Set in a Chicago housing project, the 1992 horror movie “Candyman” features a deadly ghost who can be summoned by chanting in a bathroom mirror. But some plot points were inspired by a real life robbery homicide in which the killer broke into an apartment through a hole in the medicine cabinet. A reporter found the flawed design of the bathroom walls were a contributing factor into Ruthie Mae McCoy’s 1987 death. The exposé raised questions about City Hall’s indifference to violence in the projects and the dangers faced by its Black residents. By the time the supernatural retelling made it into theaters, the creature in the mirror did not reflect those systemic issues.

From Wondery and 48 Hours comes the podcast “Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder.” Host Dometi Pongo explores not only McCoy’s homicide. He dives into the larger issues around race, safety in the projects, and the ways they shaped the Hollywood narrative. The series asks how a mainstream audience can find big screen horror in the hallmarks of poverty.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CANDYMAN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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Just before the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy” could dismiss writer Elizabeth Finch for mediocre work, she revealed she had a rare form of cancer. Finch drew on her experience to write some powerful episodes for the medical drama. Finch crafted acclaimed storylines based on her own struggles with health, assault, sexual harassment and stalking. Hollywood was shocked when it was revealed Finch was faking. She’d taken other people’s real life trauma and claimed it for her own, stringing along those close to her for sympathy and attention for years.

Peacock’s “Anatomy of Lies” recounts the writer’s elaborate ruse and how she parlayed other’s pain into personal and professional gain. It leans heavily into the perspective of Finch’s wife who worked to expose the woman who fooled so many.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ANATOMY OF LIES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: R-O-T-T-O-G-O!

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A white hat hacker provides journalist Carl Miller with backdoor access to a page on the dark web offering the services of a hit man. The site is just a scam, but the transactions identify more than 100 people who are in real life danger from someone motivated to harm them. Though the buyers are anonymous, Miller feels an obligation to find the targets and warn them someone is willing to pay to have them killed. Miller’s team is met with skepticism from the authorities, but many would-be victims realize who might be behind their threat. While Miller works to trip up the hitman-shoppers before they turn to real world violence, the team turns its attention to taking apart the website offering murder for hire.

The podcast “Kill List” from Wondery and Novel follows Miller’s race against time to warn unsuspecting people around the world that their lives are in danger before the scammed buyers take matters into their own hands. It also covers Miller’s own ethical struggle of inserting himself into the story and the emotional toll his newsgathering takes.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "KILL LIST"  BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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Looking to get a break in show business, struggling actress Sheryl Bradshaw appears on “The Dating Game.” The first two bachelors are either shallow or lascivious, but bachelor number three has an easy charm that makes him the clear favorite. But Rodney Alcala is more than a smooth-talking photographer looking for love. He’s spent the past decade murdering unsuspecting women and eluding detection. How could Sheryl - or the TV audience - know she was about to go on a date with a serial killer?

The Netflix thriller “Woman of the Hour” dramatizes Sheryl’s real life encounter with a predator. Lead actress and director Anna Kendrick ratchets up the tension with a character resigned to 1970s misogyny and its lurking menace, all while showing us in parallel what Rodney is capable of. 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WOMAN OF THE HOUR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: ice to see you.

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A Hollywood studio courts Charles, Oliver, and Mabel to make a star-studded movie based on their hit podcast. But Charles is shaken by another murder in the building: his longtime stunt double, Sazz, was killed in his apartment by a sniper, and her body burned in the incinerator.

Before she died, Sazz had been poking into something about the first season of the podcast. The fatal shot came from the west side of the Arconia, occupied by an odd collection of residents with a secret to hide. Writers, directors, executives and stuntmen also make up the suspect list. Now the podcasters are on a new case: what bombshell did Sazz uncover and who was willing to kill to keep it quiet?

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return for season four of “Only Murders in the Building.” This time, the Emmy Award-winning series deconstructs the murder mystery through the lens of film. The movie forces Mabel to ponder how the world views her, and leads Oliver to re-examine his relationship with Loretta. Meanwhile, Charles is racked with guilt that his old friend may have died because of him. As usual, “Only Murders” delivers sly humor, a touch of pathos, and crackling performances by the leads and many guest stars.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING" SEASON FOUR BEGIN IN THE FINAL [ XX ] MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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Comedian Gary Vider had a great childhood story about him and his father sneaking into scores of games at Madison Square Garden posing as a reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids. But the charming tale belied a deeper truth. Manny Vider was a prolific con artist, with a never ending stream of business scams, insurance fraud, and other schemes that eventually tore his family apart. Twenty-four years later, now a father himself, Gary set out on a quest to locate Manny. His goal was to process the effects of his estranged dad’s actions on his life and family. He also wanted to learn whether the unrepentant conman has changed his ways.

