From Murder in the Building to Based on a True Story, several popular shows are dedicated to the true crime podcast phenomenon — and on May 9, another show is joining the conversation. Netflix's Bodkin is a dark comedy thriller about a group of podcasters who travel to an Irish village to investigate a 25-year-old mystery.
If the description alone makes you want to watch Bodkin 's podcast, well, there's a problem: Bodkin isn't a true story, and the titular village isn't a real place. "It's all fake people. As far as the mystery itself, we worked very hard to find something completely different from a true crime story," co-showrunner and executive producer Alex Metcalfe told Netflix. “The fictionality of it is very well thought out.”
While "Bodkin" (starring Will Forte, Siobhan Cullen, and Robin Calla) may not be a true story, it feels like it for a reason.
Bodkin is a true crime review
Creator Jez Scharf told Netflix the idea for "Bodkin" came to him when he was thinking about the "morals" of true crime. "They're usually very tragic stories but broken up into neat plots with a nice hook at the end," he said.
Bodkin, however, took a less direct route to developing the genre. "Really, of all the true crime podcasts, the one that's most inspiring to us is S-Town ," Scharf explains. "You start out thinking it's going to be a murder, but the story develops in ways you don't expect."
it was filmed in a historic location
Another reason why Bodkin may resonate with true crime fans is that it was partly filmed in West Cork, The Irish Observer reports . Coastal Ireland was also at the center of 2018's popular podcast West Cork, The play revolves around the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier.
Just as the characters in "Bodkin" visited the eponymous town for the story, West Cork's podcasters did the same when crafting their project, as Jennifer Ford told Image Ireland.
GQ pointed out the similarities and suggested Bodkin may have been inspired by West Cork, but as Netflix points out, the show is "completely fictional."
Bodkin has ties to president
While viewers will naturally focus on the twists and turns on screen, Bodkin 's team behind the scenes is a surprise in itself. Both Barack and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers on the series through their company Highland Productions. The pair have produced several projects, ranging from docs and scripted films to educational programs, but Bodkin marks their first dramatic series.
