'Atlanta Monster' Creators Payne Lindsey, Donald Albright Talk TV Show Potential, Expanding Podcast to Other Cities (Exclusive)

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“Atlanta Monster” co-creators Payne Lindsey and Donald Albright are far from done with the story of Wayne Williams and the Atlanta child murders: They’re holding Hollywood meetings about a possible TV docu-series, and want to expand their hit podcast to investigate other cities plagued by serial murders.

Lindsey and Albright, co-founders of Tenderfoot TV, detailed their plans to TheWrap Friday for our “Shoot This Now” podcast, about stories that should be made into TV shows and movies. You can listen on Apple or here:

The Atlanta-based duo were in Los Angeles Friday in large part because they’re adapting their previous podcast phenomenon, “Up and Vanished,” into a TV show for the Oxygen network. But they’re also going to some meetings about how “Atlanta Monster,” the most successful new podcast of 2018, could be made into what Lindsey, the host of the podcast, envisions as a premium docu-series.

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“Atlanta Monster” follows the deaths of 28 African-American children and young men killed between 1979 and 1981. Authorities blamed Wayne Williams, an aspiring record producer, for all of the murders, though he was only prosecuted and convicted in the killings of two adult victims. Some loved ones of the murdered children believe they were killed by someone other than Williams.

Lindsey said there are already two scripted projects in the works about the case: Season 2 of Netflix’s “Manhunter” and a Regina King-John Ridley project for FX based on Kim Reid’s memoir, “No Place Safe.”

An “Atlanta Monster” docu-series could compliment the scripted projects, much as 2016’s “OJ: Made in America” complimented FX’s Ryan Murphy drama “People v OJ Simpson,” released earlier in the same year.

“I love scripted TV and that’s eventually where I want to go, but I think this story needs the docu-series,” Lindsey said. “It needs the documentary form of this. … telling the real story and adapting it that way.”

Lindsey and Albright are also looking to expand the format of “Atlanta Monster” to other cities. “Atlanta Monster” used the killings to highlight racial and socioeconomic issues in the Atlanta of decades ago that still reverberate nationwide. Albright and Lindsey say other cities’ serial murders could provide a similar frame for looking at broader problems.

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“We kind of set the tone with ‘Atlanta Monster’ because it’s not just murders in a place,” Albright said. “It’s how those murders affected that place. There are monsters all over the world.”

In an early episode of the “Shoot This Now” podcast, Matt Donnelly and I talked about how a fundraiser during the Atlanta murders, starring Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, could be the basis of a scripted film. Albright and Lindsey wouldn’t rule out big-screen adaptations.

“It doesn’t really matter as long as we can do it right and do the city, the victims and the story justice,” Albright said.

12 Podcasts That Should Be Turned Into TV Shows (Photos)

With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.
"You Must Remember This"

Karina Longworth has a unique perspective on classic Hollywood that is readily apparent the moment you put on an episode. Just listen to her "Dead Blondes" series, which is running at the time of this writing, and it's clear we need more women educating people about "Hollywood's first century."
Wikimedia
"99% Invisible"

It's like "This American Life" but for the smallest, least interesting sounding stories. Somehow, the producers make something like cargo containers seem interesting. I'd be very curious to see how that would work on TV.
99% Invisible
"The Black Tapes"
A fiction podcast about a batch of supernatural tapes and people with a lot of secrets seems like it should've been a TV series to begin with.
"The Black Tapes"
"Hardcore History With Dan Carlin"
The internet is filled with history podcasts, but few are as intricate and detailed as "Hardcore History." I think it's time to bring back classic History Channel with some long, educational, but entertaining documentaries on history.
"Hardcore History"
"Hello From the Magic Tavern"
It's an improvised story podcast about a guy who fell into a dimensional portal behind a Burger King and ended up in a magic land. It has a homespun, low-key feel that could work as a show if you kept it looking as amateurish as possible.
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"How Did This Get Made"

There are plenty of bad movie podcasts on the internet, but few go beyond the typical format, where a bunch of friends talk about, well, a bad movie. "How Did This Get Made" has a number of different segments, a slew of celebrity guests and a visual element that would translate well to TV.
"How Did This Get Made"
"Judge John Hodgman"
Comedian John Hodgman is a judge in this podcast, where he takes the most mundane and absurd cases from everyday people. Now you just need to put that in a "Judge Judy"-style setting.
"Judge John Hodgman"
"Pod Save America"

Any of the Crooked Media podcasts would work on television. The podcasters are incredibly smart and educated in politics (two of the hosts were speechwriters for President Obama) and have a lot of inside scoop. We have enough politics on TV, but Jon, Jon and Tommy can be the "no-bulls--" commentators we need, combined with a bit of White House gossip.
"Pod Save America"
"With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus"
"With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus" is a spiritual successor to "Comedy Bang Bang." Each episode has a different celebrity guest, who engages in improv with Lapkus in a false talk show scenario. It works over audio, but costumes and a set will only heighten the entertainment factor.
"Special Guest With Lauren Lapkus"
"This American Life"
"This American Life" already ran as a Showtime series for two seasons that ended in 2009. Please bring it back? We want to see and not just hear where and how the show's subjects live.
"This American Life"
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me"
NPR's weekly trivia show is already good as it is, but imagine if you could see the special guest comedians or the contestants instead of having them call in on the phone?
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me"
"Alice Isn't Dead"

The sister podcast to "Welcome to Night Vale" isn't as popular, but it might work better as a visual adaptation. The narrator is so good at explaining the grotesque horrors around her that we almost want to see some of them in action.
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1 of 13

Which ones can translate the best into a visual medium? We broke down some of our favorites

With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.

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