Description: True crime podcasts get a bad rap for being fully of bloody murders, gruesome assaults, and generally unethical reporting. But while some think we’ve reached peak true crime, I say we can do more. All we have to do is stoop a little lower, and go a little smaller. Who is meddling with the chicken broth in the Marfa Dollar General? Why did a Russian tourist steal a “Deadliest Catch” t-shirt in Unalaska, Alaska? Who is the Leprechaun of Crighton, Alabama? Who is shaving cats in Waynesboro? And what do these minor crimes reveal about the places they call home? The show has a goofy premise, but deep down it’s a series of portraits of “small town” America and what makes these places tick.
Host: Lisa Pollak
Executive Producer: Rose Eveleth
Comps: A Very Fatal Murder meets Criminal meets Mystery Show.
Sample Episode 1: Unalaska, Alaska. “Theft (20:42, 11/25/11) – Andrey Bachal, a Russian national and apparent fan of American television, was caught stealing a “Deadliest Catch” t-shirt from Alaska Ship Supply. Bachal, who insisted he had intended to pay for the shirt which he had stuffed inside his zipped-up jacket, was charged with one count of Concealment of Merchandise.”
Sample Episode 2: Waynesboro, Virginia. “Several neighborhood cats have been abducted and had their lower abdomens and groin areas shaved. This is very upsetting to the cats and their owners.”
Sample Episode 3: Marfa, Texas. “Someone has apparently opened all the chicken broth containers at the Marfa Dollar General, then punctured each one’s safety seal, INSERTING or WITHDRAWING liquid. which is so incredibly creepy!!!!!”
Audience: True crime buffs meet Florida Man stans. People who feel bad about consuming gruesome true crime, but still love a good whodunnit mystery with a side of small town gossip.
These podcast ideas are for fun. Hosts and guests have not signed on in any way. I’m making stuff up here! If you like an idea enough to be tempted to steal it, don't do that. Be cool. Send me an email: rose@roseveleth.com.
Long live independent podcasts. Long live bad ideas.
