This story could not be written better by Hollywood. Beautifully assembled. Rigorously investigated. I have no complaints. I thought it was supremely ironic the one guy being extremely racist about Blacks yet the whole podcast was about him and his peers being utterly delinquent. Go figure. 🤷🏾‍♂️

S town was the first podcast I’de ever listened to. And it was amazing. I agree with a lot of the reviews that the paywall is disappointing and ridiculous.

And it costs $. These reporters amd researchers etc are pros... SUPPORT!! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

I listen to this every year now serial owns it and they're gonna lock it down? We literally can't have anything anymore Jon B. Miss you!

I can’t believe I returned to this podcast for the fifth time to find it behind a paywall. Jon B would hate this more than anything. Shame on you.

I’ve listened to this podcast three times now because I love it so much. Such a beautiful, heart wrenching story told in a very compelling way. I can’t believe I can’t listen to it anymore unless I pay… As if NYT / Serial needs more money… Pirate it somewhere if you can instead.

I’ve listened to this twice because it is one of the most compelling stories I have ever heard, told beautifully.

I listened to this podcast when it first came out. I wanted to give it another listen and it’s behind a paywall. Serial and NYTimes can kick rocks.

I stand by my original review (see below), but it is mind boggling that this is now behind a subscriber only wall! What a shame and what a way to shorten your listernership. I truly believe that this is the best podcast that’s ever been made. A masterpiece.

It’s a meandering, endless podcast with really no big reveals at the end. John B was mentally ill and was taken advantage of in this podcast. First review I have EVER written.

S-town is an amazing podcast, one of the early favorites that drew me in back in the day…after Serial, when I didn’t even know what a podcast was(!) I’ve listened to hundreds upon hundreds of hours of podcasts since. So for this Gen X’er who rando wanted to dip back into a re-listen after all these years…what an absolute turn off to find this pod behind a subscriber pay wall.

This was a story that you could never tell where you would end up. From believing there was corruption in this small town to meeting a brilliant man who was so flawed and multifaceted that it’s hard to define him. I really loved how this was told and showed much about our society.

I’m on Ep 5 and have no idea who is good and who is bad. Is anyone real or are they all fake? I dunno.

While I haven’t finished this podcast I just needed to leave this here. My brother committed suicide 4 years ago and he was so smart so brilliant but so sad. His funeral a lot like John’s was everything he would have hated (atheist as well). So when the pastor finished speaking and it was anyone’s turn who wanted to say a few words my other brother Hunter got up to speak at the podium and started off with saying he was going to read a bible verse and I remember looking sideways at my husband like what the hell is he doing and looks up to say Ezekiel 23:20 and recited the whole thing Iol afterwards the paster got back up to the podium horrified and I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breath. So while John didn’t get that just know that someone similar to his self did. I still cannot believe the odds.

I really enjoyed this series. John was a special person, lost too soon. I hate how we continue to shame people and who they are. Thanks for this story. I enjoyed it on my long runs.

Do not recommend.

As an avid podcast listener, this ranks above and beyond. First time I’ve listened to Brian Reed, Investigator/Journalist. S-town is so deep with twists and turns, knowing and doubting, I never knew who to believe or how did Brian have the patience and courage to continue. I’m going to follow his other podcasts now.

What an incredible podcast! I’ve listened to thousands of podcasts and this one is by far the very best.

I’m giving two stars because I pay for Apple podcast. I find it rather disappointing that I need to pay for another subscription to be able to listen to this series. I have recommended this season specifically to many of my colleagues friends family. I think the story of John is beautiful And more people should hear it.

This was my first time listening to journalism podcast and I cried laughed and it was just the most amazing podcast I’ve ever listened to.

“I spent each episode laughing and crying, with a growing sense of dread as each one came to an end… It’s hard to put into words what makes this both incredible and entertaining—the way it dissects one man’s life and reflects back on all of us the commonality of being flawed, complicated, and at the same time so simply human. In my opinion, it is a classic. Thank you, Brian Reed, for introducing me to a man I will never forget: John B. You told the story of his brilliant, troubled life with compassion, fairness, and artistry. Your ability to recognize his unique genius is a sign of your own.”

I’ve listened to this podcast three times since it first came out and am a true crime binger. This remains the best true crime podcast I’ve heard.

Incredible on all levels thank you

This podcast hooked me into the world of podcasts. It set the bar and paved the way for documentary style podcasts. One of my fave of all time! Truly engaging in every way. Still to this day, I feel like I’ve been to the town and know all the characters first hand!

Came to listen again and to my disappointment you have to pay for it now. Truly disgusting.

