Pearls: Alllll The True Crime

By Kylie McCracken, Communications Strategist, Oyster Creative Co.

I can’t be the only person fascinated with true crime everything, right? Murder myster? Check. Corrupt (a.k.a. non-existent) business models? Check. Bamboozled elitists? Check. I’m here for it all — in podcast and TV form, of course.

But why am I “here for it all”? I decided it was time for my own investigation into my minor obsession with true crime. What all these mysteries have in common — what I’m really infatuated with — is the exceptional storytelling. And, even better, that of an unbelievable story.

So, if you too enjoy a good anecdote, add these true crime pods and TV shows to your binge list:

1. The Missing Cryptoqueen (Podcast): If you feel left out about not participating in the crypto scene, this one’s for you. If cryptocurrency is your thing? This is a friendly reminder to check your investments. Dr. Ruja Ignatova promised millions of people, from 175 countries, to join her financial revolution destined to change the world. They did, and the result? Four billion dollars gone, a missing leader and one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history.
2. The Godfather of Harlem (TV Show): Forest Whitaker. Need I say more? Not only is the show filled with mafia crime (yes, please!), but also important historical references and people from the 1960s — insert Malcolm X, Mohammed Ali, Sam Cooke and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Get ready for two seasons of high crime, violence and drama wrapped up to depict the political, criminal and social climate of the time.
3. The Dream (Podcast): If you’re like me, I cannot stand to listen to one more friend pitch me on their “new business that helped pay for their luxurious family vacation” (sorry, not sorry). The Dream is an investigative podcast about the true crime that goes on behind the scenes of multi-level marketing companies a.k.a. MLMs. Over the course of Season 1, you hear about the personal and political impact of these schemey businesses.
4. McMillions (TV Show): Wonder why you never won a top prize to McDonald’s beloved Monopoly game? Well… it’s not because you have bad luck. HBO’s McMillions is a docuseries exposing the truth behind how this playful promotion was rigged for more than a decade. A few interview favorites include Special Agent Doug Matthews and Andrew Glomb (who has some Pittsburgh ties… eek!).
5. The Shrink Next Door (Podcast turned TV Show): I’d recommend starting with the podcast on this one (S/O Wondery!). Imagine a well-off business owner being swindled for 30 years, let me repeat, THIRTY YEARS, by his therapist. I couldn’t keep tabs on the amount of times my jaw dropped listening to this one; it makes you really think about how people can be so evil and abuse power. For the watchers out there, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd take on serious roles as Marty Markowitz and Dr. Ike Herschkopf.
6. Dirty John (Podcast turned TV Show): Obsessed with the Tinder Swindler? Add Dirty John (Season 1) to your list. Another podcast created by the Wondery team (they’re the best IMO), Dirty John follows the true story of John Meehan, and his [real, fake, really fake?] relationship with established business woman Debra Newell. This heart-pounding thriller starts with an online dating site and ends with a murder in self defense.

Want something to read instead? A few honorable mentions include The Devil in the White City, the chilling true story of the 1893 World Fair in Chicago — complete with plenty of Pittsburgh ties (yay to George Ferris & Henry J. Heinz).This Vanity Fair article about Gerald Cotten, a Canadian blockchain entrepreneur who unexpectedly died and took with him hundreds of millions of dollars in investor money.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. And, be sure to hit me up with your fav true crime stories because I’m always ready for a good binge!