Edgar Awards round-up: I Know Who You Are
The great Carol Daly. ...I Know Who You Are is equal parts memoir, genealogy guidebook, and true-crime thriller. Rae-Venter is a thoughtful and skilled...
Yellowstone producers to take on JonBenét Ramsey case
Twenty-eight years after the body of JonBenét Ramsey was discovered in her family's basement, we're no closer to learning who killed the six-year-old, or...
The Docket 03.07.24: Recent headlines we’d like to see adapted
We're back, and we're talking recent longreads we'd like to see adapted, plus participant consent, the Ocean's 11 default, and why rich people don't...
The Program review: a captivating story of teen resilience
Survivors of the Academy of Ivy Ridge "school." Courtesy: Netflix If it weren't for Katherine Kubler, new Netflix docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and...
Edgar Awards round-up: Tangled Vines
Edgar Allan Poe, who lends his name to the Edgar Awards, spikes a brow at Murdaugh-case overview Tangled Vines by author John Glatt. (l to r, the Poe Museum...
As We Speak: Rap On Trial makes a compelling case
Hip-hop artists and the doc's "host" Kemba, R, prepare to illustrate the comps between rap and Shakespeare in As We Speak: Rap On Trial. (Paramount+)...
Announcing the return of true crime podcast The Docket
Enjoy this message from a fan TGIF! We’re ushering in the weekend with some news we’ve been teasing this week: The Docket, our podcast on true crime,...
Serial announces Season 4, Hotel California on trial, Channing Tatum’s true crime turn
Serial's fourth season will be about detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Credit: Justin Norman Best Evidence readers know that the end of the month isn’t just for...
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders shows compassion for crackpots
An old-school PC shows the load screen for PROMIS, a "spy VICAP"-type program that sends the late Danny Casolaro down the conspiracy rat hole in American...
Blood On Their Hands doesn’t play to its own strengths
Victims of the Feb. 24, 2019 boat crash that touched off the Murdaugh-case firestorm. Paul Murdaugh, the alleged driver of the boat, is at right. (Photo: SC...
Pathological: The Lies of Joran Van Der Sloot could have been so much more
The key art for Pathological: The Lies of Joran Van Der Sloot If you're looking for a perfectly serviceable rundown of how Joran Van Der Sloot was finally...
Gross anatomy: The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
Peter Cushing as Dr. Knox in The Flesh and The Fiends. (Triad Productions) The Flesh and the Fiends is just one of the scripted properties devoted to Burke...
February, 2024 is a record-breaking month for new true crime TV
Still from God Bless Texas: Hometown Prison Longtime readers of Best Evidence know that there have been some weeks that Sarah and I have had to scrape the...
Zenith Man review: a surprisingly confessional Georgia courtroom tale
From the cover of new true crime book Zenith Man You can see why Zenith Man, the first book from Georgia politician-turned-criminal defense attorney...
Blood & Orchids review: An ’80s miniseries takes on the Massie Affair
...B&O is making its best attempt at noir for a network miniseries, which means everyone is compromised, plus Bergman’s much younger wife (Sean Young) is...
February Bonus!: Your TCM Watch Guide
The Wrong Man Hello again, premium subscribers! Thanks so much for sticking with Best Evidence as we found/settled into a new situation. Slowly but surely,...
New true crime this weekend: Killer Performance, Far North, Jake Tapper, and more
Far North (Sundance Now/AMC+) For many folks in the U.S., we’re heading into a long weekend: Presidents Day is Monday, which means most offices and...
The Truth About Jim review: It’s not about the Zodiac
...The press materials and the opening credits also strongly implied that yet another misguided soul in search of healing would spend four hours trying to...
Will you be watching Selena & Yolanda?
Selena & Yolanda: Oxygen I’m not sure how to approach Selena & Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, the Oxygen (Peacock if you’re streaming) docuseries that...
Longread round-up: Tupac Shakur, Truman Capote, Time, and the Thames
A contemporaneous interrogation of juuuust how “non-” Truman Capote’s “non-fiction novel” really was: Esquire 6/1/66 // The same issue of the mag also...
You’ve watched Lover, Stalker, Killer. What now?
Welcome to Pairings, a new Best Evidence feature in which we suggest reading, viewing, or listening related to a recent property that people seem excited...
