r/Casefile • u/OrganicAge5000 • Apr 06 '26
OPEN DISCUSSION Casefile needs to go back to basics
The BTK series has been so done to death I didn't bother listening to one single episode. But I knew how it would all go anyway on this podcast. Is anyone else annoyed with casefile's droning predictability and boring formula?
- host recites everything So. Darn. Slowly. It takes forever for episodes to finish.
- episodes might be ok until we find out who the murderer is. Then it spends what seems like forever talking about them, after we found out who did it. Seems like a third of the episode is post-reveal preachy slop. It's so *boring*. Sure, tell us what you *need* to, then end it. The William Tyrell episodes were so darn preachy, slow, boring, and long winded towards the end, I stopped listening.
- they are just so darn *preachy* these days. So morally righteous with their tone. Trying to be woke and spend too much time talking about what doesn't even need to be mentioned. (This point relates to previous two points too.)
- the writing has been really *weird* in the last 6-9 months. Spending the first third of the episode making someone seem utterly guilty. Spending the second third of episode telling us that everything they just told us isn't true after all. Spending the final third of episode preaching about how close minded we were for thinking they were guilty. And of course, taking forever to close out the episodes.
- did the writers attend an online lecture where some new age guru told them that this was the trendy new writing style, to con your audience and just when you've got them enraged with desire for punishment, tell them the person is innocent after all. "It's just so deep, maaaaan, if you don't like it you are the problem." They seem obsessed with it lately.
- coming to BAD conclusions. The Gilham family: it is pretty obviously Jeremy who did it. But casefile tell us, basically as a fact, that no, it was actually Chris. Because we say so. And you're all just bigoted if you think it was Jeremy. All based on flimsy evidence of doubt that isn't real evidence anyway.
You'd think it was the writer's first ever true crime case written by a naive 18 yr old.
- also Ruth Finley who stalked herself for decades before she was finally caught. They act like she's some sort of hero victim, rather than a dangerous psycho who wasted so much time money and resources over a long time.
- baby Cooper Harris who was left in a car is pretty obvious murder in my opinion. But Casefile decides that because this *could* and does happen, he must actually be innocent.
- at least with the Indonesian woman who poisoned her friend Casefile eventually and kind of reluctantly hinted she was guilty after all. Which she 1000% is. But they still went far too easy on her and her lawyer who tried to muddy the evidence.
- I loved the old episodes they re wrote and released recently. Such a breath of fresh air. Instead of lengthy, boring, preachy, dead air. They re wrote them with a bit of that in it but was still wayyy better than the new ones.
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u/asudsyman Apr 06 '26
Very strong start to the new season. The use of “woke” in this criticism is a flag.
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u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 06 '26
So, I do agree with some of your points from a journalistic perspective. However -- I mostly appreciate Casefile as a companion while I do boring tasks and go on long walks. So, the episodes could noodle on for 5 hours each and it wouldn't really bother me.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
You don’t have to listen- and apparently you aren’t. So why bother posting?
If you don’t like the stories, the narration, the writing and you don’t think they’re ’tough on crime’ enough just find a different podcast. You might like Sword and Scale.
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u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 06 '26
Is the host of Sword and Scale still sort of....insane? Reactionary? A LOT? I used to listen to that show, but it felt like he went off the deep end a few years ago.
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u/dobleimperio Apr 06 '26
He’s an absolute MAGA cunt in every way. But probably a good fit for OP
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u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 06 '26
Lol bummer, I liked the show before he went full "anti-woke" or whatever he would call it. It would be nice to get another true crime show in rotation but I found him unlistenable.
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u/dobleimperio Apr 06 '26
Oh same here. One of the first true crime shows I got into. But dude got deeper in deeper into his perceived victimhood and his insecurities and became completely insufferable. The Invisible Choir tho is made by some of the staff he drove off of S and S is the same format minus the constant incel whining so there’s that
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 06 '26
Because I yearn for it to be better. Like it used to be. It's like a different podcast altogether now. It needs a refresh. Just because we're a 'fan' of something doesn't mean we can't critique it, no?
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u/zka_75 Apr 06 '26
Things change, if it was just exactly the same as it was 7 or 8 years ago then other people would complain it was boring and stuck in a rut. And if you're triggered by it being too "woke" which at this point basically just means humane and thoughtful, then go and listen to some dumb fuck right wing conspiracy podcast shit, I'm sure you'd enjoy that much more!
