Should early Casefile episodes be remade?
Something that has often come up in team meetings is, 'should we remake any of the early episodes'.
We have had some requests from listeners about this as well. So the question is Patreon, would you like to hear any of the earlier episodes remade? Completely rewritten and re produced? If your answer is yes, feel free to comment what episodes you would like to hear.
Comments (88)
Haven’t read all the comments so apologies if it’s been already mentioned but the Holly and Jessica episode 08 is one I believe could have more information & redone
Unless there´s some substantial new information, I´m not really interested In revisiting old cases. In a case like earons though, it could be interesting, now that he´s caught.
I would love to see a remake of the family court bombings and murders now that there has been a conviction
I really liked the early format. That is when I started listening. I’d rather you put the time and effort into new episodes. If you had new information on the case and therefore adding new material then that would be worth redoing.
Maybe just a rework of some of the very first cases, especially if you're able to add content to the ones that are around 30 minutes long. But most episodes sound like there is no no for an update, but just my opinion
To all at Casefile - the fact that the team is thinking about redoing the early episodes is a reflection of your thoughtfulness and professionalism. It's why I'm happy to continue to support Casefile on Patreon. Having said that, I would not want you to change any of the earlier episodes. I acknowledge that some other podcasters have made better presentations of some of the earlier cases covered by Casefile but after having recently re-listened to some of the earlier episodes it was great to hear and experience a podcaster who was just finding his voice, doing everything himself and being pioneering. I can remember being so excited and raving about the first episodes and the quality has only got better. As a long time patron bu first time poster on this board good on youse for thinking about remaking the episodes but i's rather see them left as they are.
Would love to hear a reworking of the somerton man.
It would depend if you could actually add to it. Just doing a story again, with all the cases you haven't covered, sounds like a waste of time unless there's more to the story you can add.
Wow, some great discussion here. Thank you all for such a fantastic response. So many well thought out and amazing comments, on all sides of the discussion! For clarity, these would not be done in place of new episodes and the original episodes would remain available. As we already have a lot of work done on each episode they would not take nearly as long to do as a new case either. No don't touch the classics is a clear winner, so it looks like we will leave them alone......although there were enough who responded yes, that we may just try one in the future to see what happens..... Thank you all for your support.
I really think you should at least do the first one again - it was a bit of a rambling affair.
Since I am an advocate for solving missing persons and cold case murders, I would be in favor of taking new and unexplored slants to those legacy cold case episodes. You keep the original intact but provide other angles and updates that would be appealing and renew interest.
Wow you have opened Pandoras Box with this question!So many variations on this theme to consider but definitely updates should be done ✅😎
I don't care about them being classics or them having a certain charm to them. They were objectively much shorter and less detailed than the rest of the cases, so I think it would be important to re-tell those individuals' stories at the same level that other individuals were given.
I personally think leave them as is - the older episodes have a certain charm to them with them being the first episodes released. The only thing it might be worth doing is going back and giving an update at the end of the episode if there have been major developments since their original release.
If the originals were kept, maybe as a 'seperate' podcast called Casefiles Classics, I would be OK with the remake, because those are the ones that got me to fall in love with the podcast ;)
You have lots of cases by requests to do. I would love to hear any updates though.
Remake the one you removed!
I voted yes, and agree that the original episodes remain and if remade all released at once. I'd love to hear updates on the cases since it's been several years for many of them and new information may have come to light!
Remaking older episodes could be a great Patreon perk! But leaving them in their current state is fine too. It may make sense for cases like the Golden State Killer, which has seen major developments over the past few years.
I was about to say exactly almost word for word what the above comment from Sarah Newman said :)
Don’t change them, they show how much you have progressed. Spend your time on doing more cases :)
They can showcase how they've grown without having to remove the old ones. In fact, I think it would show how they've grown even more if they remade them as we could compare each case directly, and also recognize that Casefile has grown so much that they can produce much higher quality versions of those cases. But I do agree that time could be spent on more cases!
2. All remade episodes are released in one go - and not as a substitute for new material. Please forgive the multiple messages, each is submitted when I press [ENTER]
1. All original remade episodes remain, and
I think the first few should be remade, because the narrator has improved so much. But on two conditions:
I like hearing the progression of the sound quality, narrator's style, etc. I'd rather see resources go towards more new cases. On the weeks there isn't a new case I am so bummed. I always think, "Has it already been three in a row?!"
