Crime is a fundamental truth in humanity: It has and always will happen. Murder, kidnapping, rape, cults, arson, and much more. Shows like "Law and Order SVU." These hard-hitting stories through police narrative. Although at the beginning of each episode, of the longest-running, TV drama a disclaimer states: "The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event." Each episode is based on very real, very threatening crime that happens every single day.
The 4th wall allows the audience to follow the detectives in their investigations. Apart from the TV special "Law and Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders," these types of shows don't depict the cold truth of real stories.
Shows like "Snapped" and " Forensic Files" take a more documentary style while tackling the stories of real victims and perpetrators. Although these shows are highly informative, fascinating, and important — they lack the conversational and introspective tone found in "My Favorite Murder" and "The Last Podcast on the Left."
Comedy is a primary coping mechanism; it makes sense that when applied to serious situations, that it can alleviate stress. While this can be considered disrespectful and morbid, a closer look at these podcasts will uncover the intent behind the programs. The goal of these podcasts is not to glorify murderers and rapists. Rather it is to draw attention to the reality of crime and cultivate ways to protect yourself and others. For example, the catch-line to My Favorite Murder is "Stay sexy, and don't get murdered." Karen and Georgia offer ways to stay safe in this dark night full of terrors: use keys between your fingers as weapons in an emergency, don't accept rides from strangers, and always be weary of people with yellow Volkswagen bugs.
These podcasts fixate on the occult, murderers, and sociopaths. Although I would never endorse violent behavior, I cannot deny that it interests me. In fact, it interests most of us. The poles of human behavior include psychosis and neurosis. Our society is obsessed with them. For example, wouldn't you rather hear about a family rescued from a dangerous cult than a casual Sunday church brunch?
When mental illness manifests itself into dangerous individuals, people become victimized. This becomes a relevant and empathetic topic for listeners to indulge. Each podcast emphasizes the importance of the victim over the victimized, and work to bring death and forgotten stories to life.
"My Favorite Murder's" Karen Killgariff and Georgia Hardstrarck along with Steven Ray Morris have gained an impressive following. The show began production early 2016 with Feral Audio, and it quickly picked up steam. The trio currently tours the world at places like The Sydney Opera House and the Orpheum Theater to crowds of thousands of fans. If the fan-base doesn't encourage you to try it out, maybe the option of submitting your own story might appeal to you. Each week they accept "hometown murder" stories from us through email and discuss them on air. They don't just discuss murder, they also request paramedic, thrilling, and creepy stories as well.
In the "Last Podcast on the left": Henry Zebrowski, Marcus Parks, and Ben Kissel make the most out of their research. Although this podcast is more raunchy than "My Favorite Murder" it still tackles issues within a conversation. Big episodes include discussions on: 9/11, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jonestown, MK Ultra, female serial killers, Ghosts, Alien abductions, and Creepypasta tales. The three boys have built a rapport over the last seven years and another huge fanbase.
If you're interested in anything occult, macabre, or extraordinary and you enjoy laughing, you may want to give both these shows a shot. You can listen to their archives up to their current episodes on their respective websites on any medium that offers podcasts.
