Podcast corner: Four to keep you ticking over in a crisis
Here are four podcasts that have been adapted into TV shows/movies that you can watch in the self-isolated comfort of your own home.
Dirty John
One of the big post-Serial podcast hits, this six-part show from the esteemed Wondery and LA Times studio was an instant hit, with 10m downloads in its first two weeks.
It’s a psychological/true crime show that follows the titular John Meehan, who uses online dating sites to find his targets.
Debra Newell thinks she’s found true love with him; her family are more sceptical.
The unfurling deception is nailbiting.
It was adapted for Bravo in the US, starring Eric Bana and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), and the eight-episode show is available to stream on Netflix.
Modern Love
A beloved New York Times column about the never-ending search to find for the right one, Modern Love was turned into a podcast in 2017.
It shouldn’t have worked but it did, helped by having narrators such as Terry Crews, David Oyelowo, and Catherine O’Hara — it’s usually tearjerking.
It was adapted into an Amazon Prime TV show late last year (that’s very similar to Netflix’s Easy) and is a charming, bingeable, NYC-backdropped show that’s perfect to curl up with.
The Farewell
This critically acclaimed film stars the quick-rising Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) and was a delight, as a Chinese family living in the US return home to spend some time with their grandmother, the affectionately nicknamed Nai Nai, after she’s diagnosed with cancer.
The tagline is “based on an actual lie” as the family never told her she’s dying; best she doesn’t know.
The movie was directed and produced by Lulu Wang, who wrote an essay about her true-life family story for This American Life (episode 585, ‘In Defense of Ignorance), ‘What You Don’t Know’.
You can rent the movie on iTunes.
Homecoming
Julia Roberts became the latest big-name movie star to make the switch to the small screen for Amazon Prime’s Homecoming in 2018.
She plays a caseworker helping returning US soldiers adapt back to normal life.
There are hints of 24 and Homeland as the timelines switch up.
It’s edge-of-your-seat binging over ten 30-minute episodes.
It’s based on a scripted psychological drama podcast from Gimlet, voiced by Catherine Keener, David Schwimmer, Spike Jones, and Amy Sedaris.
It’s big budget production, and that pays off.
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