176: The Pop Culture of the Michael Peterson Case

Southern Fried True Crime

Erica Kelley

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 10.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2023

⏱️ 128 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The pop culture of the Michael Peterson case is fascinating. There are many infamous true crime cases that create their own universe. The Peterson case was always going to be famous. But when Netflix bought the rights to Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s docu-series, The Staircase, Michael Peterson and his family were launched into the stratosphere. There were already books…but after Netflix reopened the saga, we have every form of media jumping on the Peterson bandwagon. Including a sitcom. Outside of South Park lampooning OJ Simpson, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a murder case inspiring a comedy show with the likes of John Lithgow starring. What does this say about us as a society? How far should “journalists” go to keep trying to get interviews years after the man served his time. How long should his children be chained to this case? I’m not saying I have the answers. I just think it’s interesting to ask these questions.

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley
Researched and written by Erica Kelley
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder of Southern Gothic & Erica Kelley
Source, “Death by Talons” by Tiddy Smith

Sources:

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp online therapy. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/southern and get on your way to being your best self.
Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to RocketMoney.com/southernfried
Protect your home with my favorite home security system. Go to SimpliSafe.com/southernfried There’s no safe like SimpliSafe.
The Generation Why podcast has a new, special 4-part series about the horrific story of Kalief Browder. Follow them now on Amazon Music, The Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Crypto doesn't sleep, so neither do we.
0:04.0	Crack-in client support is available 24-7, 365 days a year by call, chat, or email.
0:11.0	We're here for you whenever you need us.
0:13.0	Give us a shout at crackin.com forward slash support proof,
0:17.0	not investment advice. Crypto trading involves risk of loss.
0:23.0	Southern fraud true crime covers cases that are not suitable for young listeners
0:27.0	and there may also be some explicit language used.
0:30.0	But there's no need for a trigger warning on this episode, although I might cuss a bit.
0:35.0	This one is about the pop culture phenomena that was spawned by the Peterson case.
0:40.0	I'm going beyond the documentary, the staircase, to other documentaries, the 24-hour news cycle,
0:47.0	several books, podcasts, think pieces, and so on.
0:50.0	The only warning you need here is for spoilers.
0:53.0	The HBO Max series premiered almost a year ago, so no whining.
0:58.0	Have y'all missed me? Cause I sure missed you.
1:02.0	Now on with the show.
1:07.0	In December of 2010, French filmmaker Jean Xavier de la Strade
1:12.0	had no idea what was coming.
1:14.0	A few months earlier in September, he had attended the premiere of his first documentary called Murder on a Sunday Morning.
1:23.0	In it, La Strade covered the case of Britain Butler, a black teen who was wrongfully accused of murder in Jacksonville, Florida.
1:31.0	Already, La Strade's documentary was receiving rave reviews.
1:36.0	There were rumblings that he had a real shot at an Oscar next spring.
1:40.0	The season director wasn't getting his hopes up though.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Erica Kelley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Erica Kelley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.