If you’re looking to either revisit or learn more about the trial of the century in the wake of O.J. Simpson’s death yesterday, there’s a veritable treasure trove of options at your disposal. The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and ESPN’s five-part documentary, O.J.: Made In America are two incredibly thoughtful looks into the intricacies and implications of the trial that deserve all the praise they’ve gotten since they were both released in 2016. But if you’ve already seen both of those—or you’re looking for something that spends more time with the murder’s actual victims than its suspected, famous perpetrator— the You’re Wrong About podcast’s extremely in-depth O.J. series might be exactly what you’re looking for.
In each episode of their podcast, hosts Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes “reconsider an event, person or phenomenon that’s been miscast in the public imagination.” (Hobbes left the show in 2021, but Marshall still produces weekly-ish episodes with a revolving door of excellent guests.) But it seems the O.J. Simpson trial—one of the most divisively remembered events in American history—was their white whale. While the hosts admitted they would definitely have to do multiple episodes right from the jump, they ended up producing over 17 hours of content before even getting to opening statements.
While the two journalists still haven’t revisited the project since Hobbes’ departure, those 16 episodes provide some of the most well-researched, interesting, and—most importantly—caring and delicate looks into the lives of Nicole Brown Simpson, Ron Goldman, and the trial’s other non-Simpson figures you’re likely to find anywhere. “I feel, like, personally responsible for communicating the trauma of Nicole Brown Simpson’s life to our listeners... and just do a great job for Nicole,” Marshall says in the first minute of the series’ first episode, and that ethos absolutely rings true throughout the rest of their extremely bright—and often laugh-out-loud funny (where appropriate, of course)—commentary.
Nicole Brown Simpson’s and Ron Goldman’s stories are often reduced to the horrific way they died. Especially with all of the hubbub around Simpson’s death right now, You’re Wrong About will remind you that they also lived.
If you want to filter the podcast just by the O.J. episodes, you can find a playlist here. If you want more, Marshall and Hobbes’ takes on pretty much everything are excellent, but their deep dives into Princess Diana and the D.C. snipers are especially worthwhile.