Will Aghajanian, claims Aghajanian says are a false narrative intended to drive him from his business and marriage.
There’s some challenging content in here on cat death, so if Don’t Fuck With Cats fucked with you, this is a skip, but I wish the rest of y’all would read so we can discuss. — EB
The first trailer for HBO doc Burden of Proof (big fun trying to google that one) dropped yesterday, with a release planned for June 6. Here’s the logline:
When 15-year-old Jennifer Pandos went missing in 1987, her parents told everyone she ran away. Decades later, her brother Stephen begins a relentless odyssey in search of the truth. His investigation into the case threatens to destroy his family as he becomes strongly convinced that his parents are both implicated in the crime. As time passes, more threads unravel and new evidence comes to light, Stephen starts to question everything he has come to believe.
NBC did a nice explainer on the Pandos disappearance back in 2019, but it’s unclear what new evidence the doc might have to report.
Strong Studios to Develop ‘Hall Mills Murders’ Series Based on Love Affair of a New Jersey Priest [Variety]
The Hall–Mills murder case was massively over-covered when it went down in 1922, with a reported 300 reporters covering the trial for the brothers accused of shooting Episcopal priest Edward Wheeler Hall and his mistress, Eleanor Mills, in an oddly-staged scene.
Per a press release for the dramatic adaptation: “This sordid story and murder trial led to a three-ring media circus that is recognized to this day as the first of its kind in America to saturate news coverage on a daily basis. We know audiences are fascinated by true crime, and given this is the story that started it all, we have no doubt it will generate interest among broadcasters and streamers, and most definitely with audiences when we premiere.” It seems like resonance might be predicated on little things like casting and a script, but who knows! — EB
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