Just discovered S-Town while looking for a truly good true crime podcast (the original, investigative and well-crafted kind, like “Your Own Backyard,” not those rehashed stories told by giggling cohosts over mimosas). What begins as a murder mystery morphs into a character study of a truly fascinating person, an “enigma” (honestly) who is the main character of a tragedy of his own crafting . Kudos to S-Town’s host for discovering the real story is not an unsolved murder, but the man who reports it to them.

I came back to listen to this podcast again. I’ve recommended it to so many people over the years. I’ve listened to it multiple times. And now to see it locked under a subscription service? I’m so disappointed. I won’t be recommending this or any serial podcast anymore. I just can’t see paying for something that used to be available for free.

Best True crime/ story telling podcast. Yet to be beat!!

Long time loyal fans are what made Serial Productions special. Now folks who were supporting since the first episode of Serial can’t even go back and listen to shows they enjoyed for 10-15 years.

Came for a relisten but was disgusted to find out you can’t just listen for free anymore. It’s stupid to charge for an old podcast that use to be free and made this podcast famous. Especially in this economy. Ig it’ll be the last time I listen to anything produced by this American life or serial.

I have never before felt compelled to review a podcast, but I am so bothered, hours later that I feel I must. S-Town had everything: a fascinating, contradictory subject; a decaying Southern setting; buried trauma; ethical tension; even a structural bait-and-switch. But instead of using those pieces to tell a clear, grounded, human story, it gave us a stylized tragedy about a “mad genius” and called it journalism. What this should have been is a story about how someone can be brilliant, funny, generous, and deeply loved—and still die of despair. About how being autistic in a world that doesn’t recognize you can cost you everything, even if you’re articulate and surrounded by people. About how queerness and difference get erased when they don’t fit cleanly into a narrative. About what happens when you try to whistleblow, or ask for help, or simply be weird-and no one listens until you’re gone. It could’ve been a reckoning with how often neurodivergent people are mined for content and then left behind. A story that acknowledged that John B. McLemore wasn’t unknowable- he was simply unseen. And that everyone around him, including the journalist, failed to ask the most obvious question: what if he wasn’t crazy? what if he was just autistic, and alone? Instead, it told the story it wanted to tell. The comfortable, easy story that doesn’t implicate anyone in particular. What a waste.

Really sad when I came back to listen to this absolutely wonderful Podcast and realized I have to subscribe now to listen to a story I listened to for free years ago. I feel pretty stupid for recommending it to my friend now. The story is wonderfully done the journalism is engaging as it gets. But paying for content that was free before in this economy is just a no go.

I came to write a review because this is my all time favorite podcast story that I’ve listened to multiple times over, and it’s the podcast I most recommended to people, but now it’s subscription only. Huge bummer. There’s no way I’m gonna pay for it and I don’t know anyone else who will either, so I’ll probably stop recommending it. Sad for myself and others who would have enjoyed hearing this story again or for the first time. Hopefully this changes in the near future.

This is my all time fav podcast. I listened to it when it first came out and many times after that. In fact, It’s the only podcast I have ever re-listened to in full. I have recommended it to many people. I am so bummed that it is now subscriber only! Not only is it sad for me but now I feel like I have to give this caveat when I recommended it. It’s a tough sell, no matter how great you can sell it, to convince someone to pay for it. At any rate, the podcast is A+. I feel like there is so much more depth to the story than just a motley cast of characters and a salacious story.

I listened to this podcast when it first came out. It was so well done that I often speak of it and recommend it to people. I have to say I’m really disappointed that people can no longer listen for free… It’s really not that serious of a story to have to pay for it.

This was the first podcast I ever listened to. It has stuck with me all these years, for reasons that have continued to surprise me. Amazing work, set the bar so high for everything that came after. The story is one of a kind and made me cheer, laugh and cry the saddest tears for people I didn’t know. It is always on my recommendation list.

Truly remarkable. Has yet to be topped.

I don't know really how to express how much I've enjoyed this series. Not only for the story, but for the way it's told. It's expertly composed into a compelling ride through the life of people living in a world so different from my own. Yet still captures an authentic slice of the human experience. A different team with the same recordings couldn't have created S-Town as the Serial have. Though not the happiest of stories, I feel like my views have been widened and my empathy for other humans deepened for having listened to this series. And for the bad reviews because you have to subscribe to NYT to listen to the whole series, know that it's worth every penny and you're supporting truly talented journalists.

You can only listen to the first 2 episodes then you’re forced to subscribe to the New York Times. Don’t waste your time.

I was told by my aunt to listen to this podcast, so I decided to. The premise of the podcast is a little misleading; at least at the time I listened to it. The first 2-2.5 episodes are so intriguing and good! The remaining episodes just become boring, dumb, and just takes it in a vastly different direction than the precedent that was previously set. It’s really not that good, I couldn’t recommend this to a single person on the planet.

