Mystery Show

From Podpedia
Mystery Show
File:Mystery-Logo.jpg
Mystery Show logo
Presentation
Hosted byStarlee Kine
Genrehumor, human interest
Updatesoccasionally
Production
Opening theme"Those Mysteries"
performed by Sparks
Publication
Original releaseMay 22, 2015 – present
ProviderGimlet Media
Websitegimletmedia.com/show/mystery-show/

Mystery Show was a Gimlet Media podcast hosted by Starlee Kine. In each episode, Kine solves a minor mystery which cannot be solved with search engines alone.[1] The show was started in 2015, and that year was declared the best new podcast of 2015 by iTunes.[2]

Mysteries she has solved for the show include why a video rental store closed, and where a peculiar custom belt buckle came from. Along the way, Kine interviews people who may have a connection to the mystery. She also frequently veers from the original topic, asking subjects about more personal and philosophical matters.[3]

In October 2016, Kine announced via medium.com and the show's Facebook Page that she was no longer working at Gimlet Media and that the network would not be producing a second season of Mystery Show.[4]

Episodes[edit | edit source]

Episode # Title Description Original Release Date
1 Video Store Laura becomes a member at a video store, rents a video and attempts to return said video the very next day, only to discover the store is completely gone. May 21, 2015
2 Britney Andrea's a writer no one reads. Then she makes a shocking discovery. May 30, 2015
3 Belt Buckle A young boy finds an enchanting object in the street. June 5, 2015[5]
4 Vanity Plate Starlee and her friend Miranda get stopped at a red light and see something shocking. June 14, 2015
5 Source Code While watching the movie Source Code David becomes consumed with a height related mystery. June 20, 2015
6 Kotter Jonathan has lunch in a cafeteria. July 31, 2015

Reception[edit | edit source]

Apple named Mystery Show the Best New Podcast of 2015 in their year-end awards.[6]

Episode 3 of Season 1, 'Belt Buckle', was ranked #1 on The Atlantic's list of the top 50 podcast episodes of 2015, with their summary stating that "the episode is unrelenting in its playfulness and joy, but a sense of profundity lies just beneath the surface, bobbing up in the final minutes, when you won’t be sure whether to grin or weep".[7]

Hiatus[edit | edit source]

After the conclusion of Season 1, no new episodes were released. A January update posted to the show's Facebook page stated that Season 2 was "in the works."

In October 2016, Kine published an update to Medium and to the Mystery Show Facebook page saying that she had been let go from Gimlet Media in April 2016, during the early stages of Season 2's production.[4] The same day, Gimlet published a blog post stating that Mystery Show was "unsustainable to produce and publish on a consistent basis, and therefore Gimlet will no longer produce new episodes of Mystery Show. We are in discussions with Starlee to reach an agreement where she may produce Mystery Show independently of Gimlet."

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Lyons, Margaret. "Mystery Show Is Your Next Podcast Obsession". Vulture. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 28 July 2015. 
  2. Apple's iTunes Best of 2015 list for podcasts includes a ton of LA-based favorites. Time Out, December 9, 2015, Seth Kelley.
  3. Fitzpatrick, Molly. "Fall in love with 'Mystery Show', your new favorite podcast". Fusion. Fusion. Retrieved 28 July 2015. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://medium.com/@StarleeKine/hi-everyone-2c140c11488c#.rz9ldqhrj
  5. "The List: A dozen essential podcasts ". Columbus Live. Joel Oliphint, Nov. 10, 2016
  6. McAlone, Nathan (December 28, 2015). "The best podcasts of 2015, according to Apple". Business Insider. Retrieved January 10, 2016. 
  7. "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 10, 2016. 

External links[edit | edit source]