Kings From Queens review: Peacock’s Run-D.M.C. doc strikes a tricky balance
The titular kings of Peacock's Run-D.M.C. docuseries, "Kings From Queens." From left, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, and Rev....
See the first trailer for Lincoln assassination thriller Manhunt
A while ago, Sarah and I were talking about period-set true crime books that could do with a dramatic adaptation, and I had a post-conversation l’esprit de...
As We Speak: Rap Music On Trial sounds like a great doc
The idea…well, no, really the FACT that Johnny Cash could sing about shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die, and have the culture understand that he’s...
News and views from Best Evidence HQ
Hello again! Welcome to Best Evidence's shiny new set-up. In case you missed an email: we've departed Substack and set up the newsletter/mailing side of our...
Maura Murray podcast, Maryland murder plot, Kristin Smart lawsuit
Best Evidence readers know that the end of the month isn’t just for panicking when you remember you forgot to mail in the rent check. It’s also when we clear...
FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans review: Indirect hits
...Let’s start with the good news – much like FEUD started with a shot of a vintage mid-eighties Mercedes-Benz, never the worst way to get this correspondent...
#CYBERSLEUTHS: The Idaho Murders: an old problem or TikTok trend?
At this point, I think we all agree that until we hear more from accused Idaho Murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, there’s not much to say about the November...
Get ready for FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans
FX’s FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans "Pilot" premieres Wednesday, January 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT -- Pictured: (l-r) Naomi Watts as Barbara "Babe" Paley, Tom...
Devil On The Web and Web Of Make Believe: two takes on cybercrime
...“Internet peril” books tend to come from the nineties; feature hilariously dated cover designs (think glowing green WarGames fonts) and hysterical overuse...
Griselda on Netflix: Is it true crime or is it fantasy?
...Advance word on the dramatic adaptation of the life and times of Miami-based drug boss Griselda Blanco is good, with the Guardian writing that it's "so...
Undercover Tape · Michael Jackson · Deadly Waters
Who's KotFMing it this weekend?
How true-crimey is Leonardo DiCaprio's c.v.?
The Best Evidence True-Crime Résumé Percentage picks a winner.
Killers of the Flower Moon gears up for the masses
The awards-favorite film lands on Apple+ customers on Friday. Here are some things to think about if you watch.
From the archives: What's the last true crime you quit?
Seahawk Michael Dickson gets in the spirit. (Dean Rutz / Seattle Times) As noted yesterday, we’re strolling through the B.E. archives this week and reposting...
From the archives: Winter Of Frozen Dreams
Thora Birch and Brendan Sexton III don't quite sell a confused collage
Natalia Grace · Mormon Manson · Golden Globes
Your weekend watching runneth over
May/December · Coolio · Dr. Laguna
Part two of our budget sweep — and some new reporting — coming in hot!
Mr. Bungle · Jimmy Kimmel · The Keepers
It's part one of our last budget sweep (on Substack, at least)!
Post-holiday recommendations thread!
I was going to ask if anyone had ever actually complained that a Yule log was in SD, but…of course they have. What a time to be alive. Happy new year! Or, in...
December Bonus: 31 True-Crime Properties In 31 Days Part II
Reviews 17-31, including Scorsese, Simpson, Sutcliffe, and Swoosie.
Our Hopes for the True Crime Genre in 2024
What are your hopes for the overall state of the true crime genre in 2024?
The Worst True Crime of 2023
What was the most irritating/frustrating/disappointing true crime property of the year?
Best of 2023: Hidden True Crime Gems
What was the most unfairly overlooked true crime property of the past year?
2024's Most Anticipated True Crime
Tell us the true crime project you’re looking forward to the most in 2024.
Best of 2023: Flashback Discoveries
What older true crime property was your greatest discovery this year?
December Bonus: 31 True-Crime Properties In 31 Days
Reviews 1-16, including French gazillionaires, a Stuart double-dip, and Ponyboy Curtis
Best of 2023: Dramatic Adaptations
What was 2023’s best dramatic adaptation of a true crime case?
Best of 2023: True Crime Documentaries
What was the year’s best true crime documentary or docuseries?
Best of 2023: True Crime Longreads
What true crime longread from 2023 engrossed you the most?