The Worst True Crime of 2023
What was the most irritating/frustrating/disappointing true crime property of the year?
the true crime that's worth your time
As we roll out our list of the worst true crime of 2023, a reminder that Sarah and I have been grumbling “this is the worst” to each other about another matter: our decision, as discussed last week (ICYMI), to depart the Substack newsletter and subscription platform following the company’s announcement that they intend to continue to generate revenue via hate speech.
As you can imagine, this is an unwieldy and challenging process for a five-year-old outlet that publishes on the daily! And I’m sorry that I keep bringing this up, but since many of you are probably reading less frequently/closely over the holidays, I just want to make sure that everyone knows that changes are coming, bumps in the road might occur, and that we appreciate your understanding and patience. — Sarah and Eve
Now, onto the absolute crappiest and stinkiest true crime properties of 2023! Come on, we know you have some on your list, too. Let’s hear them.
Saying the very title Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster still provokes an irritation response in me. I found the footage of victims cloying and unethical and the (over-)reliance on the interviews with Rochelle Herman irresponsible and lazy. — True Crime Fiction author Tracy Bealer
I didn't finish what I didn't like. But here's my opportunity to vent anew about *all* of the crime fiction that either a) has a true crime podcast as a narrative device b) gets marketed as a "true crime novel" (nope, stop that). Rebecca Makkai's I Have Some Questions For You did all that work, and there will be other novels that will, too. The vast majority, however, do not and won't. — Author Sarah Weinman, aka The Crime Lady
I generally nose out good to great to excellent documentaries and docuseries to watch, but sometimes my picker is completely off. This year I suffered through Jared From Subway, Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case and Savior Complex. The first failed to ask important questions, and instead compelled us to listen to the predator on hours of tape, the second was just a damp flub of a poorly made piece of work, with no point of view, about a fascinating case, and the last pretended to be even-handed but became unforgivably overbalanced in favor of the criminal. The title should more properly have been White Savior Complex, so I should have known the makers had no courage. — writer and Crime Seen co-host Sarah Carradine
Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story by Max Marshall was a letdown. I’d also mention the trend of publishing true crime books before cases even go to trial (University of Idaho murders for example). Chill out please. — Best Evidence contributor Susan Howard
Netflix’s Painkiller, with Matthew Broderick as Pharma-based supervillain Richard Sackler, is way too late (“Dopesick” came out in 2021), has absolutely nothing new to say about Oxycontin or its impact on the US, and has no idea what tone it’s trying to give. This is a dark story, but that doesn’t mean that you should liven it up with what seems like attempts at physical comedy. Fantastic cast and huge budget that’s entirely wasted. — Professor and Best Evidence contrib Dan Cassino
This sort of ties into my answer for tomorrow, so I won't belabor the point, but a handful of prestige-y docudramae just went on too long -- most of them, actually, even the better ones -- and couldn't live up to the promise of their casting over however too-many episodes (Love & Death, Dr. Death's second go-round). So the irritation/disappointment was in the seeming resistance of the medium to features, vs. overlong series... — Best Evidence co-author Sarah D. Bunting
The coverage of the crimes against reality TV stars. Okay, not literal crimes! But there have been several stories this year about the suffering and conditions people endure at the hands of massive corporations to produce our light, frivolous reality TV. Even though the stories get a bit of traction, they're ultimately overlooked, and have not appeared to have had lasting effect.
For a few examples: We learned that Squid Game: The Challenge lied to us about how long "Red Light, Green Light" lasted; the TV show said they played for five minutes, in reality players had to remain still for a half-hour at a time over about seven hours, in freezing cold weather. No one cared; the show is a huge hit.
Love is Blind's participants detailed the conditions they're subject to; I found the cast contract, and it confirms those stories; Love is Blind is as popular as ever.
The Vanity Fair expose about "The Real Housewives reckoning" didn't stop fans flocking to BravoCon, and Bravo itself responded with a combo of There's nothing to see here! and We fixed all that!
It's just distressing that, even when we learn how people are treated at the hands of corporations, that doesn't change our addiction to the product. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go shop on Amazon. — Andy Dehnart, TV critic and creator of reality blurred
When Dan Cassino sent us this link to a late 2023 research paper on the impact of shows like Live PD (now known as On Patrol: Live), we finally had some data for what Dan Taberski and his Running From Cops team had been arguing: Shows like these make policing worse. I also believe they make the world worse, by encouraging mean world syndrome and perpetuating the false narrative that cops and the current methods used for policing (especially when it comes to mental health, substance use, and of course race) are inviolate. (After all, we never hear that the cops on the shows fucked up — which they, as human beings doing on a job, doubtlessly do.)
With the news early this year that Dan Abrams’ 2022 revival of his problematic show was enough of a hit to prompt Reelz into buying up 90 more episodes, enough to run through January 2024, I’n tempted to veer into tomorrow’s topic, which involves hopes for the future. But I have plenty here for 2023, I suppose, so I’ll just say that Abrams — who I won’t credit with having an agenda, even a malignant one, as I don’t think he gives a crap about anything but cash and his face on the screen — and Reelz made true crime, TV, and America shittier in 2023 with their pursuit of a buck. — Best Evidence co-author Eve Batey
Friday on Best Evidence: As 2024 approaches, here are some hopes and dreams.
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