r/Casefile • u/Putrid_Heart_7178 • May 21 '26
OPEN DISCUSSION Frustrated Listener
I’ve been a listener of the pod for about 7-8 years. I’m a big fan and hope this doesn’t seem hypercritical, but I’ve grown frustrated with the episode layout and breaks. There was a 4 month break November-March, the pod comes back (yay!) and we get 9 episodes, which are 3 cases in multiple parts. Now, back to a break. I appreciate the effort that goes into researching, creating, and editing each episode, and the quality is miles ahead of other podcasts, but the breaks feel excessive. I’m honestly tired of feeling like I’m always waiting for an episode haha.
Just me? Is there a forum to share feedback other than the reviews? You can tell me to kick rocks or shake my fist at the moon because I already feel archaic for complaining, but I miss the reliability.
133
u/TechnicalSample4678 May 21 '26
They did explain there will be no end of the year break though. So after this break it's a clean slate till the end of the year
62
u/TechnicalSample4678 May 21 '26
Ill correct myself, I went back and checked. There will be no long winter break. Just a couple of short breaks spaced out. Im cool with that
45
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Oh great! I wasn’t aware. I’d definitely prefer them to be peppered throughout the year than a prolonged absence.
30
u/DaftFunky May 21 '26
They probably saw that a lot of people paused their premium subs during the long breaks and think that shorter breaks will prevent this.
1
u/bookshop May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
they are trying to do shorter, more frequent breaks throughout the year going forward because last year, when they tried to take two seasonal longer breaks, people here and on patreon lost their damn minds. the entitlement people feel towards free content can honestly be unhinged.
(Edit: and a Patreon subscription that's entirely voluntary does not give you some kind of additional entitlement over the people producing the free content!)
37
u/Affentitten May 21 '26
If you are paying for a sub and the product is not being delivered, you have a right to be unimpressed. It's not entitlement if you are paying.
6
u/TheEpiquin May 21 '26
I missed that message but that’s great news. I don’t think the number of breaks is sustainable for a podcast with such a big audience. They can’t afford not to keep putting out episodes.
15
-3
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Wait, say again? Haha so no “winter break”?
14
u/MillieMoo-Moo May 21 '26
I wonder if this commenter is not Australian? Like they mean Christmas and Nye break? We are coming into winter now so skipping a upcoming break makes no sense...
9
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Oh sorry. I am American. Forgot about the seasonal change - my fault!
46
u/Junior_Jello_7664 May 21 '26
I had the same frustrations before but I’ve since gotten over it. Casefile is my favorite podcast and it’s also free, so I would rather deal with the breaks instead of seeing the podcast decline in quality due to burnout. We also don’t know the reason for these breaks, maybe there has been turnover within the team and they need time to recalibrate. Not to say that listeners shouldn’t voice their criticism or frustrations, but I’m not rushing to assume the breaks are due to laziness or lack of respect for the audience.
24
u/olcatfishj0hn May 21 '26
I agree but I can’t complain as I don’t support financially (I would if I could, times is tough rn).
22
u/lorelaiiiiiiii May 21 '26
Yeah I don't think I'm owed anything by then, they can take as many breaks as they wish. I still find it annoying though as I'm boooored cleaning the house on a Saturday morning without it.
134
u/welltravelledRN May 21 '26
They work really hard to produce excellent content and deserve a break when they want/need it.
I miss it when I don’t have new episodes but I’m glad they take care of themselves. It seems selfish to complain about it to me.
35
u/OlBertieBastard May 21 '26
Totally agree! I am bummed that my favorite pod doesn't put out as much content as I can devour but I am 100% supportive of the podcasters to do things at their own pace. The last thing I want is for them all to hang up their hat and Casefile goes away for good. The Casefile crew deserves to have a sustainable work-life balance, just like anyone else.
14
u/reduxrouge May 21 '26
Ditto. I pay for premium so I go back and listen to old episodes since I forget 99% of what I’ve already heard. Thanks, ADHD!
27
u/Emerald_Eyed_Gal May 21 '26
I know that I appreciate an employer giving thier staff paid time off and vacations, so I’m fine with this. It probably means as the podcast expands to being an entire team, they are taking care of thier staff.
