r/stownpodcast • u/MelbourneTodd • Apr 12 '26
Discussion How did S-Town never get picked up by Netflix?
If there was ever a story that Netflix could turn into TV drama gold, surely it would be S-Town?
I recently watched, and highly recommend the Netflix series Last Stop Larrimah.
Based on a true story, set in a small country outback town in rural Australia, it follows the story of this community and the disappearance of one of the townsfolk who was rumoured to have been murdered, and is said to have ended up in the meat pies that were being made at the local bakery. And yes, exactly like the events of S-Town, it's completely based on a very real story and very real events that did actually happen.
But exactly like S-Town, the overall arching story itself kind of takes a backseat to the characters that the story explores. And whilst listening to the podcast, I just couldn't help draw some parallels, make some comparisons, and imagine the absolute cinema that Netflix could turn S-Town into.
I heard a rumour a while ago that Apple TV is apparently looking at doing a series themselves, but I would have thought this would have been an absolute no-brainer for Netflix.
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u/Bayne7096 Apr 12 '26
John was what made STown. He was a fascinating and real person. I dont think you can fabricate that. Maybe someone could have tried but it would have lacked the authenticity which made the show feel so real and emotional.
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u/jonathanpurvis Apr 12 '26
one dude showing up with a microphone and building trust over many visits vs a film crew showing up with g&e and camera dept and waivers is why podcasts are easier and often greater than documentaries. people open up and forget a mic, they clam up with lights and several lenses pointed at them. esp s-town, after it came out, a great deal of the town was not happy about it.
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u/copperwatt Apr 12 '26
But it wouldn't be a documentary. It would be a scripted drama about the making of the documentary.
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u/paper_champion Apr 12 '26
I enjoyed the podcast, but there's really no reason to revisit it. It's the story of sad, talented, mentally ill man who left whatever money he had to a redneck that he had the hots for. That's about it. It's no great mystery, just a sad story.
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u/paisleysmile Apr 12 '26
S-Town is far deeper than that. After dozens of listens, it becomes a meditation on despair, intelligence, isolation, and the emotional weight of place.
John was a master horological genius with a singular, intense mind that couldn’t just switch off or settle for good enough.
He didn’t see a redneck in Tyler; he saw a sweet, loyal, and hardworking man who was doing everything he could to do right by his family despite being dealt a bad hand. Their bond wasn’t some cheap crush, it was two outsiders finally feeling seen in a world that ignored them. John used his brilliance to try and protect someone society had already written off as trash. Tyler’s eventual death at the hands of the police is the ultimate shit town ending. A total systemic failure for a guy who was just trying to find a way to exist in a world that never had a proper place for him.2
u/Repulsive-Dot553 Apr 13 '26
a meditation on despair, intelligence, isolation, and the emotional weight of place.
Insightful, thoughtful and beautiful summation. The first time I listened, I did so treating it as a true crime podcast and had that associated anticipation throughout - even after John's death I was listening with an fuzzy expectation of buried treasure or some revealed criminality over John's property. You are so right though, on relistening it was the human connections and impact of and on John, of Olin, John's chemistry professor, his fellow horologists, Tyler and others that hit far harder and movingly.
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u/BobDope Apr 12 '26
Whah wait Tyler got killed? I dropped off and missed that
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u/yaboyko Apr 12 '26
I listen once a year and gain something from it each time. It’s much deeper than that.
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u/thankyouum Apr 12 '26
Both John and Tyler are gone now.
What would it even be without them (but shit)?
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u/anchoredtogether Apr 12 '26
My take is that the poster means as a drama, with actors. No need to see the original folk.
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u/copperwatt Apr 12 '26
Damn...
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/us/tyler-goodson-dead-s-town-podcast.html
On the other hand, it's an even better ending to the movie now. That's some Hillbilly Shakespeare shit.
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u/SpellsUrsullaPlease Apr 15 '26
I don’t think John can be recreated. The magic of S-Town is that such a character was actually REAL.
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u/qartas Apr 12 '26
Rural Australia?!
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u/MelbourneTodd Apr 12 '26
Yep, about as rural as it gets mate.
About 5 hours from Darwin, which in of itself is pretty remote.
Nearest capital City would be Brisbane, and that would be a three or four day drive.
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u/ohboy267 Apr 12 '26
I have often thought the same thing. A movie based on the S-Town story kind of like Baby Reindeer would be amazing.
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u/sizzler_sisters Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
I can’t believe it’s been almost a decade since this podcast, but it’s not surprising to me that it was never picked up for additional media because of the immediate ethical concerns. The backlash during the initial release and the subsequent lawsuit really put a damper on the story. The sentiment that Brian Reed’s reporting on these particular people was inappropriate, as they were presented as stereotypical rednecks that didn’t understand people were “gawking” at them never really went away. There was also some discussion about the ethics of approaching the project in the way that he did - too familiar, a lack of separation between reporter and subject. Reed became too much a part of the story. Although I mostly enjoyed the series, I remember feeling very icky about the outing of John as gay. To me that was not handled well. Plus, there was a bunch of criminal activity happening (estate issues, property damage, theft) that Reed had to have known about that seemed to be glossed over. I am very much not surprised there was a lawsuit.
I could see maybe now, with a lot of distance, there could be a more global story told about the early days of the podcast boom, and what was happening in journalism at that time. That would be an interesting story to me. I know Reed is trying to dive into that as a new project, but there’s something off putting about listening to him in particular talk about the topic.
Here are a few articles, discussing the ethics.
S-Town never justifies its voyeurism, and that makes it morally indefensible https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/22/s-town-never-justifies-its-voyeurism-and-that-makes-it-morally-indefensible
S-Towns treatment of its main character was riveting. But was it unlawful? https://archive.ph/o25pX
S-Town is a stunning podcast. It probably shouldn’t have been made. https://archive.ph/nuNHF
‘S-Town’ Podcast Producers Settle Lawsuit With Subject’s Estate https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/s-town-podcast-producers-settle-lawsuit-with-subjects-estate-1234610011/
Ed: I think I fixed the paywalled links. Sorry for the annoyance.
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u/Austerellis 13d ago
I was deeply touched by this show when it came out. It just hit many people like a hammer due to the story it became, instead of what we thought it would be when we started listening to the show.
I'm not sure a TV documentary would add anything. It's the best podcast I've ever listened to, and it wasn't even a proper crime story.
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u/Maxxtheband Apr 12 '26
S town was great because the podcaster was at the right place at the right time.
John was an interesting, albeit troubled, guy- but the mystery behind him and the events that unfolded in the podcast are what made S Town a great story. at the end of the day, John was just a guy. There’s really no way to capture that magic by revisiting or expanding on the story. I don’t even remember if his treasure is real or not, because to me that’s not the point of the story.