You Can’t Make This Up

From cops to criminals, from victims to suspects, from surgeons to patients, Netflix documentary films and series covered incredible real stories in 2023.

On this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie features her favorite crime and justice titles from 2023. Films and series include American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing, Victim/Suspect, Depp v Heard, and Emergency NYC.

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With a mix of famous veterans, ambitious newcomers, and a new head coach, The US Women’s National Team prepped for a third championship run in a row. Instead they were handed a stunning early exit which shocked the sporting world. The Netflix documentary series Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team captures all of the personal and team preparation on the road to the 2023 FIFA World Cup. 

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Rebecca Gitlitz.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Under Pressure yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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In the Netflix film Rustin, activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia while helping change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

Today, we’ll turn things over to host Tre'vell Anderson of Netflix’s The Official Rustin Podcast. In this episode from the podcast series, Tre’vell talks with director George C. Wolfe about his process of taking a life and turning it into film. Then he speaks to actor Colman Domingo about what it took to portray Rustin and the significance of a gay Black man playing a gay Black man on screen.

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It was the sleeper hit that became a cultural phenomenon. But many fans asked themselves how would I fare at Squid Game? Would I survive Red Light, Green Light? Capture all the marbles? Or would I choose wrong on the Glass Bridge? Now they have their chance.

In Squid Game: The Challenge, 456 real players will enter the competition show in pursuit of a life-changing reward of $4.56 million. As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show - plus surprising new additions - their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Executive Producer Stephen Yemoh.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Squid Game: The Challenge yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

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Tracing the ingredients, flavors, and techniques of Black cuisine is a walk through American history itself. From Emancipation to the Great Migration, food on the tables in Black homes would evolve with every step. And today, the hottest Black chefs are inspiring and influencing a new generation with a menu that is sometimes more than just a meal.

In season two of High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, host Stephen Satterfield travels across the United States to uncover how African-American cuisine has fueled social justice movements, transformed communities, and awakened cultural creativity in America in powerful and lasting ways.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews host Stephen Satterfield.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched High on the Hog yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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With its expensive online courses, Twin Flames Universe promised members would find their true loves. The online cult was better at making money than finding love, so leaders Jeff and Shaleia Ayons began matchmaking its followers with one another. Though many had identified as straight and cis, they were paired with same sex partners and prodded to rethink their gender identity. 

The Netflix documentary series Escaping Twin Flames examines the controversial online community, brings us into Jeff and Sheleia’s online classroom, and tells the stories of those hurt by its teachings. The series asks whether anything can actually be done to stop it from taking advantage of people who are only looking for love. 

Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews filmmakers Cecilia Peck and Inbal Lessner.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Escaping Twin Flames yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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Destined for bit parts and supporting roles, Sylvester Stallone broke out by creating some of the most memorable characters in cinema, including Rocky and Rambo. But in a career filled with unmatched box office punch, many of Sly’s films were ignored by audiences and excoriated by critics. Now an entertainment lion in winter, Stallone is ready to look back at his life and career. In the Netflix documentary film Sly, Stallone takes the gloves off to talk about his unlikely rise to fame, the ups and downs of celebrity, and his disappointments on and off the big screen.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Thom Zimny.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Sly yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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Liza Drake is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with a pharmaceutical sales rep puts her on an upwards trajectory economically - but a dubious path ethically - as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Her unhinged boss, her daughter's worsening medical condition, and the awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices. Inspired by true events, the Netflix film Pain Hustlers stars Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, and Catherine O’Hara. It’s a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews BAFTA award winning director and producer David Yates and producer Lawrence Grey.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Pain Hustlers" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

Every living creature can trace its origins to a single cell 4 billion years ago. But the long march of evolution took many twists and turns. Whether fish or amphibian or reptile, one creature would rise to the top…only to be wiped out in one of five mass extinctions. And each time, the fittest among them would rise and inherit the earth. Using cutting edge special effects, the Netflix documentary series “Life on Our Planet” brings alive a menagerie of long extinct creatures, portrayed with scientific accuracy and visual brilliance. From ameba to man, the series journeys through time of who survived and who didn’t.

On this episode of "You Can't Make This Up," host Rebecca Lavoie talks to Series Producer Dan Tapster and Producer Sophie Lanfear about the Netflix documentary series “Life on Our Planet.”

In 1980, the Glatzel’s son, David, began having convulsions. A pair of self-styled ghost hunters declared the child was possessed by the devil. The family turned to the church for help, but something went wrong during the exorcism. His sister’s boyfriend challenged Satan to take him on instead. Months later, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was accused of murdering his landlord. The case made headlines when Johnson told the court the devil made him do it.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary film “The Devil on Trial." Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Director Chris Holt.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “The Devil on Trial" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.