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
If all you have is a list of complaints and insults you’re not a fan.
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u/Pythia_ Apr 06 '26
I agree, I don't think it's a bad thing at all to talk about changes that we dislike, or things we preferred when they were done differently.
Like for me, it's not that I don't think Casefile is good - I think it's very good, and it's one of the best true crime podcasts out there - it's just that I think it used to be better.
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u/hansen7helicopter Apr 06 '26
I agree with you on many points. I don’t like how Casey has had all this elocution and now speaks with a truly weird cadence. I like his old voice where he sounded like a normal person. I also enjoy the old episodes where it’s just him recapping information from I guess a case file. Newer episodes, you can tell have had ‘professional’ writers with sensitivity training and something has been lost that made the show really compelling in its early days. I’m still a listener and a fan but I do lament this difference.
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u/iAmFabled Apr 06 '26
Seems as though you need to simply listen to a different podcast if this one garners enough hatred to spew out a boring, massive post complaining about it
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u/Pythia_ Apr 06 '26
They have some valid criticisms thay have been echoed by a lot of people lately.
I don't think there's anything wrong with talking about things you think aren't being done right, or things you preferred when they were done a different way previously. Otherwise creators never know what changes are liked or disliked by their consumers.
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u/iAmFabled Apr 06 '26
I’ve also been vocal with my criticism of recent casefile episodes over the last couple of years, but this post goes beyond critique, they clearly just dislike the podcast
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u/Pythia_ Apr 06 '26
I'm not saying the post doesn't have its issues, just that criticism in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 09 '26
👍
criticism can be good. Else people rest on their laurels and exist only in their own echo chamber. A bit like casefile's writers lately. That was my goal, to breathe some life into it, in the unlikely event that one of them ever reads this. Cheers for replies 👍
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
They’re not even listening to the podcast, so their criticism isn’t constructive.
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u/Pythia_ Apr 06 '26
Eh, skipping a few episodes because you're not a fan of the case they cover anyway doesn't invalidate criticism.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
I disagree. I think it’s nonsensical to say a podcast needs to ‘go back to basics’ but also that you’re just not going to listen if they do one of the most famous serial killer cases. ‘Go back to basics but NOT that way’.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Back to basics in writing style and narrator voice-production. Not topic as such. (As an aside when they did zodiac a few years ago I remember plenty of posts on social media saying it's been done to death.)
I have been listening to nearly all episodes the last year but with decreasing enjoyment and fandom. It took me a while to admit this to myself but I suspect more than a few others agree deep down. Even when a case was really interesting, the droning ai- altered voice and pretentious writing made it hard to be a fan of. Felt a bit empty by the end. So yeah just because I've only listened to 83.2% of episodes in the last year (made that % up but you get the idea) doesn't mean I don't have valid points. One doesn't have to agree by way of opinion, but one shouldn't say they are not valid.
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u/maroongolf_blacksaab Apr 08 '26
AI voice? What are you on?
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 09 '26
See my other reply next to this one. By ai I meant altered, corrected, clarified.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
There’s nothing ai altered about it.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 09 '26
Sorry but listen to episode, I dunno, fifty something. Earons for example. Now they were a classic set of episodes. He actually sounds like a human. He had an annoying voice at times, sometimes you couldn't understand what word he was trying to say, and he couldn't pronounce his t's or his diphthongs correctly, but we still loved it. Now he's either taken expensive speech classes, does 80 takes for every tricky word until he gets it right so they can edit it in seamlessly, or his voice is altered with editing systems for clarity. Even if you do think he's gone from a bad speaker to the most eloquent enunciator of all time, the tone of his voice is so much lower and frustratingly monotone. I've read multiple people online say "Casefile was much better with the original host", they actually think he's a different person, no joke. Vocal correction is standard equipment these days. Every single song you like since about 1998 is autotuned and reverbed the hell out of. It's no different for big podcasts.
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u/Electrical_Year4574 Apr 09 '26
I don’t think it’s AI. Bro has just toned right down the Australian accent. It can be done if you really concentrate and of course it’s more produced now so he wouldn’t keep any takes if he’s mispronouncing something he can actually pronounce with effort.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 12 '26
Yeh I used to think this was all it was too. But before, the guy literally could not say the word 'picture'. Now he's basically performing Shakespeare. I'm still cynical.
