Hysterical
4.8/5
Critic Rating
Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spreads among a group of high school girls in upstate New York. What is causing their sudden, often violent symptoms? Is there something in the water or inside the school? Or is it “all in their head?” The series examines the outbreak in LeRoy, NY, believed by some to be the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem Witch Trials. In his search for answers, Dan Taberski (9/12, Missing Richard Simmons, Running from Cops) explores other seemingly inexplicable events of the last few years – CIA officers being crippled with nausea and vertigo; cops OD'ing f...
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Eliana Dockterman • Time • Nov 18, 2024
"The most engrossing podcast Dan Taberski has produced since Missing Richard Simmons... While the history of hysteria is intriguing, Hysterical is at its strongest when Taberski is speaking with the women who were once afflicted by what they argue was a mysterious—but very real—illness. He manages to make what might feel like a dour show on a serious topic feel light and brisk."
Score: 5
Mr. Hipster • Mr. Hipster Blog • Aug 30, 2024
"Ultimately it’s a well-told story about human frailty and the power of suggestion. As well as how perspective and time can affect a narrative. It’s all really interesting and still a bit mysterious, but this is what makes for a good podcast, after all."
Score: 5
Chloe Walker • PodcastReview.org • Aug 27, 2024
"...Taberski’s interviewing style is warm, witty, and engaging. His subjects are clearly comfortable with him...More than anything though, Taberski’s watchword is empathy....safe in the knowledge that an end to the suffering is in sight, we’re safe to enjoy the twisty, tangent-filled journey into the mysterious links between the body and the brain, and to wonder if the word “Hysterical” might be due for a rebrand."
Score: 5
Anna Leszkiewicz • New Statesman • Aug 21, 2024
"With hints of The Crucible and Carol Morley’s The Falling, this is a compelling, atmospheric listen about the mind, the body, and girlhood in small-town America."
Score: 5
Lucy White • Irish Independent • Aug 14, 2024
"...much to many parents’ chagrin who were reluctant to believe their children may be unduly stressed. Dan Taberski investigates, and joins the dots with other seemingly inexplicable contemporary outbreaks, such as Havana Syndrome. …"
Score: 5
Fiona McCann • Irish Times • Aug 12, 2024
"As a middle-aged man, Taberski taking on the subject of hysteria was a risky move, but he brings a curiosity and an empathy to the subject that acknowledge the gendered history of such diagnoses while allowing for the possibility that it may still apply here. Taberski helps illuminate each perspective, inviting the listeners to shift their own understanding as the vantage point changes from patient to doctor to teacher to scientist to parent. But the value in Hysterical is in its willingness to ask, to grapple with and, ultimately, to live with questions."
Score: 5
Rebecca Lavoie, Kevin Flynn, Lara Bricker & Toby Ball • Crime Writers On • Jul 25, 2024
"But the big draw of the series is host Dan Taberski, getting all Dan Taberski on us. His natural curiosity and blithesome writing style are a joy to behold. He takes the topic seriously and yet manages to make the whole thing seem effortless."
Score: 4
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • Jul 22, 2024
"The story itself is intriguing, and it would be easy to treat these people almost as a freak show. There is none of that here though. This was a great podcast, and there are many twists and turns before the final episode plays out."
Score: 5
Stephen O. • Podcast Delivery • Jul 22, 2024
"Hysterical does a bang-up job at everything. Full stop. It’s perfect for those who relish true crime with a hefty dose of psychological mystery, this juicy seven-episode saga will make you think twice before dismissing that next thing as being inexplicable."
Score: 3
James Marriot • The Times UK • Jul 18, 2024
"To his credit, Taberski is only mildly coy about the truth. The mass hysteria verdict is floated in the first episode and drifts about tantalisingly in the background...There is much to enjoy here but, as with so many shows nowadays, there is way too much padding. As well as all the episodes spent dithering around, avoiding the obvious, the listener has to wade through such tenuous digressions..."
Score: 5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Jul 13, 2024
"It’s a fascinating story, and host Dan Taberski makes it more so....an immensely enjoyable presenter, charming his interviewees and us listeners alike. It’s Taberski who moulds this slight story into something gripping and bingeable: clear, intriguing and fun..."
Score: 5
Alice Florence Orr • PodcastReview.org • Jul 8, 2024
"This show has plenty of buzz around it...Hysterical’s host Dan Taberski (Running from COPS, 9/12) asks important questions about whether an illness that’s “all in your head” can be real as he unravels the bizarre events surrounding this mysterious malady."
