Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 21, 2025

Who doesn't love a good true crime podcast? The genre has taken the pod-world by storm over the last decade, drawing out as many listeners as Netflix has accumulated true crime viewers. People have always had a fascination with the macabre, but it's only in the past few years that our insatiable, ahem, hunger for long-form murder mysteries (some would argue criminal and forensic how-to's) have hit peak levels of obsession. The darker, twistier and more complicated the tale, the more likely are that people will eat it up, hanging on their favorite podcaster's every whispered word.

Truth Be Told aims to capitalize on this fandom and phenomenon, offering up three seasons centered around the research, investigation, twists and turns, and "telling" of three complex murders -- one per season -- with a shiny new guest star stepping in to make each tale that much juicier. As a bonus, we get to see behind the scenes as well as the life of the series' podcast host, played by Octavia Spencer, is opened to the audience. Does true crime investigation take a toll? Do these homegrown heroes have something to offer the criminal justice system? How does it affect their families and the world at large? All interesting questions. Unfortunately, Truth Be Told doesn't seem to care much about any of it, offering a more pat, oftentimes manipulative trio of stories designed to titillate but that fail to engage the part of a listener's brain that hangs on every podcasted word. The result is a show that feels more like a joyless, meandering Sex in the City-esque procedural, with Spencer, murder and podcasting standing in for Carrie, relationships and a newspaper column.

Based on the novel "Are You Sleeping" by Kathleen Barber and created for Apple TV+ by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Truth Be Told stars Spencer as Poppy Parnell, an Oakland journalist turned true-crime podcaster who begins to reexamine a case that brought her nationwide fame, asking herself -- and her audience -- if she really uncovered the full story or if she unwittingly made a grievous mistake and helped condemn an innocent man. Her reopened investigation brings her face to face with Warren Cave (Aaron Paul), an imprisoned man who was convicted of killing a college professor, as new evidence comes to light that suggests he may not have committed the crime after all. Season One, easily the best of the three, follows her research and interviews, ultimately revealing the full truth of the matter, while Season Two and Three follow suit (albeit at a bit of a more glacial pace). In Season Two, Poppy digs into the murder of a filmmaker at the request of his wellness guru wife (Kate Hudson), a personal childhood friend, and in Season Three Poppy looks into the disappearance of several young black girls which brings her to the aid of high school principal Eva Pierre (Gabrielle Union).

The series also stars a who's who of character actors, among them Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Lizzy Caplan (in a dual role as twin sisters), Elizabeth Perkins, Tracie Thoms, Ron Cephas Jones, Peter Gallagher, David Lyons, Katherine LaNassa, Rico E. Anderson, Nic Bishop, Annabella Sciorra, Brett Cullen and Alona Tal. Appearing as well are Michael Beach, Merle Dandridge, Haneefah Wood, Tami Roman, Mychala Faith Lee, Molly Hagan, Billy Miller, Everleigh McDonnell, Lyndon Smith, Michael Franklin, Christopher Backus and Ricardo Chavira.

It's a crowded cast, particularly when it comes to filling out Poppy's family, and the amount of time devoted to her father, half-sisters and others actually becomes an increasing problem. In short, her family drama isn't nearly as interesting as the cases she tackles and feel as if their storylines have been inserted merely to give the series' ten-episode seasons more filler. Rather than lean, mean four to six-episode investigations, the cases drag out... and drag on... and drag, offering teaspoons of clues until final gotcha reveal-episodes tie things together in too-neat bows. It's not that any of it's bad, just stilted and overlong, taking too much time to get to the heart of each case. True crime podcasting lives and dies on its pacing -- doling out tidbit after tidbit at just the right rhythm -- to keep its audience on the edge of their seats (or headphones as it were). Poppy's family victory and struggles, though, adds a typically unseen element, the life of the podcaster, that just proves there's a reason hosts focus on the crime rather than their personal lives.

