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“The criminal justice system should treat everyone like a white teenage girl whose future it’s concerned about disrupting.” Sarah tells Mike about Melissa Drexler, the New Jersey teenager who (according to George F. Will) killed her newborn baby due to the influence of Metallica and the United States Supreme Court. Digressions include Baby Moses laws, “Citizen Ruth” and Ted Bundy’s political leani...

Sarah tells Mike how a superhero’s genesis was a supervillain’s origin story all along. In our new deep dive, we tackle Nancy Grace’s “Objection!” and debate how defendants should behave at trial, why prosecutors seem to make good daytime TV stars and whether Nancy really came to New York City with a curling iron and a dream. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where e...

On June 17, 1994, the world screeched to a halt so 95 million Americans could watch a white SUV crawl through L.A. Today, we finally talk about the infamous Bronco chase, the men inside the car and the myth they left behind. Digressions include “The Fugitive,” Larry King and Jack Nicholson twice. Like previous episodes about the events of this day, this episode discusses suicidal ideation. Support...

“You really shouldn’t date people who go in thinking, ’This person has good bones but they’re a fixer-upper.’” This week, we complete our Jessica Simpson book club with the appearance of a new man who triggers some old anxieties. Digressions include Dolly Parton, mom jeans and a forgotten Hollywood power couple. We talk about “Garden State” longer than we intended. Mike finally gets to tell the oc...

In honor of Pride Month and revolutions past, present, and future, we're re-releasing our episode on the Stonewall Uprising. Let the sunshine in. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show

“I’m being pulled into planet myth … and I like it here.” Special guest Dana Schwartz tells Mike and Sarah how a short, brutal story became an enduring myth. Digressions include Titanic nostalgia, Princess Jasmine and Dr. Phil. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Rasputin, Russia’s greatest love machine.  Find Dana at her website or listen to her podcast ! Support us: Subscribe on...

We discuss Jessica's reality-show marriage and its painfully ordinary end. Digressions include "Showgirls," "The Notebook" and Adam Levine. "Hamlet" makes an appearance; Willie Nelson and Lynda Carter give sage advice. Mike apologizes for things out of his control. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah'...

“It’s a mess and a nightmare and maybe it’s disingenuous to think you can turn the story of someone being murdered into anything else.” Mike tells Sarah about a missing intern, a shady politician and a nationwide obsession. Digressions include speed dial, “La La Land” and Perry Mason. The Summer of the Shark gets a bonus debunking. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch W...

“Her parents’ financial success is dependent on her abdomen.” This week, Jessica moves to L.A., records a video and meets a boy. The celebrity cameos escalate. Digressions include overalls, werewolves and Judy Garland. This episode unfortunately contains detailed descriptions of disordered eating. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's...

Our journey through late-'90s pop stardom begins with an intervention and ends with an audition. Digressions include Willie Nelson, Ozzy Osbourne, Jane Fonda and the cast of the Mickey Mouse Club. Sarah’s English degree and exercise habits make appearances. This episode, we're sorry to say, contains descriptions of sexual abuse. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute...

Mike tells Sarah how an obscure technical glitch became a nationwide mobilization. Digressions include Twitter beefs, “The Net” and VHS pricing. We spend much of the episode roasting our own work from the relatively recent past. Correction: It seems the women in Britain didn't terminate their pregnancies due to the false positive test results. We were wrong about this and we're sorry! Su...

We conclude our book club with Michelle's escape from the dungeon. The dead baby trend continues; Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Satan’s fingernails make brief appearances. Digressions include Dustin Hoffman, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and things that rhyme with Beelzebub.  This episode contains references to child abuse and sexual assault. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy...

Sarah tells Mike about the clash of the titans, the fury at the grand jury. We follow Kato, the wise fool of the kingdom, for the week between the murders and the Bronco chase. Digressions include John Travolta, French kickboxing movies and "The Mummy." The celebrity cameos are less numerous than usual but no less absurd. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch W...

This week, our lithe psychiatrist takes his favorite patient hiking, a priest burns some furniture and Michelle tries to escape her remembering. This episode contains descriptions of kitten sacrifice, sexual abuse and three more dead babies. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintena...

Sarah and Mike continue into the depths. With Dr. Pazder home from Mexico, he and Michelle continue their journey into her subconscious, and the stories continue to get weirder. This episode contains kitten sacrifice, and the first—but not the last—dead baby of the Satanic panic. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Ar...

“What’s sad about her has nothing to do with the content of her character.” Special guest Dana Schwartz tells Mike and Sarah how an Austrian princess became a French scapegoat. Digressions include Rubik’s Cubes, Taylor Swift and Tom Stoppard. The use of the word “bawdy” exceeds all previous episodes combined. Here's where to find Dana Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute...

Sarah and Mike continue their journey into the book that launched a thousand lawsuits. Michelle and Dr. Pazder’s relationship grows more troubling by the chapter. Digressions include orgy etiquette, sheepskin jackets and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Neither co-host believes anything depicted in this book happened as described, but still want to warn you that it contains scenes of tortur...

Mike tells Sarah about a dying industry, a dangerous car and the Pulitzer Prize-winning article that misrepresented them both. Digressions include “Mission Impossible,” “Friday the 13th” and the naming conventions of academic articles. This episode contains a larger-than-usual number of dad jokes and a shocking revelation about Johnny Carson. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy c...

Sarah describes the spark that ignited the Satanic Panic. Our setting is a therapist’s office in 1976 Victoria, B.C., and our digressions include Sybil, scary paperbacks from the 80s and shouting "Fire!" on a crowded theater. This episode describes child abuse. Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mi...

In the final chapter of our series on the D.C. sniper attacks, Mike finally tells Sarah about the D.C. sniper attacks. Digressions include “The Abyss,” Ed Rooney and Jack the Ripper. We begin the episode with an update on our quarantine plans. Sarah misremembers the name of the TV show she was on. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to fin...

Sarah tells Mike about a week in the life of Marcia Clark, who became America’s most famous prosecutor on June 13, 1994. Digressions include car phones, college group work and “Titanic” (as usual). In keeping with the theme of this episode, Sarah had a bad feeling about recording without her mic screen, but Mike said it would be fine. Please excuse our p-pops. This episode contains descriptions of...

Mike tells Sarah about the indoctrination of Lee Boyd Malvo and the beginning of the sniper attacks. Digressions include Jonestown, Greek tragedy and something called “creepy crawling.” The episode begins with a lengthy meta-discussion of true-crime tropes and whether we are playing into them. The final section includes a detailed description of a suicide attempt.  Continue reading → Support us: S...

Valentine’s Day re-release! Sarah and Mike reflect on one of the only love stories they’ve ever covered on the show. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase Support the show

“Every big fish you catch, you end up with a hole in the net.” Mike tells Sarah how America’s white-collar crime spree got so bad. Digressions include self-checkout kiosks, Barbie dolls and moonshine. Homeless shelters and teacher pay feature prominently. By the standards of this podcast, this episode is relatively upbeat. Continue reading → Support us: Subscribe on Patreon Donate on Paypal Buy cu...

Mike tells Sarah how a nice Jamaican kid became the disciple of a mean American adult. Digressions include Tonya Harding (of course), “Sliding Doors” (again) and Anne of Green Gables (Sarah has an English degree). Mildred re-appears just after the hour mark. We are unable to conceive of a content warning comprehensive enough for all the horrors contained in this episode. There is less crying in th...