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March 1, 2018
We’re four hours into a two-day work trip when I realize I’ve mentioned murder, in one way or another, at least three times to my co-worker.
He’s a man of few words, so his puzzled silence isn’t that unusual. But the concerned and confused look on his face tells me otherwise: I need to freaking cool it.
It just so happens that, as we depart Cleveland for Asheville, North Carolina, I’m in the midst a weeklong bender of the true crime podcast My Favorite Murder. And now, after bingeing on hours of stories related to real and horrific crimes, I can’t stop talking about them.
It’s kind of like when you keep bringing up an ex that you’re not over. They’re always present in your mind, so you find ways to force their name into any conversation you can, no matter how trivial. (“You like sandwiches? My ex, Tyler, LOVED sandwiches!”)
Only now, the subject constantly swirling around in my brain isn’t the bro who won’t return my texts—it’s cult killings, serial killers, survivor stories and pure gore.
Poor, quiet co-worker Brian. (“You like sandwiches? Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy LOVED sandwiches!”)
I’ve covered my love for true crime podcasts here before, but My Favorite Murder is something entirely different. While podcasts like Serial and Dirty John are meticulously researched, reported, fact-checked and produced, MFM is… not really any of those things.
Instead, it’s two friends with a fascination for true crime sitting down every week to retell the tale of their new “favorite murders.” Sometimes, the podcast dives deeper into famous cases and notorious killers you’ve heard of. Often, however, it uncovers tales of terror that are as interesting as they unknown.
In stark contrast to pods that are journalistic in nature, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark take an improvised and conversational approach. Coming to the table with nothing more than internet research and their own notes, each tells her murder story in her own words, also reacting to the other’s story in real time as it’s told, gasping in disbelief and adding color commentary (and occasional laughter) as they go. Many episodes wrap up with the reading of a “Hometown Murder” story submitted by a friend or fan of the pod. Because everyone’s hometown has that one story that just begs to be told.
My Favorite Murder offers a different take on storytelling, because it’s imperfect and relatable, and—despite often making your toes curl—impossibly funny. Listening to it feels like eavesdropping on two friends talking about a shared interest. That shared interest just happens to be murder. Plus, Kilgariff and Hardstark’s personalities, private lives and pets are just as much a part of the production as the crime stories they tell, creating a podcast that feels personal and endearing and incredibly binge-worthy, despite the heaviness of its subject matter.
It turns out being “binge-worthy” is a good thing. Since its inception in 2016, MFM has amassed 109 full-length episodes (each of which are about an hour and 15 minutes long), as well as 57 minisodes made up solely of Hometown Murder stories. But because the stories Kilgariff and Hardstark share span the decades, MFM’s 166 episodes are fairly evergreen. You can binge on them anytime and, except for opening remarks about things like the “brand new” Netflix show Stranger Things, they still largely work.
If you’re into true crime and dig podcasts, definitely give My Favorite Murder a listen. Just consider not bingeing on it the week before a trip with a co-worker. Sorry, Brian.
