Spectacle: True Crime

Reality TV is dismissed as guilty pleasure, low brow... even trash. But whether you want to admit it or not, you probably have heard of Snooki, Lisa Vanderpump or Kim Kardashian. Over the past 30 years, reality TV has …

In the first episode of season 1 of Spectacle, we'll go back to the show that started it all -- An American Family. Most probably haven't heard of the 1973 PBS docuseries but many argue it inspired reality TV. The …

More than 25 years ago, MTV debuted The Real World. The cast of 7 artists had no idea what they were getting into when they moved into a Soho loft …

When Survivor premiered in 2000, there was nothing like it. It was like Lord of Flies meets Castaway. That first season enthralled audiences as …

The Bachelor and the Bachelorette have been on the air for nearly 20 years. Millions of people watch every episode. But have you ever wondered why it's still must-see TV -- given its problematic gender dynamics, its …

It's easy to get distracted by the glamorous trappings of the Real Housewives. The fancy cars, the McMansions, the Botox. But the franchise remains compelling because the women share what they are going through from …

From Kim’s sex tape scandal to Kourtney pulling her baby out during labor, to the scary Paris robbery -- the Kardashian sisters have shared it all …

Queer Eye for The Straight Guy was an instant hit in 2003. Oprah, Jay Leno, even President George W. Bush were talking about the Fab Five. They were promoted as gay superheroes, who came in and made over a straight …

90 Day Fiancé is the trainwreck TV show we can’t stop watching. The secret sauce could be the romance. The tricky tropes. The desperation. I think …

All the winner of the Great British Baking Show gets is a cake stand. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a nail biter. In fact, we argue it’s one of the most anxiety-producing shows on TV and that it subverts the …

In 2021, it’s not enough to just become famous. To really capitalize on your 15 minutes, you need to tell a story and be authentic. The Circle perfectly captures this shift. It’s like the Real World but ...dystopian? …

Rama was a spiritual teacher in the 80s and 90s who inspired many of his students while helming what many of his detractors would describe as a cult. …

From Neon Hum Media and L.A. Taco, this is Smoke Screen: The Sellout, a podcast about a politician dogged by allegations of corruption, harassment …

It's a city that has defined popular culture. An oasis in the desert, a mirage — it’s a city of buzzing neon, world-class performers, and fortunes …

Spectacle is back with a new season and this time the spectacle isn’t reality TV it's a place. it’s had many names over the years: Sin City, City of …

In the final scene of Viva Las Vegas, Elvis and Ann Margaret stand in front of a wood-framed chapel, happily married, running out into the street as …

Las Vegas, through the eyes of Martin Scorsese, is where you went to be legit. It's where a criminal could operate out in the open. Dark alleys and …

Las Vegas has a way of forgetting its history. Like many cities across America, Vegas was segregated. From the ‘40s through integration, The Strip welcomed whites only, forcing Black people to live on the other side of …

By the late 60s, that Vegas “anything goes” philosphy was fully solidified. And look no further than Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fueled literary romp, …

Director Paul Verhoeven was considered kind of an auteur in the ‘90s.  Basic Instinct got critical acclaim. So by 1995, when he announced his new …

Las Vegas, for many, is a place where you can play by your own rules and get away with it too. And for Hollywood Madame, Heidi Fleiss, Nevada was the …

“What Happens Here, Stays Here” became the motto of Las Vegas in 2003. But for many, the 2009 movie The Hangover solidified that slogan. The guys in …

Films like Ocean’s 11 fulfill this fantasy of beating the house. But in reality, it’s a lot more complex. Because casinos are well-oiled machines. …

In Vegas, during a fight weekend, everyone in town knows why you’re there. There’s a camaraderie. It's like no other city in the world. But how did Las Vegas become a boxing mecca to rival New York or Chicago? In this …

The Las Vegas residency hasn’t always had the best reputation. Cher, a resident singer herself, once told a journalist that Las Vegas was an …

Host Brent Holmes brings S1 host Mariah Smith on to talk true crime. In this episode, the two dish on three outrageous true crime stories to come out …

Why is it that after a long, hard day of work we want to unwind with a glass of wine and… murder?

From In Cold Blood to Serial, America is obsessed …

Host Mariah Smith is back for season 3 to dissect a messy obsession. This is Spectacle: True Crime. In our pilot episode, we look at how the 2014 podcast Serial changed the true crime game. And how it’s a callback to an …

In this week’s episode, we’ll dissect our problematic sexualization of serial killers. Yeah, it’s kinda sick that #HotTedBundy is a thing. We’ll talk …

In the 1990s, a true crime phenomenon took over our lives – the televised trial. For the first time, we weren’t just getting snippets with takes from journalists and pundits. We were watching gavel-to-gavel coverage. …

In its 30 years and counting, the news magazine show Dateline has created an unbeatable formula for true crime. Its mysteries are stranger than …

When you turn on the nightly news, what usually leads? Often… It’s violence. A shooting. A 5-car pileup. The portrait of a missing girl. Sometimes …

In this week’s episode, host Mariah Smith digs into the phenomenon of citizen sleuths. It’s nothing new but with the internet, it’s exploded in the last few years… most notably in 2021 with the disappearance of Gabby …

From tech bro scammers to fake heiresses, there’s a scammer story for everyone... nearly everywhere. In this week’s episode, Host Mariah Smith digs into our fascination with conartists with the podcast that kicked off …

On this week’s episode of Spectacle, our obsession with certain missing women. When Gabby Petito disappeared in September 2021, the world went crazy. …

It's not often that cases get the justice they deserve, unfortunately. But in the Law & Order: SVU universe, victims always get justice delivered by a certain superwoman detective. In this week’s episode, Host …

If you’re turned on any streaming channel, from Netflix to Hulu to HBO Max, true crime dominates. As of late, what’s especially popular are shows and …

This week on Spectacle, forensic sciences. Shows like CSI or Forensic Files make us believe that fingerprints, bite marks or tool marks can close the …

True crime podcasts have developed a devoted female following. It’s made fun of in SNL skits and coined cutesy phrases on t-shirts like “true crime, …

Sharing a preview of a new Sony Music Entertainment and Pushkin podcast, Death of the Artist. For more than 35 years, accusations of murder shrouded …

Smoke Screen: Deadly Cure is a podcast about a family on the fringe who convinced tens of thousands of people across the globe to buy a miracle liquid made of poison, the international conspiracy they ignited, and the …

This season, we’re getting into 1950s Hollywood, ground zero for a cultural transformation that would upend every aspect of Americans’ lives. A movie …

From Dean of Black Twitter, Michael Harriot, comes a Black history podcast like you've never heard before. Using a recipe that includes detailed research, barbershop humor and a little seasoned salt, a parade of …

Betrayal on the Bayou is a podcast about a former DEA agent Chad Scott, who for almost two decades, stopped at nothing to put drug dealers behind …