Criminal Adaptations

Criminal Adaptations is a True Crime/Movie Review Podcast discussing some of your favorite films, and the true crime stories that inspired them. With hosts Remi, who spent over a decade working in the film and television industry, and Ashley, a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator. They discuss a new movie each week and compare the film to the real life events that the film is based on.

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Top 10 Criminal Adaptations Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Criminal Adaptations episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Criminal Adaptations for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Criminal Adaptations episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Bernie

Criminal Adaptations

04/09/24 • 98 min

Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede II was a beloved mortician in Carthage, Texas who always went out of his way to lend a helping hand. Marjorie Nugent was a wealthy widow with few confidants, until she befriended Tiede, a man 40 years her senior, who oversaw her husband’s funeral. Through this friendship, Bernie went from living a modest lifestyle to jet setting around the world and being next in line to Nugent’s multi-million estate...until her body was found stuffed in a freezer nine months after she was last seen. This week we are back with another Jack Black true-crime comedy, Richard Linklater’s Bernie (2011). Tune in to find out how accurate the movie depicts the murder of Marjorie Nugent, and to learn about the wild sequence of events that unfolded after the film’s release.
Primary Sources:
Texas Monthly – Midnight in the Garden of East TexasTexas Monthly – Bernie in HellTexas Monthly – Lights, Camera, Carthage!Investigation Discovery
The Austin Chronicle

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Music: He_s Changing The Game by Darren-Curtis _ https___soundcloud.com_desperate-measurez_Music promoted by https___www.free-stock-music.com_Creative Commons _ Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)_https___creativecommons.org_licenses_by_3.0_deed.e

The Polka King

Criminal Adaptations

12/12/23 • 49 min

Everybody polka! This week we discuss Jan Lewan, Grammy nominated polka artist turned Ponzi schemer, and Jack Black’s depiction of him in Maya Forbes’s The Polka King (2017). Was Lewan a contriving money hungry criminal or a man who found himself in too deep? We will let you be the judge.

Primary Sources:

American Greed Podcast: The Polka King Con

PA Times Reader

Daily Beast

Spin

Zola

Criminal Adaptations

03/10/25 • 88 min

In October 2015, Aziah “Zola” King posted a 148 tweet Twitter thread that took the world by storm. #TheStory trended worldwide and became the inspiration for Janicza Bravo’s second feature film Zola (2020), staring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, and Nicholas Braun. Listen as we break down everything from the stalled production, exactly what went down that fateful March 2015 weekend in Tampa, and what happened to Zola and “Z” in the years to follow.
Primary Sources:
Rolling Stone (2015)
Washington Post (2015)
Complex (2015)
Kolo News (2017)
Don’t Die Wondering (2021)
Vulture (2021)
If you or someone you know is a victim of sex trafficking, help is available.
Polaris Project
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Department of Justice

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans - Part 2 (Bonus Episode)

Criminal Adaptations

04/30/24 • 95 min

This week we conclude our bonus episodes on Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024). Similar to last week, we casually talk about the remainder of the season, episodes 4-8, and how accurately the show stuck to the real-life events that laid the stage for Capote’s addiction and eventual death.
You can stream the full season of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans on FX and Hulu.

Criminal Adaptations - Coming Soon!

Criminal Adaptations

10/10/23 • 1 min

Welcome to Criminal Adaptations, the show where we take a look at some of your favorite movies and the true crime stories that inspired them. Join our hosts Remi, who has over a decade of experience working in the film and television industry, and Ashley, a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator in the state of Oregon, as they compare some of Hollywood’s most notorious films to the real-life crimes they’re based on.
New Episodes EVERY TUESDAY STARTING OCTOBER 17th!

Lucy in the Sky

Criminal Adaptations

12/05/23 • 79 min

This week Ashley and Remi discuss Noah Hawley’s Lucy in the Sky (2019), a film loosely inspired by former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak. Join us as we uncover the details behind the riveting story which dominated headlines. Spoiler: It involves much more than soiled diapers.

Primary Source:

Moore, K. Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak.University Press of Florida (2020).

Foxcatcher

Criminal Adaptations

11/28/23 • 80 min

Mark and Dave Shultz were viewed by many as the greatest wrestlers in the world, but their lives and careers would be uprooted less than a decade after they meet an eccentric multi-millionaire, John du Pont. Their story is portrayed in Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher (2014), featuring an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo.

Primary Sources:

Schultz, M. Foxcatcher: The True Story of my Brother’s Murder, John du Pont’s Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold. The Penguin Group (2014).

Team Foxcatcher (2016)

30 for 30: The Prince of Pennsylvania (2015)

Stuck

Criminal Adaptations

11/21/23 • 54 min

“The Windshield Murder” is regarded as one of the most bizarre and sensational crimes in Tarrant County. The details of the case, which inspired Stuart Gordon’s Stuck (2007), illustrate the fine line between murder and deliberate inaction.

Primary Sources:

Dog Day Afternoon

Criminal Adaptations

11/14/23 • 73 min

How far would you go to support the person you love? Would you rob a bank and hold eight employees hostage for 14 hours to pay for your partner’s gender reassignment surgery? This week we talk about the infamous bank robbery depicted in Sidney Lumet’s Oscar winning film Dog Day Afternoon (1975), starring Al Pacino.

Primary Sources:

All that’s Interesting

The Untouchables

Criminal Adaptations

05/07/24 • 128 min

Notorious gangland kingpin Al Capone was at the height of his career supplying illegal liquor and beer during Prohibition. Thanks to his ruthless tactics and deep pockets, he essentially controlled Chicago through payoffs given to the city’s highest rank politicians and police force. Fed up with widespread crime, federal agent Eliot Ness put together a small group tasked with finally bringing “Scarface” to justice and putting an end to his reign of terror. Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) is based on the team who achieved their goal in less than three years, and features a star-studded cast which includes Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, and Sean Connery. In addition to discussing the true story that inspired De Palma’s film, we will talk about how Capone rode to power, earning his reputation as the most infamous gangster in America.
Primary Sources:
Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone. Hachette Books, 1992.
Ness, Eliot and Fraley, Oscar. The Untouchables. Award Books, 1957.
Vanity FairMedium

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FAQ

How many episodes does Criminal Adaptations have?

Criminal Adaptations currently has 52 episodes available.

What topics does Criminal Adaptations cover?

The podcast is about Los Angeles, Film, True Crime, Murder, Criminal, True Story, Reviews, Podcasts, Tv, Tv & Film and Film Reviews.

What is the most popular episode on Criminal Adaptations?

The episode title 'Lucy in the Sky' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Criminal Adaptations?

The average episode length on Criminal Adaptations is 90 minutes.

How often are episodes of Criminal Adaptations released?

Episodes of Criminal Adaptations are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.

When was the first episode of Criminal Adaptations?

The first episode of Criminal Adaptations was released on Oct 10, 2023.

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Criminal Adaptations