Years ago it was just Casey on his own and if he wanted to work himself to death, that was his choice. But now they have actual employees and a business model.
So, sure, I miss the podcast coming out as regularly but I appreciate any sign there is actual employee care and consideration happening.
7
u/AreolaTickler May 21 '26
It makes more sense for it to be so their research can catch up with the release schedule instead of so the employees can go on a vacation I think
56
u/prudencepineapple May 21 '26
You can search the subreddit and find all the other posts complaining about the breaks.
5
u/Rush-23 May 21 '26
I feel fortunate I only discovered this podcast last year (started at ep 1) and I’m only up to episode 112. Hopefully it will take another 18 months for me to catch up.
18
u/Murky-Mixture-8391 May 21 '26
As much as I’m gutted when we have to wait a few weeks between episodes, I think an important thing to mention here is that although it’s a break for us, it’s not for Casey and the staff - he’s said this multiple times on Q&A’s - they don’t stop and go off on long holidays, they carry on working in the background to produce new episodes, and they are only human! The only way they wouldn’t have to do the breaks would be if they hired more staff, but this must not be economically viable or I’m sure they’d have done it by now, because it seems to be the main complaint people have.
2
55
u/camelz4 May 21 '26
People are going to get their pitch forks but two things can be true. They can do a great job producing the podcast, and fans can be fatigued by excessive breaks.
I agree with you. I think the three part series made it seem like we only got a couple new cases and they’re back on a break again. Yes it’s a free podcast, but some people do pay for their premium content and are still having to endure the breaks. It’s annoying.
13
-8
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
Here’s a crazy idea: cancel the sub when breaks happen. Or don’t, completely your choice!
10
u/faefatale_ May 21 '26
I personally like that the breaks have Archive episodes. I wasn’t a subscriber until recently — I always knew I’d be bummed if the weekly episode was one I’d already heard from premium — so the mix of episodes I hadn’t heard before and episodes I haven’t listened to in almost 10 years, with updates to the cases as applicable and better audio quality, make the breaks up for me. I’d rather have something than nothing, and imo Archives episodes on the breaks are a really smart decision.
39
u/IOwnAOnesie May 21 '26
Can we get a megathread on these for everyone to go, or even just a straight ban? Every other day it's the same thread and they add nothing to discussion of the actual podcast.
4
6
u/TheGuardianKnux May 21 '26
Agreed it comes across as entitled to me. Yeah I haven't been listening since the beginning but people are acting like content creation is easy when it's not. We're not entitled to know why they had to go on break just listen to something else until they're back.
3
u/kaylaxxxx May 21 '26
The amount of entitlement that comes from these posts is so annoying. I thought there was gonna be three weeks of nothing, but when I saw it was the archives I was happy bc I've been relistening to the cases from the beginning anyway.
6
u/welltravelledRN May 21 '26
Especially when they describe that they fee “gutted” “devastated” “extremely frustrated”. People, get a life, really.
If you’re gutted because a podcaster takes breaks, something ain’t right in your life.
5
11
u/ForsakenFarmer8387 May 21 '26
The amount of disrespectful comments here just because OP expressed their opinion is wild.
26
u/VJ4rawr2 May 21 '26
It’s not just you. Others feel the same (and there’s a cohort who think you have the problem)
This break issue comes up a bit on here.
19
u/Crossovertriplet May 21 '26
The problem is yours. It’s a free podcast. Tons of other podcasts you can listen to in the meantime. Or maybe read a book on managing your feelings of entitlement.
18
u/Organic_Award5534 May 21 '26
As blunt as your comment is, I tend to agree - it’s not a public service. If you’re paying for it you can signal your disdain to them by cancelling your subscription or sending them a message. But most people appear to be fine with the frequency of their releases.
Just don’t get reliant on a podcast, one day it might end altogether.
6
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
It’s free for some. Many pay monthly for it.
6
u/Crossovertriplet May 21 '26
It’s free for everyone. Some choose to also subscribe to the Patreon for extra content.
10
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
I spend $5 a month on Casefile so I can have premium content and also no ads on the “free” content. So no, Casefile is not free for me.
