Season 6 of Criminal Adaptations is almost here.

This season, we’re diving deeper into the real crimes behind the movies. Unpacking the true stories, the courtroom drama, the scandals, and the cinematic twists that brought them to the screen.

From shocking real-life cases to the films that reimagined them, Season 6 explores how Hollywood transforms crime into culture.

Subscribe now and get ready. New season dropping soon.

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Two films, one real-life National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower, and a story that blurs the line between truth and fiction. In part two of our season finale, we dive into two very different films: Reality (2023), the HBO American crime drama directed by Tina Sater and staring Sydney Sweeney, and Winner (2024), the black comedy directed by Susanna Fogel, staring Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, and Zach Galifianakis. The films offer two very different cinematic interpretations of the life and arrest of Reality Winner, a former US Air Force linguist turned NSA contractor who leaked top-secret documents about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

We unpack how each film portrays Winner’s character, choices, and the forces that brought her from military service to a leak that made national headlines. Next, we contrast those portrayals with the real events – from the NSA leak and Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) investigation to her 2018 guilty plea and five-year sentence under the Espionage Act, the longest such punishment for unauthorized media disclosure in recent history. Whether you’ve seen the movies, followed the headlines, or are just curious about the real woman behind both scripts, this episode peels back Hollywood’s layers to reveal the truth beneath.

Primary Sources:

• Howley, Kerry. Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs: A Journey Through the Deep State. Knopf (2023).
• Winner, Reality. I Am Not Your Enemy: A Memoir. Spiegel & Grau (2025).
• NSA Document

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The movie Snowden (2016) presents the protagonist as a reluctant whistleblower who sacrifices everything to expose government surveillance – but how closely does the film match the real man and case? In part one of our two-part season finale, we break down Oliver Stone’s biopic, staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, alongside the true story of Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor whose leaked documents revealed the scope of mass surveillance in the United States and beyond.

We examine Snowden’s background, motivations, and personal relationships as portrayed on screen, then compare them to the documented timeline of events – from his work inside the intelligence community to the moment he decided to go public. We also look at what the movie emphasizes for emotional impact, what it simplifies or leaves out, and how political beliefs shape the way this story is told. Ultimately, this episode asks whether Snowden (2016) is a faithful retelling, a political statement, or something in between – and why the real-world consequences of the case continue to matter today.

Primary Sources:

• Washington Post (2014)
• New York Times (2015)
• The Times (2015)
• Snowden, Edward. Permanent Record. Picador Paper (2019).
• United States of America v. Edward Snowden (2019)

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If the rage, grief, and unanswered questions at the heart of Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) felt almost too real – that’s because they were. In this episode we start by discussing McDonagh’s critically acclaimed and Oscar winning film, which also happens to be one of co-host Ashley’s favorite movies. Next, we compare the case to the still-unsolved 1991 murder of Kathy Page, a case that has haunted her family and the community for decades. We break down the sticking parallels between the movie and Kathy Page’s story: a parent’s public protest, law enforcement failures, billboards demanding a resolution, and the emotional toll of living without justice. We also explore where the film diverges from reality, how fiction reshapes trauma, and what the movies leaves out about the long-term impact on victims’ families. Ultimately, this episode asks a difficult question – when a case goes cold, what does justice actually look like, and who gets to decide when the story is over?

If you or anyone you know has information about the murder of Kathy Page, visit the following websites: Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers Cold Case, or Texas Crime Stoppers. Anonymous tips can also be placed by calling 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-346-3243.

Primary Sources:

• Unsolved Mysteries (1997)
• Cold Justice (2018)
• ABC 12 News (2018)
• American Press (2021)
• Crime Junkie Podcast (2022)
• Beaumont Enterprise (2022)
• FKDM (2024)
• Unsolved Mysteries

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In 2016, Jeff Nichols’ Loving, staring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton, brought the quiet, intimate story of Richard and Mildred Loving to the big screen – but just how closely does the film reflect the real case that changed American history? In this episode, we compare Loving (2016) to the true events of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that struck down laws banning interracial marriage. We explore who Richard and Mildred Loving were, what life was like for them in 1950s Virginia, and how their private desire to live as a married couple turned into a constitutional battle. From the film’s restrained storytelling and emotional tone to the legal realities, timelines, and historical context left on the margin, we break down what the movie gets right, what it simplifies, and why the real story remains just as powerful, if not more so, than its Hollywood portrayal.

Primary Sources:

• Loving v. Virginia, 388 US 1 (1967)
• The Loving Story (2012)
• Brimner, Larry. Finding a Way Home: Mildred and Richard Loving and the Fight for Marriage Equality. Calkins Creek (2020).

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In this episode we dive into the wild, chaotic world of Bronson (2008), the stylized film starring Tom Hardy, and unravel how it compares to the real-life story of Michael Gordon Peterson, better known as Charles Bronson. We break down what the movie got right, what it exaggerated, and what was left out entirely. From Bronson’s early life and first arrests, to the decades he spent in solitary conferment, to his transformation into an underground celebrity. Join us as we discuss how “Britain’s most violent prisoner” became a myth with a life story worthy of the silver screen.

Primary Source:

• Bronson, Charles. Bronson. 2009.

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In this episode, we dive deep into the shadows of Savannah to uncover the truth behind Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). The bestselling book and Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation, staring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey, turned the city’s notorious murder case into a cultural phenomenon – but how closely does Hollywood’s version match reality? Join us as we unravel the real story of Jim Williams, the charismatic antiques dealer at the center of four dramatic trials for the shooting death of Danny Hansford, and explore how the movie reshaped timelines, characters, and motives for cinematic effect. From the true personalities behind Savannah’s eccentric social scene to the legal twists that kept the city spellbound for nearly a decade, we separate fact from fiction and reveal what details the film left out.

Primary Source:

• Berendt, John. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Random House (1994).

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“You can’t handle the truth!” – the line that echoed through theaters and cemented A Few Good Men (1992) as a Hollywood classic. But behind the sharp uniforms and courtroom tension lies a real story far darker than what is portrayed on screen. In 1986, a Marine was brutally hazed by his unit at Guantanamo Bay – an act that sparked a court-martial and inspired Aaron Sorkin’s legendary script. The film captivated audiences with its star-studded cast – Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon – but for one of the real Marines involved, the story didn’t end with the credits. Years later, David Cox – a decorated Marine and the man whose experience helped shape the movie – was found murdered in a remote area outside Boston. This episode explores the origin of A Few Good Men (1992), the aftermath, and the unsolved murder of a man beloved by so many.

Primary Sources:

• Baltimore Sun (1994)
• Variety (1994)
• Unsolved Mysteries, Season 8, Episode 15 (1996)
• New York Times (2011)
• Boston 25 News (2014)
• The Mystery of David Cox (2017)
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution (2019)
• Ranker (2024)

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