Killer Serials

In the latest episode of Killer Serials, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker discuss the first episode of the second season of Rectify, streaming on Netflix. They talk about theodicy and the afterlife and welcome actor Johnny Ray Gill for a conversation about his role in the series as Kerwin.

In this episode of Killer Serials, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker unpack the season one finale of Rectify, streaming on Netflix. They discuss the height of Daniel's existential crisis, how it impacts those around him, Rene Girard's scapegoat theory, and how it functions in this southern tale. They also tease a special guest for next week's episode. 

In this episode of the Killer Serials Podcast, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker unpack season one, episode five of Rectify, now streaming on Netflix. They talk about the many biblical allusions in the episode (from the Prodigal Son to Jesus running a herd of swine off a cliff), the efficacy of Daniel's baptism, and Daniel's struggle with determining what is actually real.

In the latest episode of the Killer Serials Podcast, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker take a deep dive into the fourth episode of the first season of Rectify. This week, they are joined by special guests, Michael D. Fuller and Graham Gordy, who wrote the episode. They discuss being part of the writers room on the first season, creating complex religious characters and settings, and making character choices that tap into what it means to be human.

Tony Jones and Ryan Parker are back with a new episode of the Killer Serials Podcast, continuing their discussion of RECTIFY, season one, episode three, "Modern Times." This week they talk about cosmic narratives, human nature, and the role of myths and/or ghost stories in shaping cultural norms in the South.

Tony Jones and Ryan Parker are back with a new episode of Killer Serials. This week they dive into the second episode of RECTIFY season one. It's all about sex, baby. And stigma. And, of course, time.

The Killer Serials Podcast is back with a new episode, and this week, hosts Tony Jones and Ryan Parker begin their episode-by-episode breakdown of the Peabody Award winning series, Rectify, which premiered on the Sundance Channel in April 2013. All 30 episodes are now streaming on Netflix. Tony and Ryan talk about the ways in which, in its very first episode, Rectify lays spiritual and theological groundwork through the themes of time, truth, and incarceration. Follow along with us as we dig into a new episode of Rectify each week.  We're on Instagram as killerserials and on Twitter as @killerserials1.

After a long hiatus, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker are back with a new episode of the Killer Serials podcast. Who knew that it would take a pandemic to kick them into gear? In this episode, they discuss the new four-part mini-series, UNORTHODOX, streaming on Netflix. It's an absolutely brilliant series with a stellar lead performance by Shira Haas as Esty, a young woman fleeing her conservative Hasidic Jewish community in New York. Tony and Ryan talk about the ways in which the hyper-conservative nature of Hasidic Judaism parallels that of other traditions; the use of fear to keep members in communities like this; the role of sex and sexuality in this series; and the appeal of the "otherness" of fringe religious communities to content creators and consumers.

In the latest episode of the Killer Serials podcast, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker unpack the first season of Russian Doll, now streaming on Netflix. They talk about the "coastal" character of the series, the salvific power of serving others, and the series portrayal of mental illness.

Tony Jones and Ryan Parker are back with a new episode of the Killer Serials podcast. In this episode, they provide an obituary, of sorts, for the HBO comedy, CRASHING, which ended its three season run on Sunday, March 10. They discuss whether or not evangelical Christianity has anything of substance to contribute to pop culture, comedy as an avenue for theological reflection, and the religious/spiritual themes of each season.

In this episode of Killer Serials, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker discuss the new two-part HBO documentary series, Leaving Neverland, which chronicles Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck's accounts of their years-long experiences of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson. They talk about parental failure and if we can know whether or not we would have done better, celebrity as divinity, and the corruption of fame.

After a long hiatus, Tony Jones and Ryan Parker are back to discuss some killer serials, starting off this new season with Netflix's docuseries, Sunderland Til I Die. In this episode that talk about the culture, economics, and religion of sport, community, devotion, and manager as Messiah.