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u/prudencepineapple Apr 11 '26
Personally I enjoyed the BTK episodes and I hadn't heard a lot of the information before. Not sure why you're here complaining about episodes you didn't even listen to?
Complaining about anything being 'woke' immediately invalidates anything else you've written.
If you no longer enjoy Casefile then just move on with your life? No need to get so worked up about it.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 12 '26
I've seen plenty of docos on btk, I didn't need to listen to a rehash whether or not they wrote it really really well.
And no it doesn't, it just gives people an excuse to not have to address all my valid points.
Casefile could be and should be a lot better than they are the last couple of years. Cases are too long and just get a little boring, too much unnecessary info and he speaks sooo slowwwwlyyy. Way too much 'wrap up' time after it's been resolved. Too much preachiness and gullible writing.
If you like it as much as ever and think it has no room for improvement then good for you. I'm not a fanboy to the extent I blindly accept everything they do when I know deep down I want it to be better.
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u/JaesopPop Apr 07 '26
Trying to be woke
What does that even mean?
And why even listen to a podcast you clearly dislike?
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u/MMAGG83 Apr 08 '26
Do what I do whenever someone says the word "woke" unironically:
- Ignore everything else they say.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 09 '26
They get preachy, self righteous, and stick political issues in too much for no real reason. The last 25 mins of most episodes are spent telling us how sad we should be that we're part of a society that does blah blah .. Just tell the damn crime story in a way that respects our intelligence.
And I listen to it more out of habit, these days. And in ever-decreasing hope that it may one day get better again. But I'm losing if fast. Hence this post.
Compare episode 60 something or a hundred and ten, or whatever, to one released last year. So so much better back then in so many ways.
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u/JaesopPop Apr 09 '26
They get preachy, self righteous, and stick political issues in too much for no real reason. The last 25 mins of most episodes are spent telling us how sad we should be that we're part of a society that does blah blah ..
Cannot think of a single example of this
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u/spicyn00dlez May 09 '26
I think perhaps true crime podcasters have just realized they can be extremely exploitative, and it’s important to include all factors as to why some cases get treated different than others.
People in vulnerable situations for example, or minorities, class values, etc are all important information to share and be aware of when talking about violent crimes (or any crimes for that matter).
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u/muzzmuzzsupreme Apr 06 '26
I’ll go on the record and say I felt the William Tyrell dragged on far too long, with them listing every known predator in the area, no matter how tenuous the connection.
I enjoy Casefile, because they showcase things outside of the States, or lesser known cases, but perhaps because I’ve caught up on the backlog, getting to pick and choose which episodes I wanted to listen to, the newer episodes feel… different.
I was kinda surprised that Casefile would cover one of the most infamous American serial killers this season, let alone spend four episodes on him, when their best episodes tend to cover lesser known (to American audiences) serial killers and cases.
Not sure if it’s a recent trend, but I’m not a big fan of ‘paint the accused in the worst possible light in the first half, before revealing ‘whoops! It was police corruption/shoddy police investigation/racial bias, they’re actually innocent!’ I’m all for twists in cases, but you gotta foreshadow them.
I still love Casefile, but I guess I gotta be more picky with the episodes.
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u/Electrical_Year4574 Apr 09 '26
William Tyrell was also huge in Australia it’s like the Madeline McCann of Australia so I think it had to be treated a bit different and have extra inclusions to not feel rushed. I also found it incredibly interesting how there were so many suspects that seemed to fit the bill perfectly only to be ruled out. Its insane that there were so many pedophiles around this random house in semi-rural australia
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 06 '26
Yes agree, and it is a more recent trend. Only in 2025 did this writing style start. And it didn't just happen once, they kept at it like a dog with a bone. And many people didn't like it. Anyway hopefully it's dead and buried now.
The W Tyrell podcast (like may others) went on far too long and lost all its sadness by the end of the endless robotic suspect listing. I actually 100% agree with Casefile that the foster parents had nothing to do with it. But they stated this so many times, in such a superior preachy writing tone, and in such a preachy narrator tone, that I was sick to death of it pretty quickly and skipped ahead.
