Deep Cover
4.4/5
Critic Rating
Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern reveals webs of deception and dark underworlds, through interviews with federal agents and convicted criminals. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Lies tend to be fragile, temperamental things. Small ones may flourish, but the big one...
Critic Reviews
Score: 3
James Marriot • The Times UK • May 28, 2025
"(Series: The Truth About Sarah) I couldn’t avoid the feeling that The Truth About Sarah feeds the pleasure of moral outrage in a way that isn’t completely healthy. Is wallowing in the thrill of disapproving of a small-time crook really the best use of our leisure time? I began to feel the same kind of voyeuristic ickiness I sometimes feel listening to true crime podcasts. Perhaps one day someone will make a podcast about a real war hero or cancer victim or Nigerian prince. I’ll be all ears."
Score: 5
Reggie Ugwu • New York Times • Dec 6, 2024
"(Season: The Nameless Man) ...twisty, novelistic narrative that unfolds never feels excessive or out-of-hand...."
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Feb 13, 2023
"(Season: Never Seen Again)...the new season of Deep Cover totally has its grips on me. I have no idea what’s going on and I love sitting in this state of confusion."
Score: 4.5
Ximena Smith • Stuff NZ • Feb 4, 2023
"(Season: Never Seen Again) On its own, the story is an unusual tale of trickery, but this podcast takes it even further by featuring extensive interviews with Reed herself, which is an uncommon feature in other podcasts of a similar nature. Perhaps this is why the series felt quite sympathetic towards Reed, without necessarily giving her a complete pass – Halpern digs deep into her past and family history, which is a refreshing approach in the saturated “scammer story” marketplace."
Score: 4.5
Jeff Beer • Fast Company • Jul 13, 2020
"This story feels like Narcos-meets-Sons of Anarchy—as directed by the Coen Brothers. Which is fitting because it all started when Stowaway Entertainment producer Jeff Singer sent Halpern an unpublished manuscript of a novel written by a former FBI agent."
