You Can’t Make This Up

On July 4, 2009, former NFL MVP quarterback Steve “Air” McNair and 20-year-old Sahel “Jenny” Kazemi were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds at a Nashville townhouse. The deaths shocked the sports world. While the police declared the pair died by Jenny’s hand, others say the investigation was botched and other suspects were dismissed too quickly.Volume four of the acclaimed Netflix sports series, UNTOLD: The Murder of Air McNair takes viewers through the pivotal moments of the investigation while also charting McNair’s rise to stardom across 13 seasons in the NFL. Through gripping game day footage and emotional interviews with teammates, coaches, and friends, the film captures McNair’s extraordinary career — while also examining the factors that led to these tragic deaths.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews directors Rodney Lucas and Taylor Alexander Ward.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched UNTOLD: The Murder of Air McNair yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

A program in D.C. offers the children of incarcerated men a rare chance to be with their fathers: a Daddy Daughter Dance inside the jail. While the men go on a journey to consider the impacts of their actions on their family, the girls navigate heartbreak, anger, and uncertainty, as they seize a precious opportunity to be with a parent they’re not even permitted to hug. But when the music stops, will these connections endure?Netflix’s Daughters follows Aubrey, Santana, Raziah, and Ja’Ana as they prepare for a momentous Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers. The film sheds light on the complexities of familial bonds strained by the unforgiving barriers of the criminal legal system. It also follows its main subjects long after the dance to see if the experience had a lasting effect on the bonds between father and daughter.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews directors Natalie Rae Robison and Angela Patton.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Daughters yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

She was the bright and bubbly young woman who disappeared on Christmas Eve of 2002 while eight months pregnant. The disturbing mystery of what happened captured the nation’s attention and dominated the news as the investigation slowly pointed to her husband. The murder of Laci Peterson remains one of the most famous and compelling true crime cases of the century.The Netflix documentary series American Murder: Laci Peterson is a story about a beloved woman, intimate partner violence, and media obsession. For the first time, we hear from Laci’s mother, Sharon, about her family’s ordeal. And we get the perspective of the woman thrown into the center of the case: Scott Peterson’s unsuspecting girlfriend, Amber Frey.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Skye Borgman.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched American Murder: Laci Peterson yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

How do they bring unseen monsters and unknown murderers to life on the screen? How do they get those interviews that no one else gets? What’s it like to tell the stories with only questions and no answers? Today we’ll hear the stories behind the episodes in volume four of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries. These directors hope their stories can help crack an unsolved mystery.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews Directors Robert M. Wise and Gabe Torres.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Unsolved Mysteries yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

From classic true crime to paranormal encounters, we can’t get enough of unexplained tales and the questions they raise. Volume four of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries brings us more of the unsettling, head-scratching cases you’ve come to expect from the legacy series.But this isn’t a series you only watch. Tips to unsolved.com have made a difference in many of the cases profiled. This time viewers are asked to solve a murder inside a locked building, find a terrifying night creature, determine whether a bloodsoaked death was an accident or a homicide, identify a victim by only her severed head, and travel to Victorian England to uncover history’s most notorious serial killer. Who knows? Maybe you have information that will crack an unsolved mystery.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews executive producer and showrunner Terry Dunn Meurer.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched volume 4 of Unsolved Mysteries yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

She’s a single mom working at a Whole Foods in Connecticut with one dream: to climb Mount Everest…again! Lhakpa Sherpa holds the record for most Everest summits by a woman. Now she returns to her native Nepal to conquer the world’s tallest mountain for the tenth time, and in the process, find healing from her past traumas.The Netflix documentary film Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa follows her dangerous trek to the top of the world. It also explores Lhakpa’s efforts to climb out of the valley of her despair and achieve serenity through the spiritual powers of her beloved Everest. In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Lucy Walker and producer Miranda Sherman.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

She’s considered the Greatest of All Time: a gymnast so special that five of the most difficult skills are named after her. But Simone Biles stunned the world when she withdrew from the 2020 Olympics, citing a need to protect her mental health. But after a break from the sport, the champion returned to the gym and confronted her physical and emotional challenges. The Netflix documentary series Simone Biles: Rising follows the gymnast’s journey from disappointment in Tokyo to her return to the Olympic stage in Paris.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Katie Walsh.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Simone Biles: Rising yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

From the rolling surf of Malibu to the glamor of the Hollywood hills, detectives in the LA County Sheriff's Department deal with some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the country. And when murder is involved, the pressure is on to solve the crime all while in a spotlight as bright as any blockbuster premier.In the latest installment of the Netflix docuseries, Homicide: Los Angeles revisits some of the most shocking and baffling crimes from the City of Angels, told by the detectives and prosecutors who worked them. Legendary executive producer Dick Wolf brings viewers inside these puzzling investigations and shows what it takes to solve them.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews executive director Adam Kassen.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Homicide: Los Angeles yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

It’s been said that there’s no more difficult position in the NFL than the quarterback. But throwing the pass is only half the story. Receivers turn those throws into dazzling catches, explosive runs, and highlight-worthy touchdowns. The Netflix sports series Receiver follows pass catchers Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. On the field and off, these players prepare for their chance at greatness. Dealing with playing time, injuries, and family drama, we see that being an elite receiver in the NFL is more than just catching the ball.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews director Shannon Furman.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched Receiver yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.

Would-be mothers in The Netherlands selected Jonathan Jacob Meijer to be their online sperm donor - a well-spoken, well-traveled gent with luxurious hair and a desire to help women conceive. But the parents were shocked to learn Meijer had gone far beyond the largely voluntary guidelines for sperm donation, having fathered hundreds of children in their country…and beyond. With no laws to stop him, Meijer remained defiant, vowing to continue donating sperm around the world.The Netflix documentary series The Man with 1000 Kids spans the globe, following Meijer and the parents who felt duped by him. It explores the frightening implications for the children and the larger population, and examines a reproductive health industry built without guardrails. It also attempts to answer what would drive a man to extremes to create a world in his own image.In this episode of You Can't Make This Up, host Rebecca Lavoie interviews executive producer Natalie Hill.SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't watched The Man with 1000 Kids yet, make sure to add it to your watch-list before listening on. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.