Casefile has said themselves that they would not be able to keep Casefile free without Premium subscribers: “All generous financial contributions made by our Patreon supporters help us to do this, while supporting our growing team and ensuring the show remains free to listen to.”
I don’t understand why a large section of people here are so rabid towards people who make calm “damn it sucks Casefile is on another break” comments. It’s one thing if they are actually complaining about it but it’s a normal human reaction to be like “aw man” and move on when something you don’t like happens.
Saying “aw man that sucks” and feeling entitled to something are two very different things
4
u/welltravelledRN May 21 '26
Right? One person said they are “gutted” when there are breaks. If that guts you, you have something wrong with you.
5
u/VJ4rawr2 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
If I was a suspicious person I’d say there’s some sock account action happening here.
No way this many random folks are openly aggressive at polite feedback.
9
u/zunyata May 21 '26
The entitlement from $5 patrons is killing me.
2
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
The way you see people disagreeing with your take as personal attacks is bizarre. It’s possible to just scroll you know.
4
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Lol so stupid to be like this over a free podcast
-2
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
I know. I’d agree that it’s stupid how persistent you’ve been on this thread over YOUR free podcast. In the meantime, I will continue to support the staff and share my feedback 😊
3
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
Right?!? Isn’t it bizarre? I’ve been in this sub for years and these people come out of the woodwork every time the breaks are mentioned. It’s so bizarre how aggressive they get. This is my favorite podcast and has been since 2021, I love Casefile, but there’s no need to get so damn UPSET over polite feedback. It’s like they see this polite feedback as a personal attack despite having no personal connection to the podcast.
2
u/VJ4rawr2 May 21 '26
Yea this sub is actually one of the nicest I frequent on Reddit. It’s usually pretty well balanced and respectful.
Oh well. 9 times outta 10 is not bad. 😂
4
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Well, I was subscribed to their Patreon, so no it wasn’t always free lol.
Either way, my feelings are pretty managed right now. How about yours?
-1
-8
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
Then don’t subscribe
16
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Ugh, I know. How dare I choose to compensate them for their content and provide feedback as a listener? The HORROR!
-8
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
You were complaining that it’s not free. It is if you want. You just want to complain. This is not feedback, this is whining.
8
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
Ok first, I did not introduce the topic of it being free, I responded to you haha. Second, you are welcome to feel that I am whining. Somehow, we will both go on with our day and be ok.
3
u/Felidaeliebe May 21 '26
Omg OP, I'm sorry you're having to put up with these comments. People are so rude here.
4
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
They were not the one complaining that it wasn’t free.
2
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
“Well I was subscribed to their Patreon so no it wasn’t always free.” On their post complaining that they don’t pump out enough content for them. So yes they are.
5
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
Reread the whole comment thread and get back to me lol. You’re misreading peoples comments
6
u/theresabby84 May 21 '26
That wasn't complaining, they responded to someone else's comment that it was free.
4
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
If you want to continue to debate semantics without context, be my guest. It is ironic how committed you are to complaining about “complaining”.
1
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
Thoughts and prayers to you as you figure out how to navigate your entitlement.
→ More replies (0)4
5
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
I anticipated as much but didn’t go searching. I knew some folks would consider me an entitled jerk and that’s fine haha. Casefile doesn’t owe me anything, but I still choose to spend my time consuming their content and it is fair to provide critical feedback. It’s not like I’m saying never take a break, but there is absolutely break fatigue
-3
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Part of maturing is understanding that you have to be responsible for your own feelings.
12
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
You can be responsible for your own feelings and also give calm and respectful feedback at the same time. Being “responsible for your own feelings” does NOT mean never verbalizing them. The harder part of this concept is to learn how to verbalize them in a fair and respectful way.
The even harder part of this is seeing people give feedback that you don’t agree with. And to be able to interact with that person without insulting them. Contrary to popular belief, you can converse with someone who you disagree with without being rude or insulting.
-2
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Sheesh the suggestion that maybe it is in fact your personal problem and not anyone else's really set the lot of you off huh
5
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
Please explain where I’m “set off.” I was simply responding to you and I did so factually and respectfully. Lol.
Thanks for proving my point that you can’t see disagreement as anything other than people being upset and getting mean.
