5 Thoughts We Had While Watching the Dirty John TV Series

If you haven’t listened to the Dirty John podcast yet, get on it.

If you haven’t listened to the Dirty John podcast yet, get on it. Right now. Because as soon as the TV version, with Aussie Eric Bana and Friday Night Lights’ Connie Britton, drops in Australia it’s going to be spoiler central.

The wildly popular 2017 podcast from the LA Times follows a manipulative and violent (but charming) man, John Meehan, who meets and cons a 50-year-old single mother, Debra Newel. And it is gripping… especially as we know from the first 15 seconds of the podcast that it ends in a death. Whose death? You’ll be kept guessing. Oh and did we mention it’s a true story?

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If you’re one of the 25 million people who have downloaded Dirty John though, you’ll be waiting in anticipation for the TV show, coming to Netflix in Australia early next year. We had a little sneak preview and this is what we couldn’t help thinking…

“This is scarier than the podcast…”
After the podcast was released, scores of other women came forward with their stories of Dirty John himself. It turns out this guy got around. And the result is a fascinating ‘first-person’ look into John’s background and how he became like he is. It’s a more rounded view than the podcast was able to give. And it’s chilling.

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“Eric Bana is both sexy and scary as hell”
Although it’s hard not to think of him as kickbox-loving Con in The Castle, Eric Bana is brilliant as Dirty John. He starts off being charming, attractive and a silver fox that’ll make your knees weak. But then, ever so slowly he changes. His good-looks start to fade, his smile goes from cute to creepy and he just starts to freak you out. Well played, Bana. Well played.

“Is online dating safe?”
Sure, everyone we know has a Tinder or Bumble account. It’s standard practice, right? But how safe is online dating? Well, apparently around 4.5 million of us swipe right every year, but disturbingly cases involving online dating also make up around 30% of all reported scams in Australia. The bottom line? Take a few precautions… as you would when you met a random in a bar. Just because they have a profile photo with a puppy, doesn’t make them your soul mate.

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“Connie Britton’s hair should have its own TV program”
It’s hard not to be protective over the Coach’s wife. But Connie plays this role to perfection. She’s sweet, vulnerable and a true romantic in search of a fairy tale. But enough about her, it’s her lush hair that steals the show as always. Honestly, someone give her follicles a podcast or TV show already. It’s ridiculous.

“Could this happen to me?”
Yes, yes and more yes. We might not all make the same mistakes that Connie Britton’s character does but the truth is that we should all be a little careful when it comes to our feelings, our home and our money. Having said that, if Eric Bana made a move on you, you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t just a little excited…

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