Podcast Summary:

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present – Episode: "Introducing Killer Thriller"
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This special episode of "Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present" announces a new true crime podcast: Killer Thriller, with guest host Alisa Donovan (actress best known for "Clueless" and "Beverly Hills, 90210"). Amy and TJ, joined by Alisa, dive into their mutual fascination with true crime: why these stories captivate us, how actors approach embodying real-life figures involved in crime, and what listeners can expect from the new show. The conversation ranges from inside-Hollywood stories to deeper explorations of human psychology, empathy, the ethics of true crime storytelling, and personal anecdotes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Killer Thriller: Podcast Format and Intent

• Premise: The new podcast focuses on dramatized true crime series and films (e.g., "The Murdaugh Murders," Menendez Brothers stories, O.J. Simpson), emphasizing how actors inhabit real-life roles and the creative process behind bringing infamous crime stories to screen.
  • "We're approaching it from the standpoint of the series and the films that are recreating and telling the story of these crimes..." – Alisa Donovan [09:17]
• Unique Approach: Rather than retelling cases, Killer Thriller explores the intersection of creativity, true crime, human psychology, and storytelling craft.

2. Guest Spotlight: Alisa Donovan's Background & Fascination with True Crime

• Personal Fascination:
  • Alisa admits a “borderline disturbing obsession” with true crime, shared by many:
    • "I have, like, a borderline disturbing obsession with it, and I'm not quite sure, you know, I've tried to figure out what this is, and then I realized, well, it's not just me." [05:58]
  • Relates her interest to her work as an actor: understanding human behavior, motives, and the challenge of humanizing people who have done “catastrophic things.”
    • "If you're playing a real person, it's just a whole other level, right, of how do you get inside that person? ...how do you humanize them and all of that, but also then show them respect?" [07:39]
• Hollywood Nostalgia: Alisa’s fame from "Clueless" and "90210" is playfully recalled, with insights into the confidence (or lack thereof!) in playing "bad girls."
  • "No, I wish I had her confidence. I wish I had her confidence. I mean, maybe on the inside..." – Alisa, on her "90210" character, Ginger LaMonica [05:17]

3. The Allure of True Crime: Human Curiosity & the Line Between Fascination and Exploitation

• Why We're Drawn to Darkness:
  • The group discusses why people are so obsessed with crime stories—seeking to understand the boundaries of human behavior.
    • "We have such a desire to understand human behavior... it's absolutely impossible to believe sometimes that someone could commit some of these truly heinous crimes." – Alisa [06:19]
  • Amy confesses her early “fascination with the abomination.”
    • "My English teacher called it fascination with the abomination. I knew I had it from the moment I was a kid I loved." – Amy [19:58]
  • True crime isn't just exploitative; it offers a lens into human nature and morality.
• Are We All Capable?:
  • TJ raises the philosophical question: are these criminals anomalies, or could anyone be driven to such extremes?
    • "Is it your opinion that most of us are capable of some of this stuff? … Because it doesn't feel like that to me necessarily." – TJ [11:47]
  • Alisa’s view:
    • "It's just like... there is a good and bad. It's a choice, right? We all have the good and the bad in us… I always feel like anyone is capable of anything. Great things and small, you know, and I think it's short sighted to say otherwise..." [12:06]
• Morbid Curiosity vs. Empathy:
  • Response to criticism: is true crime exploitation or helpful?
    • "They don't want to not talk about it. They actually have to. And the more that people ignore it or say, like, oh, don't bring it up… you're doing them a disservice..." – Alisa [24:28]
    • "As a creative person... We're doing a service. It's a calling. We're artists. So you really are imbuing this with humanity and with truth." [25:13]

4. Favorite Types of True Crime Stories

• Spousal/Family Crimes:
  • The hosts and Alisa discuss being especially drawn to crimes involving spouses and family dynamics—both for their relatability and psychological depth.
    • "I'm very interested in spousal disputes and family sort of disputes because... it's so relatable. And then you just become some worried." – Alisa [18:29]
  • Jokingly highlight tropes in crime stories (nurses, poison, credit card debt):
    • "I feel like women are so sadistic. Like if a man's going to kill you, it's just going to be like quick, brutal but quick. Women we will torture. Women are like poison." – Amy [18:52]
    • "We've been planning it and planning it for ages and watching it all unfold because we can multitask. Smarter killers." – Alisa [19:15]

5. How Actors Prepare to Play Real-Life Criminals and Victims

• Challenges: Balancing accuracy with creative interpretation, accessing empathy, humanizing the roles, and understanding the emotional impact.
  • "How do you find the positive things to a person who's done catastrophic things? How do you humanize them and all of that, but also then show them respect?" – Alisa [07:44]
  • "Because telling these sorts of stories is a lot of weight to carry... I'm interested in that crossing of the creative and the real life..." [11:12]
• Favorite Performances:
  • The cast praises performances in true crime dramatizations: Jason Clark in the "Murdaugh Murders", Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark in "The People v. O.J. Simpson," etc.
    • "He is like otherworldly. He is so phenomenal in this show... It's like you're watching a madman." – Alisa, on Jason Clark [31:44]
    • "Sarah Paulson is like Marcia Clark. She nails it. Incredible. She's so good." – Alisa [32:22]
    • "I actively lobbied for Courtney B. Vance to get an Oscar for a show that was on TV." – TJ [32:35]