Yeah I voted. Please don’t waste time on the old ones. I’ve listened to all. Many I have listened to many times. You may see deficiencies-it is your art. But I do not. They are all excellent.
Waste of resources doing up the old ones. There is plenty of material out there that others have done a shoddy job of. Keep moving forward.
Totally agree
I love the early episodes, and I agree with Amanda, that they've become very formal. There are words that pull me out of the story and make me think "he'd never say that". It would be great for it to relax a little bit, and keep Casey's flavour and personality. I think there's an opportunity to develop the early episodes in a new way, rather than a straight remake.
Don't touch the classics forsure!!!
Shows growth and how far things have come.
I think the early podcasts reflect the progression of Casefile - no don't touch the classics!
What do you and your team want to do? Does the Casefiles team see value in revisiting old episodes? I voted Yes, because a fresh writing and audio pass on the first episodes you made might bring in new listeners. I love those first few episodes, but the quality of the audio is rough. Maybe a fresh pass at them would be good.
Don’t do a George Lucas. The early episodes may be a bit rougher or less detailed, but that doesn’t detract from what drew people to the pod in the first place. Don’t waste your time on them!
A new version of the early ones might be fun for a bonus / special episode, but there's no need to replace them.
Amanda Taylor has a point. The new episodes are extremely polished and professional, but the older, more rough-around-the-edges episodes had a more intimate feel to them. I started listening in early 2017, and it's surprising how much the series has changed even since then.
I love the Silk Road episodes!! Casefile is without doubt the best podcast there is!! The old cases are awesome!!
Alternative: rather than redo old shows in their entirety, why not just delete the Silk Road episodes? Then your catalog will be unblemished perfection. Incidentally, I've probably listened to the Belanglo series twenty (20) times by now.
Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man
I agree with Amanda Taylor. I really liked the older style too.
Honestly, I’d rather some of the newer cases be redone in the older style. It’s a bit too formal and trying too hard these days. I much prefer the more relaxed, informal, just the facts style of the early cases.
I think it’s great to see how far Casefile has come and it’s such a time commitment! If anything, if you have access to the original files maybe cleaning up what’s there but for the most part I wouldn’t touch it!
Does this mean re-produced using the original script or as a new version with updated data?
Just one. For the love of everything holy, please go back and redo that one where you screamed. I’m not sure I ever properly recovered from that... I was at the laundromat and almost fainted dead on the spot. Took a while to pull myself together.
Please please don't touch the scream! It's honestly one of the most terrifying moments and the whole episode is a genuine must-hear!
I prefer updates on old cases, without touching our classics.
No. I actually listened to The Somerton Man not long ago simply to relisten to Casey's original sound. Even his narration has changed, naturally, since he began but that doesn't make the early episodes "bad". By all means keep updating cases but don't mess with the classics, they are, after all, the reason we all follow you.
I really enjoy the old episodes and would much rather listen to new cases
Nothing wrong with those original episodes, and so many more other cases to cover!
No! Leave the early episodes alone! You did just fine starting out and to see what you have built? Don't take that away! Case File has always been and will always be the best podcast out there in my opinion. I have searched them all, nothing tops CaseFile for me!
Some of my favorite episodes are the older ones. I still frequently rec, I think it's episode 7, where the teen kidnapped his girlfriend into the outback because he wanted sex, to people. And episode 58? I think? The one with the SCREAM. I really love the style of the early episodes and while I really respect and enjoy the writing team you have now, the early episodes are honestly fine. There is one early episode that I always wonder if I dreamed, where a transgender man was hiding his identity from his wife and ultimately killed her? I believe you guys deleted that episode, and I can understand why, because the whole scenario needed a sensitive touch. But that one I really would like to see redone now that you hopefully have the resources and experience to tell that story. Just that one, though!
This will always be my favorite podcast no matter what you do. I’ve tried 20-30 true crime podcasts and CaseFile is in its own class.
Oh.. I so miss the old classics . Off the top of my head .... Katherine Knight "top pub and the bottom pub" "whacked him over the head with a frying pan" "smashed both sets of his false teeth" ... why mess with these . Updates for sure on some unsolved caaes. .. but definitely gotta bring the "1999" relaxed Aussie narration back
I love the style of the older episodes, I don't think they should be re-done! It's great to hear the progression of the podcast. Would be a shame to lose that journey.