From iHeartMedia and Big Money Players Network comes “#1 Dad.” Vider talks to relatives, partners, his own therapist, and fellow comedians about Manny’s many swindles - both personal and professional. Can he convince his father to meet and confront their past? And will the son get the truth from a man who’s spent his life spinning lies?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "#1 DAD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: techno pop.

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Filmmakers follow officers in a troubled Michigan city to confront the challenges of policing, race relations, politics, and what it means to be a community. We’ll go back to our 2018 review of the documentary series “Flint Town.”

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Former prosecutor Paul Bergrin made a name for himself as an aggressive defense attorney, handling difficult cases involving celebrities and hardened criminals in New Jersey. But as his reputation grew, so did suspicions about the lengths he’d go to get his clients off the hook.

An FBI investigation found that Bergrin wasn’t just representing his unsavory clients; he was directing their criminal activities. They learned the lawyer was overseeing drug trafficking, directing an escort service, and involved in money laundering and witness intimidation. It left agents wondering how far Bergrin would go to get an acquittal. 

From Wondery comes the podcast “Criminal Attorney.”  Host Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins introduces us to the voices of those who knew Bergrin, those who investigated him, and those affected by his actions. Why would an accomplished lawyer risk everything and find himself - and not his clients - pleading his case before a jury?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CRIMINAL ATTORNEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Whopper copper.

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In 1992, relatively stable patients at the VA hospital in Columbia, Missouri were dying on one ward’s overnight shift at an alarming rate. A review of the charts showed nurse Richard Williams had been present for most of the Code Blues, but he denied being responsible for the deaths. Whistleblowers accused VA administrators of keeping the situation quiet and retaliating against staff who tried to stop it. Even the FBI seemed to slow-walk the investigation, leaving grieving families to wonder whether anyone will be held accountable for the deaths of up to 50 ill veterans. 

In the latest installment of the podcast from Sony Music Entertainment and Campside Media, “Witnessed: Night Shift” reinvestigates the Columbia VA deaths. Who did it? Why did the hospital try to cover them up? Author Jake Adelstein interviews doctors - including his own father - who fought the government to identify one of the most prolific serial killers to roam a hospital.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: NIGHT SHIFT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 8 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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After fishermen reel in a severed arm off of Key West, demoted police detective Andrew Yancy grows suspicious of the victim’s young widow and her mysterious new boyfriend. Yancy thinks Eve’s husband Nick might not be the victim of a boating accident, especially as more people wind up dead.

Meanwhile, the couple have been scooping up property and displacing residents on the nearby island of Andros. Neville approaches the sultry Dragon Queen to put a curse on the speculators who stole his shack. Yancy and Neville’s stories become intertwined, as the wisecracking detective wonders how far Eve will go to execute her plan.

“Bad Monkey” from Apple TV+ stars Vince Vaughn as the fleet-footed and silver-tongued Yancy. Based on Carl Hiaasen’s best seller, this part noir/part dark comedy features rat-a-tat-tat dialogue and a host of quirky characters. Can Yancy get his badge back, straighten out his love life, thwart a crooked cop and the neighborhood real estate agent, and bring the scheming couple to justice?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BAD MONKEY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week:  Lost in the mail.

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New York’s police department says its mission is to protect and serve, but its long forgotten origin story says something different. Before they carried weapons and wore uniforms, the city’s loose affiliation of constables and watchmen hunted escaped enslaved people and made arrests for a fee. New York eventually formed a police force, one less focused on solving crime and more to serve the mayor’s political interests. In the 150-plus years that followed, police reforms and counter reforms shaped how the NYPD uses its authority.  But the debate continues on how modern law enforcement interacts with the community.

From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack, comes the podcast “Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD.” Peabody Award winner Chenjerai Kumanyika recounts the lost history of Gotham’s police, and brings his personal experiences as a second-generation police reform advocate.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EMPIRE CITY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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