I allowed Brian Reed’s superb podcast to wash over me for a week, chapter by chapter, descending deeper and deeper into the fascinating, tragic, and paradoxical world of John B. By the last chapter, I was profoundly moved, a feeling half ill and sad for a man not known to me personally, and yet his brilliance, profanity, atheism, sexual conflict, and rage against the horrors of modern man imbued his chapter with greatness and one never better portrayed in the contemporary American novel. Like life’s work as a horologist, time ticked by loudly, cruelly, and joyfully for John B. Despite the wrenching emotional pain under wish he labored he delivered a salient message: to cherish the days we have and not to waste them. This was a beautifully crafted tale, delivered with strong emotional heft. Rest in peace, John B.

Still reeling, my heart is both heavy and full of wonder. I want a hug. Mostly tho, I am compelled to drive thousands of miles to deliver them ala “Free Mom Hugs” style to the many beautifully complex individuals in this story. I also want to stand in those woods, see that creek, witness the majesty so artfully described by the focus of this pod. Brian and the Pod Team need to know this is a masterpiece of dichotomies.

Before the monetization changes, I was a huge fan of this podcast. I understand why the changes needed to happen, and why they came in this format. However, it feels super scummy to take episodes that were free before and lock them behind a payout. Bryan Reeds’ podcasts are fantastic, but this retroactive change made me unfollow every feed of them. Episode 6 of this podcast was literally a comfort zone for me. An episode I could listen and relate to that made things better. Until this model changes, to at least unblock previously free content, I will never support a Serial podcast again. I’m just one voice, but I just want to communicate my feelings on the matter.

Something about this podcast left me feeling so sad for someone feeling so utterly alone. He obviously had gifted so many on earth in his lifetime and now with his passing was gifting us all. I will hold myself back from speaking of social ills that plagued our dear friend as not to spoil the story, though many of his friends illuminations of them broke my heart. To want closeness and connection with other human beings and love and being afraid of vulnerability can be one’s downfall.

“Life is tedious and brief.” 🥺 One of the best podcasts I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, and one that I have listened to over & over again. It’s cup-filling and wholesome, but also one of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve ever heard. I find myself coming back to this one in times when I need to know that there are/were other people out there who care about the world and the environment, or who just keep up with ALL the world events. A brilliant man who should have had a lot better life but stuck around bc he bore the responsibility of everything around him! I sure do wish that I could have had the pleasure of meeting John B. Macklemore, and sit down with him and listen to him talk for hours. His life was definitely not in vain, and ever since listening to this for the very first time, I have a piece of John B. with me everywhere I go. Thank you for this production, but I hate that it’s subscriber only now. I wish that wasn’t the case

Every aspect of this podcast – from the narration, characters, music/scoring, poignancy – is just an absolute storytelling masterpiece. I listen to it at least once a year I would say, and I am never less than fully compelled and moved. It is something that Brian Reed and all the team should be very proud of. It is a gem and privilege that we were introduced not only to the person that was John B McLemore, but also horology and so much more. I can’t believe I randomly was going through my podcasts (I never read podcast reviews??) only to be alerted to the fact that Tyler Goodson was killed by cops from another reviewer! I just read several news articles and …how horribly sad. I do wonder if the family will allow a follow up podcast about the years since, though with the legal issues it may not be feasible. Either way, I have recommended this podcast to many people and it has never disappointed. I will continue to listen to it and be moved. It’s later than you think. Update: shocked by the reviewers complaining about a paywall. Journalism IS NOT FREE, especially good journalism. Instead of complaining you once got it for free and now don’t, consider it a one-time gift. That’s what it was. Journalists have to be paid for their work. The way a company can continue to do that is via subscriptions. We get so much from them, as a society. Everyone should pick their favorite outlet/s and pay a subscription to support them.

I think this was my favorite serial podcast ever. Beautiful story. Beautifully told. I would make a sweet movie.

S-Town is one of my absolute favorite Podcasts, I’ve listened to it several times over and recommended it countless times… However now that it’s behind a paywall I will definitely be rethinking recommending this. Blocking episodes that have been out and free for years behind a new paywall is absolutely insane. I 100% get paying to listen to episodes early, but this is *not* it. Shame on whomever approved this decision!

This season was an absolute roller coaster. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, a bomb was dropped that changed the direction completely. LOVED IT!!

I’ve listened to S-Town 2x already (years ago for free) and wanted to listen to it again recently. I was so disappointed to see that my favorite pod is behind a paywall now.