You Can’t Make This Up

Jerry Springer’s dull new talk show was relegated to an overnight time slot and the likelihood of cancellation. But when he teamed up with a new executive producer - one with a taste for the sensational - the show evolved into a must-watch television circus. And when guests started punching each other, the ratings went through the roof. 

The Netflix documentary series Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action revisits the outrageous talk show, zooming in on the relationship between its affable host and the string-pulling Svengali that - for better or worse - changed television. It brings viewers behind the cameras into the demanding lives of the show’s segment runners. And it looks at the effects the show had in the lives of its guests, resulting in broken hearts, broken bones, and even murder.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews former “The Jerry Springer Show” producer Toby Yoshimura.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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On today’s episode, we take a look back at one of our favorite documentaries from 2024: the Netflix series American Nightmare. Host Rebecca Lavoie talks to filmmakers Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins.

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

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In the documentary, The Biggest Heist Ever, we learned about Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein, who were accused of conspiring to launder $4.5 billion in stolen bitcoin. But this is just a peek into the world of crytpto criminals and the people who track them.

Today we're bringing you a recent episode from our friends at American Criminal, where each week host Jeremy Schwartz takes you inside the minds of some of America's most notorious felons and outlaws.

In this episode from the Sam Bankman-Fried series, he sits down with Wired senior writer Andy Greenberg to talk about the day that FTX collapsed and the wild world of crypto crime detectives. You can read more in Andy's book, Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency.

Listen to all four episodes of the 'Sam Bankman-Fried' series on American Criminal, wherever you get your podcasts.

At the height of World War II, transporting the mail to GIs took a back seat to moving supplies to the front. Soon, millions of letters and packages were piling up with no one to sort them. Commanders reluctantly gave the job to a battalion of Black female soldiers, convinced the task would be too much for them. Despite facing racism and sexism - and grueling working conditions - the women of the Six Triple Eight accomplished their mission, re-establishing an important connection between the homefront and the battlefront.

With an ensemble cast featuring Kerry Washington, Susan Sarandon, Sam Waterston, and Oprah Winfrey, The Six Triple Eight is inspired by the real story of the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in the Second World War. Given an extraordinary task and united in their determination, these unsung heroes delivered hope and shattered barriers, raising morale on both sides of the Atlantic.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews writer and director Tyler Perry.

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

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Let the new games begin! Starting Thursday, December 26th, join hosts Phil Yu (aka “Angry Asian Man”) and Kiera Please as they dive into each episode of Squid Game Season 2. Joined by a lineup of special guests, they’ll unpack the deadly new challenges, explore the layered characters, and debate the moral dilemmas that will leave you questioning everything.

From Gi-hun’s relentless quest for justice to the rise of new players and the dark secrets behind the games, Phil and Kiera will break it all down. Plus, they’ll explore the cultural significance of Squid Game and play some in-studio games inspired by Season 2’s most intense moments.

Squid Game: The Official Podcast returns December 26th. 

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Kevin Curtis was one half of a double Elvis tribute act, living in the Mississippi birthplace of the King. But after he stumbled onto what he thought was a black market organ harvesting scheme, Kevin went down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and on a quest to root out corruption. As his paranoia grew, threatening letters, sprinkled with deadly ricin, turned up at the offices of his enemies - as well as the White House. 

The Netflix documentary series The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga tells the quirky tale of Kevin’s colorful life and dark obsessions. With its many twists and turns, we hear from the story’s cast of eccentric characters and follow the investigation into whether this Elvis impersonator hatched a plot sure to have him dancing to the Jailhouse Rock.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews directors Chapman and Maclain Way.

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

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The 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey gripped the nation with its unusual twists. The bizarre ransom note…the uncooperative parents…and those child beauty pageants! The police, the press, and the public all focused on John and Patsy Ramsey and whether they staged the break-in, assault, and murder of their daughter. But even though all the physical evidence pointed to an intruder, years later many still believe the family was involved.

The Netflix documentary series Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey dives back into the infamous crime, its troubled investigation, the media firestorm, and the lingering cloud of suspicion over the young victim’s parents. It also examines the behind the scenes struggles between detectives who withheld evidence from colleagues that cleared the Ramseys and those who believed someone outside of the home was responsible.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director and executive producer Joe Berlinger.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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On this episode, we’ll turn things over to one of our sister shows “The Piano Lesson: The Official Podcast.” Host Jazmine Hughes looks at the making of the The Piano Lesson, talks to actors, and discusses August Wilson’s plays about the Black American experience in the 20th century.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched The Piano Lesson yet, make sure to add it to your watch list before listening. 

You can listen to “The Piano Lesson: The Official Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

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They train for a lifetime, all for ten seconds at glory. But who will take the gold on track’s biggest stage: the Paris Olympiad? Will it be the brash Noah Lyles, the earnest Kenny Bednarek, or the enigmatic Kishane Thompson? Can Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce grab a medal at her fifth games? Or will up-and-comers like Sha’carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson take her place at the top of the sport? Or will Julien Alfred shock the world by earning her tiny island nation’s first ever Olympic medal?

The Netflix sports series SPRINT Part 2 delves deep into the psyches of those elite competitors who train to be the fastest person on the planet.  It’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the high stakes and the mental toughness of the sprinters whose professional futures are decided in just fractions of a second. 

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Executive Producer Warren Smith and Showrunner Suemay Oram.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched SPRINT Part 2 yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. 

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In this episode, we’re turning things over to one of our sister shows, The Diplomat: The Official Podcast. Host Baroness Ayesha Hazarika talks with actors, producers, and real-life diplomats for a deeper look into the show's creation and the real-life inspirations that shaped the storylines in season 2 of The Diplomat.

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched The Diplomat season 2 episode 2, titled "St. Paul's," make sure to add it to your watch list on Netflix before listening to this episode.

You can listen to The Diplomat: The Official Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to your podcasts.

Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.