There is an absolute glut of true crime content that involves the rich and famous. These stories also tend to be rehashed and retread because fame breeds fascination, of course, and name recognition helps when seeking the eyes and ears of an audience. But there are plenty of stories involving stars that are just as compelling even if they haven’t gotten the same attention. Here are four of them across television, podcast and film.
Documentary film
“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara”
The harsh realities of toxic fan culture have gotten more attention in 2024, with pop stars like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish speaking more openly about the ubiquitousness of harassment and obsession that accompany fame.
For this new documentary, the director Erin Lee Carr (“Mommy Dead and Dearest,” “At The Heart of Gold”) weaves together two sides of a shocking story that turned the lives of Tegan and Sara Quin, twin sisters who are the queer folk-pop duo Tegan and Sara, upside down.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the sisters had a knack for building community at shows and online, with Tegan in particular feeling a responsibility to their fans. When this familiarity dovetailed with a catfishing scheme, Tegan and many fans became ensnared in a sophisticated identity theft operation that lasted over 15 years. “Fake Tegan systematically destroyed my life,” Tegan says at one point.
As layers are peeled back, a more complex picture comes into focus. Unfortunately, the end brings little comfort, only underscoring the magnitude of the discoveries made along the way.
Podcast
“Killer Psyche”:
“The Murder of Rebecca Schaeffer:
How One Death Changed Stalking Laws Forever”
Few stories about fanatical fans have stayed with me over the years like the murder of Rebecca Schaeffer, an up-and-coming actress who was best known for her role on the 1980s CBS comedy “My Sister Sam.” In 1989, at the age of 21, while preparing for an audition for “The Godfather Part III,” she was shot to death on her doorstep by Robert John Bardo, who had been stalking her.
This Wondery podcast, hosted by the former F.B.I. criminal profiler Candice DeLong, who also spent a decade as a psychiatric nurse, examines the case and all the systemic breakdowns that led Bardo straight to Schaeffer. Among the most unsettling revelations are how Bardo, who since childhood had relentlessly obsessed over and stalked girls and women he knew and didn’t know, acquired a gun and was able to travel to Schaeffer’s home.
DeLong also addresses the policy changes that were prompted by Schaeffer’s murder, including the passage of anti-stalking legislation in 1990 in California, the country’s first such legislation (all states would eventually follow suit); and a federal law that bars states from disclosing personal information contained in motor vehicle records.
Documentary Series
“Dark Side of Comedy”:
In 1998, as his fame was peaking, the comedian and actor Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his third wife, Brynn Hartman, in a murder-suicide in their Los Angeles home. He and Brynn, who battled substance abuse, had a tumultuous, combative relationship that was growing only more strained. For her 40th birthday, about a month before their deaths, he gave her a gun, one of many in their home.
This episode of the “Dark Side of Comedy,” a Vice TV docuseries that is available to stream on Hulu, offers a thoughtful portrait of Hartman’s life — from neglected child to surfer dude to Emmy-winning “Saturday Night Live” stalwart, “News Radio” lead and “Simpsons” regular.
It’s told through personal photographs and comedic clips as well as interviews with some of those who knew him best, including his second wife, Lisa Jarvis; his close friend Steve Small; and his collaborators including Dave Foley, Vicki Lewis and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. We learn about Hartman’s inner world and how he, a master of impressions, struggled to face difficult situations as himself.
Documentary series
“Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath”
For three seasons, from 2016 to 2019, this Emmy-winning A&E docuseries from the actress Leah Remini explores the underbelly of the Church of Scientology, which she had been a part of since childhood. She left the church in 2013.
Along with sharing the history and trajectory of Scientology across the series’s dozens of episodes, we hear from Remini and other former members of the church, who share their experiences with the organization, which they say often included abuse and harassment.
Remini has been an outspoken critic of Scientology and her 2015 book, “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” helped spur the series, the first season of which is currently available to stream on Discovery+.
Last year, she filed suit against the church, seeking to end what she said were the “mob-style tactics” it had used to harass and defame her. “For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career,” Remini, referring to the church’s current leader, said in a statement on social media.
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