Performances are often strong, even when Poppy's family overcrowds (or perhaps, more kindly, "over-broadens" the narrative). Spencer is a fairly riveting actress whose everywoman persona suits her style; she doesn't come across as an actress but a real person, navigating the world of true crime with care and caution, hesitant to allow its world to tumble into her own. Paul, Hudson and Union are excellent as well, and hold the camera's attention with ease as they pour out their souls -- or manipulate, as may be the case in some seasons -- doing a fine job raising doubts and questions in the audience as often as they raise questions in Poppy's mind. Don't get me wrong, Ron Cephas Jones, Mekhi Phifer and the rest of the "personal life" side of the cast are all solid in their roles, but they lack the material, strength of dialogue, and frankly the scripts to make much more of a splash. Meanwhile, poor Peter Gallagher is woefully miscast as a possibly corrupt mayoral candidate in Season Three, though I have to admit I've never warmed to his acting, so maybe it's just me.

By series' end it's clear that Season One was its real showstopper (if it has one). Further seasons do well with peeling back the layers of Poppy's life, as well as delving into various important social, racial and political issues of our time, but in each case, the show only seems eager to scratch the surface, failing to effectively burrow beneath the muck to investigate what really drives greed, self-interest, crime and other cultural cancers. These further seasons just get... so... boring. Tales of wellness guru widows and high school principals don't exactly rise to the level of freeing a wrongly convicted man and Truth Be Told visibly shudders and struggles to create season-long arcs that have as much meat or intensity as its first. I'd even go so far as to blame Aaron Paul, or at least to float him as the culprit. His performance is so convincing and compelling in Season One that later guest stars and storylines constantly walk in his shadow. Truth Be Told is no Breaking Bad, mind you, but Paul remains one of his generation's finest actors. It's a shame, and really a surprise, that he hasn't risen to the level of A-lister in Hollywood following the stunning success of his work as Jesse Pinkman.

The Blu-ray release of Truth Be Told: The Complete Series features all three seasons spread across eight BD-50 discs:

Season One (Discs 1-2)

• Monster - While reviewing an old case, Poppy comes face-to-face with the man she put away.
• Josie - Markus drops a bombshell about a potential suspect's motive. Warren gets a visitor.
• Akedah - Identifying a new suspect has unintended consequences in Poppy's personal life.
• Family - Poppy and Markus trace their prime suspect's movements on the night of the murder.
• Angel's Halo - Poppy continues building her new case, while Warren faces repercussions for his actions.
• The Diary - A devastated Poppy tries to walk away from the case, but it won't let her go.
• Erin Buhrman - Poppy zeroes in on her new suspect, and Warren makes a fateful decision.
• The Truth - Poppy enlists an unlikely ally in her hunt. The events of Halloween 1999 are revealed.

Season Two (Discs 3-5)

• Other People's Tears Are Only Water - Poppy attends an art exhibit for her friend, successful lifestyle guru Micah, but it ends in a shocking tragedy.
• Ghosts At the Feast - As she looks into the deaths, Poppy uncovers a massive secret. Shreve reveals a medical diagnosis to his family.
• If Wishes Were Horses - Poppy learns there's more than meets the eye with Micah's assistant, Ramon. Micah grows distrustful of those closest to her.
• In Another Life - The case takes a turn when another person close to Micah is found dead. Poppy and Ingram's marriage reaches a crossroads.
• If I Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry - Coping with personal struggles, Poppy begins to question herself. Holt's old friend finds him. Poppy and Aames identify a new murder suspect.
• All These Women - Poppy and Markus search for a mysterious associate of Holt's. Memories of Poppy's childhood with Miss Shirley invade her thoughts.
• Lanterman Petris Short - Rose tells Poppy about Micah's past. A protective Holt goes to extreme measures, with violent consequences.
• The Untold Story - Micah threatens to expose Poppy's dark secret. Markus makes a major decision.
• Brick By Brick It Also Falls - Poppy's pursuit of a suspect leads to a horrific confrontation. The truth about Poppy's childhood with Miss Shirley is revealed.
• Last Exit Oakland - Grappling with the aftermath of the attack, Poppy interviews Micah on her podcast and gets to the bottom of the case.

