A true story about seduction, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Reported and hosted by Christopher Goffard from the L.A. Times.
Introducing: Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine
Host Carolina Chimoy interviews Latino soldiers fighting in Ukraine, exploring their motivations, experiences of war, and search for belonging.
4 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing: The De Los Podcast
Hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito interview cultural shapers on the De Los Podcast, exploring the vibrant intersection of music, pop culture, and Latinidad.
7 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing: Season 4 of Crimes of the Times
Here is a sneak peak at the new season of another Los Angeles Times Studios podcast called "Crimes of the Times." In the show, L.A. Times staff writer Christopher Goffard revisits old crimes in Los Angeles and beyond, from the famous to the forgotten, the consequential to the obscure, diving into archives and the memories of those who were there. This new season kicks off with a four part series about how an amateur codebreaker may have cracked the Zodiac killer's infamously complex Z13 code, and how the name it reveals potentially connects the Zodiac killer to another notoriously unsolved California murder: The Black Dahlia.
9 Sept 2025
Introducing: Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff
Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part true crime investigation from the Los Angeles Times about one of the biggest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history.
Follow Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Christopher Goffard as he uncovers how Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once hailed as a reformer, became entangled in a shocking cover-up inside the nation’s largest jail system. From FBI informants and jailhouse brutality to corruption at the highest levels, this series reveals how deputies hid an inmate, intimidated federal agents, and ultimately brought down one of California’s most powerful sheriffs.
14 May 2025
Bonus Episode: Inside the TV Series "Dirty John" Part 3
In the last of three special episodes, Alexandra Cunningham, show-runner of the new Bravo series "Dirty John," offers insight into how she approached the writing of the show and its titular psychopath. Jeffrey Reiner, who directed all eight episodes, discusses the creative team’s ambition to transcend the conventions of a traditional thriller.
14 May 2025
Bonus Episode: Inside the TV Series "Dirty John" Part 2
In the second of three special episodes, Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights,” “Nashville”) talks about playing Debra Newell in the new Bravo series, and why the story feels timely. Julia Garner and Juno Temple, who play Newell’s daughters, discuss how they came to inhabit their roles, and the show’s production designer and costume designer share details of how they helped create the characters’ worlds.
“Dirty John” premieres on Bravo at 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 25. You can also find the original LA Times series, plus 14 other pieces of narrative journalism, in a new collection called “Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders” by Christopher Goffard, published by Simon & Schuster.
14 May 2025
Bonus Episode: Inside the TV Series "Dirty John" Part 1
In the first of three special episodes about the making of the Bravo limited series "Dirty John," Christopher Goffard talks with actor Eric Bana about his portrayal of John Meehan, and the parallels between actors and con-men.
“Dirty John” premieres on Bravo at 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 25. LA Times Studios is participating as a producer on the Bravo series. You can also find the original L.A. Times series, plus 14 other pieces of narrative journalism, in a new collection called “Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders” by Christopher Goffard, published by Simon & Schuster.
14 May 2025
Dirty John: Live at The Theatre at Ace Hotel
In the months since “Dirty John” was released, more of John Meehan’s victims have told their stories. Carolina Miranda from the LA Times interviews Christopher Goffard, Debra and Terra Newell, and John Meehan’s first wife. Plus, a panel on coercive control and a special live performance by Tracy Bonham. Recorded live at the Ace Theatre.
14 May 2025
Terra
Jacquelyn and Terra Newell suspect that John has been watching them. When Jacquelyn tells her mother that he is in town, her mother believes she is mistaken. Jacquelyn warns Terra to carry her pocket knife. But Terra is preoccupied by a country-music concert, and she is watching for the wrong car.
14 May 2025
Escape
John finds a lawyer and plots to unleash a blizzard of lawsuits against his enemies, with the aim of proving to Debra that he is the victim, in case after case. The lawyer believes her life is in danger. As her painful isolation from her family deepens, she secretly plans her escape from the marriage.
14 May 2025
Forgiveness
Debra is in hiding, living out of hotels and disguising herself with a wig. Debra fears she will meet the fate of her sister Cindi, who was killed by her husband as she tried to escape a bad marriage. John has explanations for the accusations against him. He weeps and apologizes. Three decades earlier, that had helped Cindi’s killer walk out of prison.
14 May 2025
Filthy
Debra grapples with the question, “Who did I marry?” The story of John’s mysterious past unfolds through the eyes of his sisters, his law-school housemate, his ex-wife, and an Ohio cop who hunted him. The origins of John’s nickname are revealed. Bed-ridden in an Orange County hospital, he pleads with Debra to take him back.
14 May 2025
Newlyweds
After an intruder appears in John and Debra’s living room, John insists that they install security cameras. Debra begins to wonder whether he is spying on her. Her nephew, Shad, looks into John’s background and confronts him with what he finds. Debra’s vision of an idyllic marriage is shattered when she discovers a stash of paperwork in John’s home office.
14 May 2025
The Real Thing
Debra Newell, an interior designer in Southern California, meets John Meehan on an over-50 dating site. His profile looks exciting: Anesthesiologist, divorced, Christian. She falls in love fast. But her children dislike him and warn her that his stories don’t add up. A psychologist advises Debra to set firmer boundaries with her kids, saying she has a right to be happy.
Inside a recent episode
Introducing: Call Sign Condor: Latino Soldiers Fighting in Ukraine
Published 1 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] There's a nice view of the city, Krivirich, from here. the city where Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky was born. I asked Kondor if he's not afraid of living so high up on one of the top floors. I learned during a security training that it's better to stay on a lower floor when you're in a war zone because of the drones. He shrugs. Nowhere is safe, he says. It can happen anywhere at any time. Something you hear all the time in Ukraine. Condor is this soldier's call sign. For security reasons, we're not using his real name. Today, he's turning 33. I ask him what he wants to do on his birthday. […]
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