You Can’t Make This Up

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary film “Victim/Suspect" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Nancy Schwartzman and journalist Rachel De Leon.An investigative reporter discovered a nationwide pattern of women who’d come forward to report a sexual assault, only to be arrested for filing a false report. But the victims said they recanted because police said they didn’t believe them. Rachel De Leon learned police were employing the same deceptive techniques used in criminal interrogations, even withholding evidence to break a woman’s story and turn a true victim into a suspect.“Victim/Suspect” follows De Leon as she probes what happens when assault survivors seeking justice are punished because investigators do not believe them. The film also recounts the case of several victims who’ve lived with the personal and public pain of false recantations. SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Victim/Suspect" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series “Working: What We Do All Day," out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Executive Producer and Director Caroline Suh.What brings you joy in work? What gives you purpose? What makes a good job…good? These are the questions at the center of “Working: What We Do All Day." The series explores the ways in which we find meaning in our work and how our experiences and struggles connect us on a human level. From the entry-level employee to chief executive officer, “Working" introduces us to several workers trying to make it in an ever-changing world. They also discuss what makes a good job with former President Barack Obama to answer the question, is our work who we are or is it just a paycheck?SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Working: What We Do All Day" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews executive producer and director Ursula Macfarlane.Born in a small Texas town, Vickie Lynn Hogan would go on to fame as the model and actress known as Anna Nicole Smith. From her first appearance in Playboy in 1992, her puzzling marriage to an elderly billionaire, and her popular reality show, Anna Nicole’s dizzying ascent was the very essence of the American dream, brought to a tragic halt with her untimely passing in 2007. With access to never-before-seen footage, home movies, and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now, “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me" reveals new insights into the story of the quintessential blonde bombshell hardly anyone really knew.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about season seven the Netflix series “Queer Eye," premiering May 12 on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews executive producer and showrunner Jennifer Lane.From beignets to ben-yays! The Emmy® Award-winning "Queer Eye" is back for a seventh season. Grab your beads and let the good times roll as Bobby, Karamo, Antoni, Tan, and Jonathan bring some sparkle and sass to New Orleans and transform the lives of residents who are in need of a fresh start.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we’ll peek ahead at some of the hottest nonfiction and unscripted titles coming this summer to Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Tudum's Amanda Richards.Buckle up for another great batch of documentary series and films in the coming weeks. Netflix will take you around the world and the bottom of the sea. From wealthy celebrities to working stiffs. From hotel maids to presidents. Be ready to meet football legends, investigative reporters, and even mermaids…as we reveal the real life stories on Netflix that will have you talking all summer.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series “Chimp Empire" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director James Reed.Jackson relies on intimidation and political favors to maintain his leadership position in Central Ngogo, while rivals within the group plot to usurp him. Suddenly, a crisis over resources in disputed territory turns deadly. Now Jackson must prepare for war against those who years ago drove him from his old tribe. This is not a Tom Clancy political thriller…it’s the real life struggle between two groups of chimpanzees in Uganda. “Chimp Empire” takes us into their communities as they play, explore, and care for one another. But the chimpanzees face threats both internal and external. As this forest turf war heats up, the chimps of Ngogo respond in a very human-like way.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Chimp Empire" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary “Longest Third Date," out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Brent Hodge.After a pair of dates, Matt and Khani decided to go on a spontaneous getaway to Costa Rica. While they drank Coronas on the beach, coronavirus was shutting the world down. And when all air travel to the United States was canceled, the couple found themselves stranded indefinitely in Central America. Now thrown together, the two had to navigate life in lockdown while waiting two and half months to go home. Using video Matt captured on his iPhone, “Longest Third Date” follows the couple’s efforts to find housing, pass the time, and get to know a person they just met on a dating app. After Matt and Khani’s story went viral, the couple needed to confront an unspoken question: would this relationship of necessity continue when they returned?SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Longest Third Date" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Floyd Russ.In the confusion after two explosions at the marathon finish line, two bombers slip away with the panicked crowd into the streets of Boston. It leaves investigators with hundreds of victims injured, a trampled crime scene, and no good leads. When they realize the cops are on to them, the Tsarnaev brothers extend their deadly crime spree in an attempt to escape. After a week of terror, the entire city shuts down to bring the bombers to justice.“American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing” brings us the stories of the victims at the finish line, the investigators who pursued the culprits, and the patrolmen who engaged the fugitives in a deadly firefight in a quiet neighborhood.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, we are talking about the Netflix documentary series “Emergency NYC" out now on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie interviews directors Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz.With more than 300 rescue calls a minute, emergency medicine in New York City is a fast-paced world where time and skill make the difference between life and death. The staff at Lenox Hill Hospital are constantly confronted by those who need care in the gravest of situations: a teenager caught in a shootout, a teacher needing a liver transplant, an opera singer with a brain tumor. But these doctors and nurses are also witnesses to the public health challenges of the day. The scourge of gun violence; the lingering effects of care delayed by the pandemic; and the burnout of their colleagues likely to leave medicine altogether. “Emergency NYC” brings the struggles and triumphs of helicopter flight nurses, paramedics, and a staff of world-class surgeons, as well as the many patients who need their help the most.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched “Emergency NYC" yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on.

The tragedy at Waco became a rallying cry for the anti-government movement within America and the foundation for arguments surrounding gun rights and religious freedom. In this final episode of the Waco companion podcast, Tiller speaks again with Lee Hancock and then with Bob Ricks, the FBI’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge, about the FBI’s failed response to Waco, rampant conspiracy theories, government distrust, Waco’s connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing a year later, and how the events of 30 years ago resonates through to the present day.  Waco: American Apocalypse is streaming now on Netflix.