Season Three (Discs 6-8)

• Upon the Sweet Bird's Throat - Poppy focuses her next podcast on the neglected issue of missing Black girls in Oakland as she tries to locate a friend's teen daughter.
• Her, Armored with Sorrow Sore - Poppy takes the investigation into her own hands and grapples with whether she can trust Eva.
• Here She Shall See No Enemy - Markus tries getting to the bottom of a shocking discovery. Eva makes a startling confession to Poppy.
• Never Take Your Eyes Off Her - With the clock ticking, Poppy desperately looks for clues to Trini's whereabouts, leaning on Eva as a resource.
• Freedom Is Never Given; It Is Won - Poppy reveals her suspect to Markus and risks her career with a bold tactic. Shreve's confrontation with a politician leads to an arrest.
• From My Hand the Poison Apple - Markus and Zarina wait for their nightmare to finally end. Poppy weighs having Eva on her podcast to help expose the suspect.
• The Luxury of Self-Reproach - Eva bares her soul to Poppy. Markus spirals out of control. Poppy and Aames uncover more evidence about the suspect in custody.
• Darkness Declares the Glory Light - Poppy finds her relationship with Eva hanging in the balance. Markus and Poppy make a discovery that challenges their theory.
• Only Little Secrets - To find the girl from the blackmail tape, Poppy turns to Eva. Aames shares troubling information about the crime scene surveillance tape.
• A Kiss Not Mine Alone - Reeling in the aftermath of the attack, Poppy sets her sights on locating a suspect on the run. Markus seeks help from Shreve.

Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Truth Be Told certainly looks the premium drama part thanks to its three striking 1080p/AVC-encoded season presentations. Discs are limited to no more than four episodes a piece, leaving plenty of room for the episodes' bitrates to breathe. I didn't catch sight of any significant blocking or banding, much less digital noise or other unsightly issues. Colors are warm and lifelike, particularly skintones, and contrast leveling is dialed in beautifully. Primaries pop when called upon, though each season seems more content with sticking to a prescribed color tone to match its story -- Season One, for example, sometimes boasts a much more washed-out "prison" palette than Season Two's "wellness guru" hues (see the accompanying screenshots for clear examples of this) -- and black levels are nice and natural, with plenty of dark shadows lending the image depth and dimensionality. Detail is terrific from episode to episode too, with crisp, clean edge definition and ample fine texturing (without growing overly sharp), and the series' offers a perfectly well-resolved appearance in line with many a modern-day television procedural.

Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's little to grumble about when it comes to Truth Be Told's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, although there really isn't a whole lot to it. The series is a conversation-heavy drama, with much of its dialogue and soundscape limited to the front channels. The rear speakers offer adequate assistance but mainly stick to ambient effects and establishing acoustic properties to rooms of all sizes (everything from jail cells to offices to mansion spaces). LFE output is kept to a supporting role 99% of the time, while dynamics are decidedly decent for a quiet procedural of its ilk. Music and family events in Poppy's life offer the most rousing moments in the show's sound design, though her visits to Warren's prison in Season One and scenes in a high school in Season Three deliver a few more environments for the lossless mix to sink its teeth into.

Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Truth Be Told: The Complete Series doesn't include any special features.

Truth Be Told: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Truth Be Told desperately wants to engage, entertain and bring key social issues to light. It just doesn't ever seem like it knows where to point the camera. Murder cases? Podcasting? Family drama? The twists and turns of Poppy's career? The dangers of pursuing the truth? Performances are there, the casting is there, the scripts simply... aren't. Fewer episodes per season would have helped, as so much of the show feels mired in filler subplots, but the series at least starts strong. Give it a shot if you can't get enough of true crime podcasting but prepare yourself for more of a string of Hallmark Channel mysteries than a top-billing Apple TV+ premium drama. Fortunately, the series' Blu-ray release delivers with excellent video and solid audio. Just don't expect any special features.