Evil Lives Here Is The True Crime Show I've Always Wanted
Evil Lives Here Is The True Crime Show I've Always Wanted
TV reviews, TV opinions and also sometimes other opinions
**This post discusses Evil Lives Here, a true crime show on iD that premiered in 2016 and has 8 seasons. It is probably your mother’s favorite show. There are no spoilers. Also this is supposed to be a paid post, but I love this show too much to keep this subscriber-only.**
I mentioned last week that I’ve been diving deep into the world of Discovery+. With most shows on an extended hiatus thanks to COVID, there isn’t a ton of new TV to watch right now. Of course, I’ll still have a thorough list for you on this week’s Watch List, but mostly, I’ve just been digging into the beautiful world of true crime shows my mom already watches. For as long as I can remember, my mom has been obsessed with CourtTV, Investigation Discovery, Forensic Files…you name it. I think this is actually a thing all middle-aged women are into, but I don’t have any scientific evidence for that.
What I do know is that any time I go home, I will be falling asleep to the sounds of a monotone voice calmly describing the gruesome murder of some innocent woman or child. I guess I’ve never really paid attention to true crime TV shows because I think of them as “mom TV,” like daytime talk shows. I love cult and true crime documentaries, but I had internalized some belief that my tastes were more high brow than the likes of shows like The First 48 or The Murder Tapes. With Discovery+ and the unending inertia of quarantine, I finally had a chance to question that belief and I’m glad I did because goddamn, was I wrong. Once again, my mother is right about everything: these shows fucking rock.
Part of my bias was the thought that most of these shows were exploitative. I grew up on CourtTV, which is absolutely horrible and the reason there’s such an unhealthy relationship between media and the court system to this day. I assumed this type of programming hadn’t progressed beyond CourtTV’s design. Then I watched two seasons of iD’s Evil Lives Here in a day and realized the entire true crime landscape has changed. Evil Lives Here premiered in 2016 (my mom was eager to tell me that I’m late and this is her territory and she’s BEEN watching). The show focuses on people who lived with or survived absolutely evil people and the signs they saw along the way.
This could easily turn problematic if it used CourtTV or Nancy Grace-like tactics: it’s not hard to watch these people and get frustrated about what they should’ve done or how wrong they were. In the hands of lesser producers, the show could easily turn into a pile-on. Instead, Evil Lives Here is a chance for victims and survivors to reclaim the narrative from the monsters whose names dominate the media and public memory. Instead of entertaining victim-blaming, Evil Lives Here shows us how easy it is to end up in situations beyond our control. In later seasons, they even provide updates on victims who shared their stories to show how being on the show impacted them.
It’s perfectly captured catharsis. The interviews are handled with care and intimacy. It’s easy to understand why so many begin their statements with, “I didn’t think I could do this, but I realized I had to do it.” In one episode, a mom and dad work through their own guilt and shame after their son’s heinous acts. After being on the show and finally making their story public, they were able to find support and community again. If the mother explaining the release she finally felt doesn’t make you sob, you're probably made of stone.
I’m glad to have something other than 90 Day Fiancé to watch on Discovery+, but beyond that Evil Lives Here makes me excited about the current state and future of reality TV. Shifting documentary-style reality TV to survivor-focused narratives is an important step in reclaiming the medium from exploitative producers who built the genre on ratings. I truly believe shows in the space have the ability to educate the masses on the importance of legal reform. Watch Trial by Media to understand how previously exploitative TV court techniques helped to build our current culture of victim-blaming.
Anyway, my overall goal in life is to write some TV, do stand-up comedy and in my golden years, I travel the country interviewing cult survivors for some sort of true crime reality TV series. Evil Lives Here is the kind of show I aim to make: one that centers survivors and helps in their healing journey while educating the masses on some fucked up shit. Everything I do is to make my mom proud and I know that won’t happen until she’s falling asleep at 1am, listening to the details of a mass cult suicide and then she opens one eye to see “Executive Producer: Ashley Ray-Harris” in the credits.
Here’s a quick list of the TV I watched over the weekend that I’ll be talking about in detail on the podcast Friday:
Evil Lives Here
90 Day Diaries/90 Day Bares All
90 Day Fiancé
Shameless
Love After LockUp
Veneno
Best Leftovers Ever
Lazor Wulf
Mr. Mayor
Along the lines of the above, in general, I think people are tired of reality TV shows about rich people. The end of Keeping Up With The Kardashians is one signal of that. We’re truly at a time when the definition of “reality TV” is shifting thanks to the impact of social media, YouTube documentaries and the world exploding.
Anyway, I tweeted about that and I’m writing a thing about it. I’m excited to share it in the future.
I am not quite sure this is the place for my comment but here goes anyway.
Like so many, I too, really like watching true crime shows. I watch many. Today I was watching Evil Lives Here, one of my very favorite shows. I do record it so I can pick and choose what may sound interesting to watch.
I watched an episode that affected me more than any I have ever watched, I mean EVER. It is from Season 7, Episode 1/ It Was All Judith. That young man, Corey Breininger's abuse was horrific. The abuse continued for so many years, I am sure the residual effects will last his lifetime, how can it not. What that despicable woman did~~how can she possibly be released from prison in 2 short years. The fear that must embody him...I also fear for him. How can he possibly have a peaceful life? How can he possibly EVER experience joy. The unfairness of it all is beyond my comprehension. I do hope that he is seeing a therapist/psychiatrist who has REALLY been able to help him. For me to say to Corey, you may have killed your Dad but in no way are you at all
responsible. A thought that may be very difficult to grasp, I know. But that woman you unfortunately had to call step-mother had so much control over you and from such a young age. You did not have a chance. The abuse this young man suffered at the hands of that vile woman is/was just unimaginable. Not only did he suffer terrible physical abuse, the mental abuse far exceeded the physical. I feel terrible for Corey and I wish I could reach out to him in some way. To be a friend, someone for him to talk too. Based on my age, I would be more of a grandmother
to him. Everyone needs a cool grandmother, don't they ? Based on what I have written, I do hope some pull up the episode that I mentioned above and watch it. This young man could use prayers, lots of them.
Sorry for taking up so much paper space here, brevity certainly eludes me.
Corey~ if you happen upon this message. My heart goes out to you~
Be safe, be well & I pray that you are able to experience true happiness.
B.J.
Williamsburg, Virginia
"Evil Lives Here" is one of my favorite television shows, however what is up with the "background" music? It is played so loudly that it overpowers the dialogue! I sometimes replay the scene to possibly try to catch what was said, but oftentimes that attempt is unsuccessful. And I have perfect hearing! The music is supposed to be enhancing the story, not the other way around! Please tone down the music!