You Can’t Make This Up

The incredible real stories behind the making of the biggest documentary series & films on Netflix. Host Rebecca Lavoie leads in-depth interviews with creators and subjects, exploring how these stories are produced & their impact, while uncovering new information. New episodes every Wednesday.

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Episodes

(More Stuff), Explained

We've got the hosts of Death, Sex & Money, Food 4 Thot, and Call Your Girlfriend on the show to watch and talk about three new episodes of Explained . Anna Sale wrestles with the ethical issues surrounding Designer DNA. Fran Tirado and Joseph Osmundson dissect Monogamy. And Aminatou Sow tries to figure out Cryptocurrency (so we don't have to). Plus, we brought back Sean Rameswaram to host the episode! Explained is a new pop doc series from Vox and Netflix. Each episode is a mini 15 minute do...

Jun 27, 2018•26 min

The Staircase

Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi (Throwing Shade) take us deep down The Staircase rabbit hole. They debate Michael’s innocence, critique sexuality as evidence, put on their best Southern accents for Freda Black's iconic closing arguments, and so much more! The Staircase comes from Academy-Award winning Director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. The docuseries about the mysterious death of North Carolina business executive, Kathleen Peterson and the trial of her husband Michael, comes to Netflix with 3 never-be...

Jun 13, 2018•38 min

K-pop, Explained

Explained is a new pop doc series from Vox and Netflix. Each episode is a mini 15 minute documentary covering pop culture, tech, science, and beyond. So on this week's You Can't Make This Up , we borrowed one of Vox's own to host today's episode. Sean Rameswaram hosts the hit podcast, Today, Explained. He's joined by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, the hilarious comedy duo and co-hosts of the pop culture podcast, Las Culturistas. Matt and Bowen watched K-POP, Explained , and are here to discuss the ...

May 30, 2018•16 min

Evil Genius

Comedian Matt Bellassai talks with the team behind Evil Genius, Trey Borzillieri, executive producer/co-director, and Barbara Shroeder, writer/co-director. Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a four part Netflix docuseries about a man who goes to deliver a pizza, but gets a bomb strapped to his neck and sent on a scavenger hunt to rob a bank. Trey and Barbara discuss what it was like to open a cold case, interview conspirators in the crime, and find out details...

May 23, 2018•39 min

Prologue | Evil Genius

Comedian Matt Bellassai will be talking with the people behind Evil Genius, executive producer/co-director Trey Borzillieri and writer/co-director Barbara Shroeder. Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist is a four part Netflix docuseries about a man who goes to deliver a pizza, and ends up getting a bomb strapped to his neck and sent on a scavenger hunt to rob a bank. We were so excited about this new series, we couldn't wait to put out the prologue! Make sure to wat...

May 18, 2018•5 min

The Keepers

It's been a year since The Keepers came out, so we're revisiting the story and catching up with some of the people impacted by it. NPR's Kelly McEvers interviews The Keepers director Ryan White and Jean Wehner, one of the survivors who bravely shared her story. Plus, self proclaimed grandma Nancy Drew, aka Gemma Hoskins, updates us on the cold case and what her life has been like since the series came out. You can find more information and resources on how to support survivors at thekeepersimpac...

May 16, 2018•48 min

Prologue | The Keepers

It's been a year since The Keepers came out, so we wanted to revisit the story and catch up with some of the people impacted by it. NPR's Kelly McEvers will be in conversation with The Keepers director Ryan White and Jean Wehner, one of the survivors who bravely shared her story. And we'll hear from Gemma Hoskins, who updates us on the cold case and what her life has been like since the series came out. If you haven't seen it yet, or you need a reminder, The Keepers is a seven part docuseries th...

May 09, 2018•5 min

Wild Wild Country

Wild Wild Country directors Chapman and Maclain Way sit down with Lindsey Weber, co-host of the podcast Who? Weekly, for an in depth conversation about the series. They talk about constructing the narrative, visiting Antelope now, what it was like interviewing Ma Anand Sheela, and so much more.

May 02, 2018•43 min

Prologue | Wild Wild Country

Lindsey Weber from Who? Weekly will be in conversation with the directors of Wild Wild Country next week! But for now, here's a taste of what's to come... Welcome to the first prologue episode of You Can't Make This Up! In these mini episodes, we reveal which Netflix Original series or film we'll be watching and talking about the following week. We're kicking things off with Wild Wild Country. It’s a six part documentary that follows the Rajneeshpuram, a so-called sex cult from India that takes ...

Apr 25, 2018•4 min

Introducing: You Can't Make This Up

Join journalist, true-crime author and podcaster Rebecca Lavoie as she delves into the true stories behind some of the biggest documentaries and films on Netflix. Hear from filmmakers, writers, actors and contributors as they describe the journey from real life to screen: how they found the story, how they got access, what got cut, and the continuing impact on the lives of its subjects. New episodes every Wednesday.

Apr 22, 2018•2 min

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