To Live and Die in LA

Elaine Park's story is important, and the podcast team clearly cares, but their dedication is seriously undermined by their repeated confirmation bias and inexperience. They routinely discuss and emphasize information they believe casts suspicion on Elaine's mother, Susan, while routinely glossing over other feasible dimensions of her story and the available information. They also (at least in Episodes 1 through the Finale, Part 1) do not seriously engage any number of critical questions, such as: would a mother who killed, or was involved in, her daughter's murder, engage a Private Investigator, allow cadaver dogs into her home (without a warrant compelling such), and rent out the victim's room (where said cadaver dogs alerted) to an investigative podcast team? Also, please stop drawing inferences from people's refusal to take polygraph tests. They are not allowed in court because they are not reliable. The podcast team is clearly dedicated, hardworking, and heartfelt--but they continually lose sight of their own lack of experience and how that may be coloring their work and reporting (repeatedly mentioning it is not enough, nor is restating that the pod is a step-by-step account). Even expert investigators regularly draw false conclusions from available information--conclusions often compounded by bias. A novice team should have built far more checks and balances and guardrails in place. It is unfortunate this was not done because this story is otherwise extremely well-told and engaging.

I wish there were more seasons of this show…but then again, for that to happen, something horrible would also have to happen to someone. Really well done and very thoughtful. Biggest takeaways from season 1 — no one who knew Chris actually knew Chris. He was an actor, in every sense of the word. I also found it highly ironic (and good podcasting) to listen to Chris’s mother explain how everyone was hoodwinked by Chris’s biological father when they were young, yet she couldn’t fathom her own son being able to do the same thing to the people that loved him. Wild. Season 2 — Susan is at best the most cold hearted mother I’ve ever heard of, and at worst, possibly a murderer.

I’ve listened to hours and hours of podcasts across many genres. This, hands down, is the best one I’ve ever listened to. Incredibly well produced, thoroughly investigated, and expertly shared. Well worth the time!

I wrote the name of this pod down from a TikTok of suggested true crime podcasts. Thank god because I have been religiously listening since the moment I started! The stories are so sad, but told so well. I will definitely continue to follow.

You had me until 1.5 when the host called up the fiancé of the accused (by podcasting standards and not legal) right after he took his own life—literally within 24 hours. She sobs through the whole thing while he salivates over getting the scoop first. It’s like 5 minutes long and feels so unethical and gross under the guise of getting the truth. Be a human. Have some decency. She was in fresh, raw, trauma, and this podcast exploited that for the sake of getting “exclusive content”. That’s not journalism—it’s exploitation of peripheral victims.

Pretty exploitive and it gave the vibes of rich people with too much time and money on their hands. This taking place in Malibu really showcased how rich people spend money only when it kind of involves them and their “safe neighborhood”. Ended where it all began, no conclusion and literally had little to no evidence on who they were accusing and investigating. A show of hearsay resulting in nothing just a wasted 10-15 hours of my life! 0/10 do not recommend.