I love listening to the old cases but if possible, if you were going to re-do then, have an option for us to listen to the old versions too? It’s a great sign of how far Casefile has come.
As awesome as the new team is, it’s best to leave the past alone. As they say “ you can’t change the past, but we must learn from it” this applies to Case File as well. I love being able to see the transition from the first to the current episodes, it’s incredible. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Yes, please. ❤️ I’d love to hear a fresh take on a few of the single digit episodes, especially on any that have had additional resources made available, that add to the story. Or, rather, any that have had significant updates, that would flow better in a single narrative, as opposed to a deluge of updates. I’ve listened to and read an insane amount on the Somerton man, I think with Mike’s production and deeper digs on the theories, it’d be fun to explore. But, everyone has done that story at this point. Great question, excited to read what others have to say!
Nope, you have so much left to do - Jaidyn Leskie, Sheree Beasley, heaps of Australian stuff (you've had a real overseas bent recently).
Honestly I picked the fence because I am definitely on it. There is a certain rawness or authenticity to the early episodes that is appealing to me. That said: reworking completely with the new team and higher quality sound mixing and music and writers would make introducing the podcast to newbies more appealing. When I first introduced it to my wife I said “you have to stick with it. You might find the first 8-10 episodes a little unpolished and dry. Which is not an insult just my assessment of your earliest work. So another part of this: I’d you *did* make new versions of old episodes I would definitely listen.
Would be interesting to compare the approaches. Just don't delete the early episodes, please!
Casey you did an incredible job with the early cases when it was just you and a broken leg. There's no need to touch them, unless there are case updates!
I prefer the way the old ones were done. I have found the newer ones (for maybe about a year) really boring and not engaging like the ones in the past. And I'm sure there are SO many new cases to do that you will never run out of content! Please do new cases (with a bit more of the psychology and upbringing of the criminal like you used to do?)
I’d prefer for you to bring back From the Files updates than re-write older episodes.
Aslong as they arent coming out instead of new cases then sure!
If it's not broken.....
I feel like there are no new cases since I became a member, I listened to the 2 cases the last two weeks and on Saturday morning when I normally listen- there’s nothing new- am I missing something? I also can’t find any cases I haven’t listened to through Apple on Patreon which is why I joined- so I’m confused
Sunny. Yes you are missing a lot. All the old cases. There are probably 250-300 cases you have not listened to. And they are all amazing. If you use an iPhone just search podcast for Casefile true crime. You should be able to subscribe. I use a different app. But shouldn’t matter. Please go back and listen to the 250! Older ones.
If the writers think they could add a lot of value and there was updated information I would be keen. I'd prefer to have energy spent on new episodes first and foremost though.
prefer to have regular case updates on historical cases you had covered
Quite a few of the older ones are better than the newer ones imo. I say leave them be.
Agreed
Leave them! Do new episodes. I am not liking the latest writing anyway so I’d rather not have the older ones messed with.
Ditto!!! The older ones are way better!
Leave them alone -- better spend time on new episodes. I think it's great to have the context to compare the original episodes to the recent ones to see how far you've come.
Redo, but leave the originals as a comparison!
If there's new information, yup.
Nah, leave them! It shows how far you have come in so many ways. Maybe if there's updates on the cases, you can touch on them, but otherwise they are fine.
I really enjoy going back and hearing the old style of episodes. I’d prefer that energies were spent on new stories rather than revisiting old ones. Potentially redoing episodes where there are significant updates, such as Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman would be worthwhile, but other than that it’s probably not worthwhile
Yes especially an update on Golden State Killer when you can get more information
Updates for sure -- you could add extra stuff at the end. Same as how Planet Money and others will do (like a rebroadcast with extra stuff tacked on). No need to waste time re-recording the whole episode though.
No way. The early, rougher episodes have their own charm.
when i think re-doing i think like, better writing, more research and details, expand the eps with that stuff - thats why i voted yes
You and your team have come so far it’s good to look back at your previous work! I enjoy them all
Unless there is an update on the case, no need to redo
Updates for sure -- you could add extra stuff at the end. Same as how Planet Money and others will do (like a rebroadcast with extra stuff tacked on). No need to waste time re-recording the whole episode though.
No. Spend time on new cases!
Yes, king!!!