tv review
Big crimes, small screen; true crime television series and TV documentaries that recreate and reexamine some of the mystifying and grisliest cases in history.
Review of 'The Case Against Adnan Syed' 1
The Case Against Adnan Syed debuted last night on HB0, the first in a four-episode documentary about the murder of Hae Min Lee on January 13, 1999, for which Syed was convicted. The podcast Serial in 2014 generated enormous international interest about this case, and the possibility that Syed was not the killer. Presumably at least in part as a result of this and new evidence brought to light, the path to a new trial was set for Syed in July 2016 by a Maryland Court of Special Appeals. That court indeed ordered a new trial in March 2018. But a higher Maryland Court of Appeals overturned that order on March 8, 2019—or, amazingly, just two days before the premiere of the HBO series. You just can't make this stuff up.
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Criminal
My Review of 'Bad Blood'
I didn't expect Netflix to have a TV series based on mafia gangsters in Canada. Let's face it, no one really expected it. Usually when we think of mafia crimes, we think of New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. The big profile stories are always based in the United States, especially the true story ones. Although the stories have been made over and over again. I guess they needed new material. It so happens that Canada had a large mafia problem of their own. I'm sure not a lot of people know about the story of Vito Rizzuto. Sometimes they say the biggest gangsters are the ones that no one knows about. That ended soon now that this series has been made. Who knows... Canadian shows aren't ever that popular.
By Brian Anonymous7 years ago in Criminal
Review of 'Making a Murderer' 2
My wife and I binge-watched the second season of Making a Murderer on Netflix the past few evenings. In an America brought to new levels of injustice and anger and despair courtesy of Trump, and commitment to vote him and his Republicans out of office as soon as possible, the story of what happened to Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey provides yet another totally separate example of the decline and miscarriage of justice in America, in this case due to police, prosecutors, and judges, including the U. S. Supreme Court.
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Criminal
'American Vandal' Season 2
American Vandal, season two, came out on Netflix last Friday and I watched it all in a day. It was really good. As most fans were, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the first season, and while it did lack in some areas, it overall stood on its own legs. It's an impressive follow-up to an iconic first season.
By Katherine Bullion8 years ago in Criminal
'Castle': A Rom-Com Procedural
One show that has stayed with me a few years after ending is the television series Castle starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. While the show has ended much to fans' dismay, I'm happy we had it for as long as it lasted. What was so special about this series, and what made it work more than just being a procedural series, is that there was comedy mixed into the plot more than other cop shows these days.
By KRYSTAL READS8 years ago in Criminal
My Review of the First Season of 'Sons of Anarchy'
Sons of Anarchy is a story about a family wrapped up in organized crime in a small town. More specifically it’s a biker gang called the Sons of Anarchy. This TV series is based on the character Jax, short for Jackson. He’s the vice president of the biker gang and in line to become president after Clay. Clay is the current president and married to Jax’s mother.
By Brian Anonymous8 years ago in Criminal
'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries' Adds Life to Investigating the Dead
The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher is a "lady detective" who solves murders in Australia following World War I. The television series on ABC Australia called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries began as a series of books written by Kerry Greenwood.
By Kathy Bugajsky8 years ago in Criminal
Serial Killer Suspect Bruce McArthur, Disposable Man Syndrome, and 'The Kids in the Hall'
Serial killers can be likened to viruses. Whenever they are discovered, they're evidence of something gone wrong. They symbolize a society on the fritz, so to speak They've also always been here, probably always will be, and they are ever-evolving. However, it might also be a misconception to call them "viruses," "monsters," or even "evil." The most startling thing about serial killers is that they are actually human. When we exaggeratedly try to separate ourselves from them, we're sort of kidding ourselves.
By Wade Wainio8 years ago in Criminal
'Orange Is the New Black' Is the Harsh Reality Check We All Needed
The latest season of the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black (OitNB) dropped on Friday and if you’re anything like me you’ve already binged the entirety of it. The Netflix show is famous for opening up discussions on a number of taboos and is the only mainstream series where you will find mixed race couples with no white people, black and Latinx actors having complex storylines, a female-dominated cast, and lesbian sex in pretty much every episode. But the series has come a long way since the infamous screwdriver incident and every season the writers offer an increasingly nuanced political conversation through the stories of the inmates and prison owners, MCC.
By Ziggy Moth8 years ago in Criminal
