Podcast

2023 · Lisa Jewell · 368 pages · Fiction / Thriller

None of This Is True begins with two women sharing a birthday in a pub, and ends with one of them living in the other's house, the podcast between them recording every step of the invasion. Lisa Jewell's birthday-twins thriller runs on the queasiest engine in the genre, a stranger's confessions that might be griefs, lies, or bait, delivered to a podcaster whose platform converts listening into complicity. The mixed-media structure, podcast transcripts and documentary fragments braided through the narration, keeps the truth permanently disputed, and the title's warning applies to every chapter it precedes. The ending divides on arrival, resolution traded for unease. That unease is the product, and it lingers for days.

2021 · 4 Seasons · Hulu · Comedy-Mystery

Only Murders in the Building is a charming, clever comedy-mystery that gets remarkable mileage out of the chemistry between Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Its true-crime-podcast premise is both a loving homage and a sharp satire, and the show's best seasons balance genuine whodunit tension with character comedy that lands consistently. Later seasons show some formula fatigue, cycling through new murders and celebrity guest stars with diminishing returns, but the central trio remains a delight and the show's warmth keeps it enjoyable even when the mysteries themselves lose some of their punch.

2024 · 1 Season · Netflix · Comedy

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody have the kind of effortless romantic chemistry that launches a hit, carrying a charming interfaith romance that works best when it keeps things simple and stumbles when it reaches for depth.