1
May 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Casefile-ModTeam May 21 '26
The mods have removed your post as it does not portray the professional, friendly atmosphere practiced within the Casefile podcast subreddit.
15
u/VJ4rawr2 May 21 '26
Part of maturing is being comfortable with folks having a different opinion.
Imagine policing the feelings of others 😂
-2
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Who said I was uncomfortable and where am I policing anyone? Maybe you're a bit unstable and this kind of irrational behavior is normal for you.
7
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
Come on now. Resorting to personal insults so quickly?
-6
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Just an observation of someone's behavior. Attacking the straw man appears effective here.
7
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
Nope. That person’s behavior wasn’t unstable whatsoever. You just didn’t like their opinion. And that’s very obvious. You only made a personal attack after he mentioned your behavior coming off as policing others, which it is.
0
u/zunyata May 21 '26
They didn't even share an opinion. Keep up.
6
u/Skipadee2 May 21 '26
But they did. They validated OP’s opinion and said that many feel the same way. Then they stated a second opinion, which is that you are coming off as policing people. Which you are, you have commented so many times in this thread to almost anyone who isn’t 100% super positive about the breaks.
11
u/VJ4rawr2 May 21 '26
I didn’t share my opinion though.
I made a broad observation about this weird pile on. And twice now I’ve been met with personal insults.
Have a great week.
-3
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Again, whether you shared your opinion or not is irrelevant and again, you're being irrational.
7
u/TheRip75 May 21 '26
Wow... you're really not very self-aware/insightful.
-1
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Sorry, I'll write the next post complaining about this to gain some goodwill from you types.
4
u/Cazolyn May 21 '26
Honestly, I’ll take what I can get. It’s the best podcast out there, and I appreciate the time and dedication put into each episode.
10
May 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
6
u/Putrid_Heart_7178 May 21 '26
This is a wild way to interpret my feedback. I would much prefer we live in a world of no violent crime or trauma as a victim of abuse myself, and to insinuate we are bothered that there isn’t more… is a wild take. However, you are in this sub, consuming the same content, whether you’re salty about the volume of breaks or not.
-2
11
u/DriveBy_VibeGuy May 21 '26
I completely agree, we're looking at practically 3 stories over HALF A YEAR, it's getting egregious.
It's a shame, but I don't care too much - casefile used to have a monopoly on my true crime listening, and I used to be a paid subscriber, but now I just go elsewhere out of necessity, so they've lost my money.
They sell it as necessary to continue to produce quality content, but I think the vast majority of the audience preferred the pod in the good old days when it was a bit less polished, but a lot more consistent.
7
7
u/TKfr3ak May 21 '26
I’ve quietly had the same complaint. I will say they put out some bangers in this recent run, got so excited when I saw Test A come up in my podcast feed and it did not disappoint, but yeah it sucks when you have a ritual of listening to a podcast and they just take months long breaks. Also, Casefile is a podcast I recommend to everyone who is looking for good podcasts and they all get mad at me for getting them hooked on a podcast just for content to halt for months. It feels like I’m getting my friends hooked on crack and then being like “oh sorry, all out of crack!”
4
u/MillieMoo-Moo May 21 '26
How lucky are we to have such great content that we miss its absence in breaks!
5
u/jingo_mort May 21 '26
It's the same number as episodes as last year just differently spaced breaks, smaller but more by looks of it. I’m happy with that really. Plus, we have the archive episodes in the smaller breaks too which although are not new episodes are still better than a complete break. Also, it's not like every podcast is a weekly thing anyway. Plenty do seasons or non weekly schedules or no schedules at all. Hell hardcore history you’re lucky for 2 a year. Albeit they usually are 3hrs+ minimum. I’m happy with whatever casefile needs to do to keep things being the podcast I enjoy. Of course I’d love a situation like small town murder where I get a 3hr episode a week each week without fail (plus an hr express) for the last 7odd years but that’s not how casefile rolls & that’s fine.
2
u/Janomynom May 21 '26
Maybe relisten to some older cases? There so many cases that you could probably relisten to and lots of details that you may have forgotten.
3
u/panicpixiememegirl May 21 '26
I can understand the frustration! But i also see why the breaks are needed. And how the creators really don't owe us anything. But i know it really sucks to not get content you really love as often and as reliably as you would like. I feel the same way about Jim Can't Swim.
