Crimetown

Crimetown is a serial documentary podcast hosted by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier and produced by Gimlet Media which looks at how organized crime has shaped particular American cities. The first season started in 2016 and focused on the city of Providence, Rhode Island.
Background and production.
Hosts Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier first worked together on the film "Catfish", and later collaborated on HBO's "The Jinx". Publisher Gimlet Media's CEO Alex Blumberg met Stuart-Pontier when Blumberg interviewed him for a "This American Life" segment in 2000. Smerling and Stuart-Pontier initially tried to bring Blumberg on as producer of an audio follow-up to "The Jinx", but Blumberg was more interested in a new project, rather than a companion piece.
Production of season 1 began in summer 2015. Smerling and Stuart-Pontier took senior producer and host roles. Production staff also includes Drew Nelles, Austin Mitchell, Kaitlin Roberts, Mike Plunkett, and Laura Sim. It is edited by Blumberg and Caitlin Kenney.
Smerling and Stuart-Pontier conducted extensive local research for the podcast, and received help from the "Providence Journal", the Rhode Island Historical Society, and the Providence city archives. In particular, podcast personnel worked with the "Journal" and its staff at many stages of the process, from developing connections with sources to regular reviews of each episode as they were released. "Nieman Lab"s Ken Doctor noted this unofficial partnership between podcasters and local journalism—which has struggled to adapt to the Internet—might be the beginning of "a new local media format".
It was the "Journal"s first step into podcasting other than its sports-related coverage. Although the paper's Managing Editor, Alan Rosenberg, is unsure how far it can go into the medium, former executive editor Dave Butler said "Promoting, using, and helping "Crimetown" was a natural for the "Providence Journal". It gave us the opportunity to relive history thru a podcast—as in real voices. This part of the future—partnering with others on their specialty — is great for readers and offers revenue opportunities. [...] a great reminder of the kind of material we have in our archives but don't know what to do with it..."
The creators and producers of "Crimetown" have explored the possibility of turning the series into a film or television show.
The creators of Crimetown launched the podcast "The RFK Tapes" under Crimetown Presents on June 5, 2018 marking the 50th anniversary since the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Season 1.
Season 1 of "Crimetown" focuses on organized crime and corruption in Providence, Rhode Island. It debuted in November 2016 and includes 18 episodes plus 7 bonus episodes.
Synopsis.
Unlike many other examples in the true crime genre, there is no single narrative, such as a particular crime, that runs through the show, but several recurring, interrelated characters and events connected to the Patriarca crime family and Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci. The shows relies on techniques of investigative journalism to supplement the drama with hard reporting on new details or little-known connections. "The New York Times" called it "less "Law & Order", more "The Wire"," referencing two popular television series. Most episodes focus on a particular character or story and draw connections to those in previous episodes, coming together to form a picture of crime and corruption in Providence in the late 20th century. Smerling and Stuart-Pontier talked about their interest in the "tree roots" in Providence shared by a wide range of people.
Though many of the episodes do not cover Cianci, his career and persona run through the show, paralleling the city's complicated relationships and contradictions arising from the interplay of good intentions and crime. According to "The Boston Globe", "everything in the series is built on duality and dichotomy, from the two hills that make up the city (one controlled by the mob, the other home to the WASP elite) to the mayor himself." Cianci began his career as a prosecutor fighting against corruption and organized crime, ran for mayor on an anti-corruption platform, got elected with help from organized crime, and last later convicted for corruption.
Soundtrack.
The title song, used throughout the show, is "Run To Your Mama" by the Swedish band Goat. Gimlet Media's Matthew Boll was sound designer and theme music was composed by Jon Ivans, with additional scoring by Edwin, Bienart, John Kusiak, and Kenny Kusiak.
Towards the end of the season, producers released a stand-alone soundtrack with music from the show. It includes a combination of original and previously released tracks.
Season 2.
"Crimetown"'s second season, focusing on police corruption and brutality in the city of Detroit, Michigan in the 1970s, began on October 2, 2018.
Reception.
"Crimetown" received mostly positive reviews from critics, and by the end of the month was the most downloaded podcast on iTunes in the United States, third most popular in Canada, second in Australia, and sixth in the United Kingdom. "The New York Times" named it one of the "Best New Podcasts of 2016," saying it "advances the [true crime] genre." Reviewing the first episode, "USA Today" said that while the basic description of the show might sound boring, "[r]are audio, exciting music and compelling characters make [it] a worthwhile listen." "The A.V. Club" called it "as slick and engrossing as a podcast by Oscar-nominated producers promises to be" and praised the way the show captures touching moments in interviews with violent criminals.
"The Ringer" called it "a bracing, investigating deep dive into crime and corruption—and part of a wave of podcasts that are primed for TV and film adaptation." It also commented that "despite the density of information it conveys, it's not a slog. It's a story that would inspire any pulp fiction writer." "The Boston Globe" described the podcast as "morbidly fascinating and often laugh-out-loud surreal" and called it "as addictive as a bottle of pep pills," but added that the series "represents the latest wrinkle in packaging and selling criminal enterprise as ghoulish, diversionary fun while arguably soft-pedaling the human misery left in its wake." "Vulture" called it a "pulpy delight." Several reviewers drew comparisons with the podcasts "Serial" and "S-Town", and Netflix's "Making a Murderer" television miniseries.
The mayor of Providence during the release of the podcast, Jorge Elorza, said that the show was "terrible for Providence".
Events.
During and following the end of the first season, creators Smerling and Stuart-Pontier held live events in Brooklyn, Boston, and Providence, and then went on tour with "Crimetown Live." Different characters from the podcast join for a live conversation and to answer audience questions.