6. Upcoming Episodes and Stories

• Highlighted Cases:
  • Murdaugh Murders, Menendez Brothers, Epstein, Diddy, Brian Walsh, O.J. Simpson, and high-profile dramatizations.
  • "So we're gonna do new shows that are very topical, like the Murdaugh murders, the Menendez brothers... I'm sure there's going to be an Epstein series of some kind..." – Alisa [30:57]
• Emphasis on Peripheral Characters:
  • Not just focusing on the criminals but family, police, and others whose lives are affected.
    • "It's not just the killer or the evildoer. It's the people around... the family and the police officers and all of those people..." – Amy [32:49]

7. The Nature vs. Nurture Debate & Raising Children

• Are People Born Evil?
  • "Do you think people are born evil, are inherently evil, maybe and selfish? And you have to learn otherwise, I'm curious where you fall on that." – Amy [20:37]
  • Alisa’s personal answer: Focus on the concept of the soul, individual journeys, parenting, and free will.
    • "I feel like we are. It is based in the soul. So, we come into this life with a soul and the soul's in the body..." [20:55]
    • Parenting anecdote about supporting her daughter's individuality.

8. Closure: Personal Growth and Collaboration

• Reflection on Collaboration and Personal Journeys:
  • "We have been through a lot and we can never have imagined that we'd be sitting in this room with you right now. But all of that had to happen for us to get here." – TJ [34:16]
  • "It isn't just like going through it. Then you have to actually live, right. Like nobody is going to just provide you the happy life that you have." – Alisa [35:18]
  • Shared excitement for the new project and its capacity for empathy and learning.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• "I have, like, a borderline disturbing obsession with it, and I'm not quite sure... then I realized, well, it's not just me."
  — Alisa Donovan [05:58]

• "We're approaching it from the standpoint of the series and the films that are recreating and telling the story of these crimes..."
  — Alisa Donovan [09:17]

• "If you're playing a real person, it's just a whole other level... how do you humanize them and all of that, but also then show them respect?"
  — Alisa Donovan [07:39]

• "My English teacher called it fascination with the abomination. I knew I had it from the moment I was a kid I loved."
  — Amy Robach [19:58]

• "Do you think some of the stuff we see, a lot of the stories we see... most of us are capable of some of this stuff?"
  — TJ Holmes [11:47]

• "...there is a good and bad. It's a choice, right? And we are all driven by the... good and the bad in us."
  — Alisa Donovan [12:06]

• "I'm very interested in spousal disputes and family... it's so relatable. And then you just become some worried."
  — Alisa Donovan [18:29]

• "I feel like women are so sadistic. Like if a man's going to kill you, it's just going to be like quick, brutal but quick. Women we will torture. Women are like poison."
  — Amy Robach [18:52]

• "They don't want to not talk about it. They actually have to. And the more that people ignore it... you're doing them a disservice..."
  — Alisa Donovan [24:28]

• "It's not just the killer or the evildoer. It's... the people around."
  — Amy Robach [32:49]

• "Sometimes we gotta go through things... But... you have to actually live, right. Like nobody is going to just provide you the happy life that you have."
  — Alisa Donovan [35:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:06 – Introduction of Alisa Donovan & discussion about LA traffic as icebreaker
• 04:50 – Alisa reflects on her "90210" role and confidence
• 05:58 – Alisa shares her obsession with true crime and the actor’s perspective
• 08:53 – True crime as immersive research and creative endeavor
• 09:17 – Explaining the Killer Thriller podcast format
• 11:47 – Are killers outliers, or could anyone be "capable"?
• 12:06 – Alisa analyzing the darkness and light in all people
• 18:29 – Favorite true crime stories: spousal/family crimes, gendered differences in methods
• 19:58 – Amy on her lifelong fascination with "the abomination"
• 24:28 – Critique of true crime as "morbid curiosity" vs. empathy/respect
• 30:57 – Alisa teases upcoming stories/series on the podcast
• 32:49 – The wider circle affected by crime (victims, families, police)
• 34:16 – Reflections on personal and professional journeys

Takeaways for Listeners

• Killer Thriller is designed for true crime fans who crave an inside look at the dramatization and performance aspect—how actors, directors, and writers grapple with real-life evil, empathy, and creativity.
• The hosts and guest express that fascination with true crime is deeply human—a way to process the complexity of good and evil in a quest for understanding, not just sensationalism.
• Expect thoughtful, ethical, and engaging conversations about not just criminals, but the many lives touched by crime and its portrayal in pop culture.

Overall Tone

Warm, candid, self-reflective, and a little darkly humorous, with a spirit of empathy, curiosity, and collaboration.