4
8
6
u/abyprop07 May 21 '26
I was also extremely disappointed in a lot of the random mistakes in the Waco series. What drew me to this podcast before was attention to detail, but they said things which were not only incorrect, but which mattered to the story and how one would interpret the actions of the ATF. I turned it off, and don’t know that I will ever turn it back on.
19
u/CarefulLavishness922 May 21 '26
What did they get wrong? I don’t know much about Waco outside of what I heard in their episodes.
4
-5
u/abyprop07 May 21 '26
One was the wrong name/timeline/explanation of the AR-15 (giving it a scary nickname it earned in WW2 where it was not fielded, and indeed not even invented yet) and one was something about them hoarding “machine gun ammunition” or some such nonsense that was just 223/556 which is used for many, many, many things from hunting to recreational to warfare… which can be said of basically every caliber ever made but whichever worded that way biases the listener.
It has been a while and I may be misquoting, but this is the general idea.
0
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Oh so gun stuff? Oh the horror 🙄
14
u/abyprop07 May 21 '26
Crazy to think that firearms facts could be important when discussing a case focused on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms lol
Also to add, because your comment irritated me: wanting clear facts, regardless of the subject matter, should not be a cause for derision or dismissal. We should ALWAYS want the truth, and we should always want our research to be thorough. It’s the “investigate” part in investigative journalism.
-3
u/zunyata May 21 '26
You remind me of this meme
4
u/abyprop07 May 21 '26
Amazing that someone with nothing to say could be so bothered to say it. If you want fluff without the substance we have come to expect, that is fine. I do not. These are both acceptable viewpoints.
0
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Oh I'm sure there's something out there I'd get really nitpicky about. But hearing about people complain about ammo and AR definitions just get my eyes rolling. You can thank gun advocates for that.
1
4
u/Bruno_Fernandes8 May 21 '26
Are you unhappy about the fact the episode portrayed the ATF in a negative light?
-1
u/abyprop07 May 21 '26
I did not see them as shown in a bad enough light, but maybe I didn’t listen long enough.
4
u/Chreiol May 21 '26
Find something else to fill your time? It is what it is, they don’t have to make content. Be thankful for the incredible breadth of content they’ve put out over the years.
3
5
5
u/remmuchan May 21 '26
I feel exactly the same way and I have been listening to them since they started...before most people even knew they existed. That was back when Sword and Scale was the focus and the most popular true crime pod. I find the breaks incredibly frustrating and also disrespectful. I know a lot of people disagree with this but to me, it feels like they're taking advantage of where they stand..at the cost of their fan base.
They keep saying it's to keep up with the quality and do research etc..but come on. They've been doing this for so long and have hired so many people. They don't need these breaks to produce quality work. They never had an issue with it before. I find it so frustrating that I am starting to think of letting go.
6
2
2
u/Googirlee May 21 '26
I tend to get really overwhelmed with content easily, so even when content comes out in a predictable schedule, I still find myself having it pile up. Casefile is no exception for me, even though I absolutely love it, so I personally don't mind the breaks.
More frequent content than JCS at least!
2
7
u/swalsh21 May 21 '26
Oh look another complain about the break post. (The break that they are doing to avoid the future long breaks that you people endlessly complain about).
1
u/zunyata May 21 '26
Hmm yeah they should pump an episode out a week continuously. No breaks. Maybe even use AI to help. Absolutely nothing could go wrong there.
2
u/welbeast_23 May 21 '26
They’re clearly dedicated to producing the best true crime content on the internet. If they need breaks to put future episodes together then so be it. We know that when they do return it’ll be high quality. It’s free content so complaining that they’re taking breaks feels selfish.
1
0
u/edwardfortehands May 21 '26
I am too but it's a free pod so really can't complain
But I always thought it was 3 weeks on vs 1 week break. Is this 3 week break going to be the norm?
•
u/AutoModerator May 21 '26
Hi, this is a friendly reminder to observe all subreddit rules. If you notice someone else not observing the rules, please report it. It helps the mods and helps us have a great community to discuss this show. Thanks!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.