‘9/12,’ ‘COPS,’ Richard Simmons, and Y2K: Extraordinary podcasts by filmmaker Dan Taberski

Hats off to Dan Taberski, fresh from his Podcast of the Year win for “9/12” at this year’s Ambies. It was a delight to chat with Taberski on Podsauce to discuss “9/12,” his journey from documentary filmmaking to podcasting, finding humor in even the darkest of topics, and more. We’ve rounded up 5 extraordinary podcasts by Dan Taberski, great options for fans of compelling stories, investigative journalism, and hearing one bingeable narrative told across several episodes.

There are 3 seasons of “Headlong,” documentary podcasts investigating overlooked events, moments, and people in our culture. In “Finding Richard Simmons,” Dan Taberski retraced fitness guru Richard Simmons’ final steps before he ghosted everyone and stepped away from the public eye.

“Surviving Y2K” chats with folks who survived the supposed computer bug panic in the new millennium. Tune into Taberski’s series looking into the reality TV show COPS. Plus, hear about a war crimes trial when Navy SEALS accused their chief of murder.

9/12

This 7-episode series looks at how the world has changed since 9/11 and how the day transformed into 9/11, the idea. Taberski talked to a diverse pool of folks navigating a new and totally different reality after 9/11.

Hear about a teenager wrapped up in his own conspiracy theory that he started. The Onion’s joke-writing staff reconsidered what could possibly be funny to publish in their post-9/11 content. A Brooklyn Pakistani business owner’s friends packed up and disappeared en masse. These are just some of the “poignant, surprising, and surprisingly funny” stories shared in “9/12.”

Headlong: Missing Richard Simmons

In 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons ghosted everyone and stopped showing up to work where he consistently taught workout programs for over 40 years. With a trusty track record of replying to messages within a few hours and regularly keeping in touch with friends and clients, this was suspicious and people were worried.

As Simmons’ long-time friend and fitness follower, Taberski was concerned and set out on an investigative journey to find his friend. Taberski retraced Simmons’ last steps over 3 years, and even traveled to Simmons’ hometown to track down his older brother. This 6-episode series with one bonus update is super bingeable in a day.

Headlong: Surviving Y2K

If you were alive and aware of the Y2K hysteria going down in 1999, you might have braced yourself for the supposed impending computer bug disaster. Taberski tracked down 4 people who took this seriously at the new millennium. Hear from believers, survivalists, computer coders, and conspiracy theorists as they share stories of how they dealt with doom! Taberski also shared his own story from the new millennium.

Headlong: Running from COPS

In “Headlong: Running from COPS,” Taberski investigates the TV show, COPS, the longest-running reality TV series showing people getting arrested *in real time* by officers. Historically speaking, this series has had a huge cultural impact on policing in America for over 30 years.

Taberski investigated for over 18 months and explored how the series is made, how much control police have over the final cut, and shares stories from people who wound up on camera. Do the people getting arrested actually agree to appear on the show?

By the last episode, Taberski shares what he found after obtaining raw COPS footage, and we learn just how real the show is. This series has 6 episodes and 2 bonus episodes all running less than an hour.

The Line

After a group of Navy SEALS accused their chief of murder, a huge war crimes trial ensued. Did Eddie Gallagher fail everyone in Iraq? In this Apple TV+ series, Taberski takes listeners inside the courtroom and shares how America orchestrates wars.

In over 50 interviews with special operators, we’ll see how blurry the lines are during wartime and how this affects those on the battlefield. Start this 7-episode series from episode 1 to hear what happened during Gallagher’s trial, several post-verdict bombshells, and more.