While I love that this podcast is started by two powerful women, it is too lighthearted for me.
My Favorite Murder feels like drinking coffee with your best friend while talking about any and all bizarre topics. Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, this podcast is all about true crime. In each episode, the friends make funny banter as they break down each crime, giving the whole production a fun tone.
The premise for this podcast is a bit genius. Kilgariff says, “What a boring part of a show, where we’re like, ‘We don’t know anything about the law, but let’s say what we feel.’”
These women have mastered self-deprecating humor. Perhaps, the greatest strength of this podcast is the fact that it creates a masterful tone.
However, for me personally, the podcast hosts did not immediately grab my attention when I was listening to this podcast. Therefore, it was hard to stay engaged throughout. In their longer episodes, I find myself zoning out at the beginning, as they don’t even start talking about the crimes for the first segement of their podcast.
I can see why many people enjoy this podcast. It makes true crime enjoyable for those who often feel like it’s too dark. But here is my hangup, true crime is supposed to be dark. Some of these people have committed horrible deeds.
My Favorite Murder does not really offer expertise either. As Kilgariff said earlier, they really don’t know much about the law. Kilgariff and Hardstark do offer their listeners a fun show as they go back and forth between talking about pop culture and murder.
Frankly, it also seems sloppy that Kilgariff and Hardstark aren’t careful with some of the details of the cases they go over. Rolling Stone said, “While they do research their murders in advance, they refuse to feel beholden to every fact, exact date, or pronunciation.” No true crime podcast can detail everything in 60 minutes, but these women are a bit messy when it comes to fact-checking.
In terms of personal preference, I am a journalist. So, when I learn about a crime, I want all of the details. I appreciate how in-depth podcasts like Serial are. I can tell that genuine effort has been put into Serial’s episodes as well. Oftentimes they will have audio clips, interviews and experts on their show.
Both podcast hosts have a passion for true crime as they both grew up obsessed with it. In the book they wrote called “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered,” which is also a catchphrase on their podcast, they write, “There was something so satisfying about getting confirmation that the world wasn’t as great as “Happy Days” or “Mr. Belvedere” made it out to be. It didn’t take the anxiety away, but it still felt like a f**** triumph.”
All of this being said, I do love My Favorite Murder’s hometown podcasts. They are little thirty-minute podcasts where people send in different crime stories they have heard throughout their lifetime. The tone that Kilgariff and Hardstark have set up for these episodes is flawless. However, they don’t seem to fact-check any of these stories. So, some of these really could be fiction.
There is also no doubt that these women have found success. According to the Guardian, “Hugely popular – it pulls in more than 19 million listeners a week and has seen the women sell out venues not only across their native US but also in Australia, Ireland and the UK.” Perhaps, their honest tone as they just talk about life and the various struggles they go through is the true appeal of this podcast not true crime.
The Beat @APU 