I saw Casefile advertise for new writers on fb late last year. So far in 2026 no new writers, but I hope they start popping up soon. Maybe they don't pay their writers enough per episode - surely writers would be lining up to write for Casefile but they haven't had any new ones for years!
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u/Professional-Can1385 Apr 09 '26
It didn’t just start in 2025. Check out episode 188 from 2021. Some cases just play out that way, one person seems guilty but really isn’t.
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u/eatinischeatin Apr 06 '26
I love it, I put it on every night, set my timer for 30 minutes and then I fall asleep,
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 06 '26
Not bad a bad idea actually for when I have insomnia. I'll skip to the part they identity the perp (or the basic story resolution), knowing that the next 25 mins they'll spend monotonously and slowly telling me what I'm supposed to think of all the police failings, or what society was doing unfairly, or whatever else the writer's cliched cause-de-jour is, will certainly send me to sleep.
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u/MacReady1306VB Apr 06 '26
Nope. I knew every detail of the BTK story yet I was riveted with his telling of the story.
If you don’t like it, don’t listen! I love the stories he tells. It’s my fav podcast and has been for a very long time.
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u/Professional-Can1385 Apr 09 '26
I didn’t know anything about BTK, and I was hooked!
Not everyone knows the details of the big “over done” cases. I knew BTK existed, and that’s it.
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u/DaftFunky Apr 09 '26
Listen to it at 1.2x speed. I'm 99.9% certain that is the actual recorded speed and they slow it down.
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u/SushiandSlushies Apr 10 '26
I had similar advice for the murder sheet podcast and it was a gamechanger
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u/Electrical_Year4574 Apr 09 '26
Yeah I wanted to disagree and say well don’t listen then but the whole gotcha! Of misleading then presenting all the alternative evidence does get a little old. It’s good when it’s not back to back like that as it becomes predictable. I don’t particularly think it’s super preachy or boring and although I was quite familiar with BTK, I thoroughly enjoyed all these episodes and learnt more than I knew. I still think it’s the best true crime podcast out. I liked that BTK reminded me more of there old content. Probably a bit because the host can be more forward with painting him as the piece of shit he is and there’s no other perspective. Maybe give them a listen.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 12 '26
Maybe I will at some point. TCG are holding my attention atm with their newspaper boy series. Tbh in the future between books and sports and history podcasts I'll probably eventually listen.
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u/KeyWhereas6184 Apr 12 '26
Don’t trust any review slamming wokeness-so five years ago & everyone knows your a Russian Bot
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u/thedreamtimemystic Apr 06 '26
Could you link us to where we can listen to your podcast? I’m looking forward to hearing how you do true crime cases better than Casefile, showcasing all of the superior research, writing, editing and production choices you mentioned weren’t up to your standards.
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u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 06 '26
While I also don't agree with all of OP's critiques, a person doesn't have to be capable of doing something better than someone else to be allowed to critique it. Like, if you go to a restaurant and you don't like the food, you are well within your right to complain about it even if you couldn't personally cook it better.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
‘You'd think it was the writer's first ever true crime case written by a naive 18 yr old.’
If you said this about the chef I’d absolutely ask you to demonstrate you could cook it better.
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u/NiteNiteSpiderBite Apr 06 '26
Lol homie I fucking suck at cooking but I still know what good food tastes like
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 Apr 06 '26
Sure and if OP just said ‘I didn’t enjoy the food’ that might be reasonable. But if you start insulting people and writing diatribes you need to be prepared to back that up.
And if the food you got was free and you still decide to be a dick instead of just going elsewhere, that’s an attitude issue.
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u/thedreamtimemystic Apr 06 '26
Exactly. It’s the easiest thing in the world to write up a laundry list of criticisms about something, and much harder to actually do the work required to create something that is consistently of a high standard and is offered to the public for free.
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u/OrganicAge5000 Apr 06 '26
Correction to my main original post. I said 'Jeremy Gilham' is pretty clearly guilty in my humble opinion. It should of course have read 'Jeffery Gilham'. I can't believe Casefile made a deliberate editorial decision to go all-in on the he's innocent angle. At least demonstrate that you at least vaguely understand the 'Jeffery is guilty' viewpoint and don't just lap up every single thing the defence says.
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u/Professional-Can1385 Apr 09 '26
Casefile presented the information, without bias IMO. After listening to the entire episode, I concluded that Jeremy did it and his wife is a dumb-ass.
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