Snapped: What You Didn't Know About The True Crime Hit

The true-crime genre has been gaining popularity the past few years, with documentaries, crime shows, and podcasts emerging left and right. One of the shows that focuses on the genre is Oxygen's "Snapped," which first premiered in 2004 when the true crime genre wasn't as popular as it is today. What sets apart "Snapped" from other true crime shows is that it focuses mainly on women perpetrators and what made them, well, snap.

Based on the statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, more men who commit violent crimes than do women. So, why did a show like "Snapped" choose to cover cases involving women rather than just murder cases in general? According to an E Online interview with the show's former host and producer Sharon Martin, "Snapped" was pitched with the viewership in mind, which mainly consisted of females. "To a female audience, there's an appeal to seeing women that are similar to them, or women they know, make these choices and take these drastic actions," she said.

"Snapped" wasn't an overnight success, but as time went on, the show gained a reputation and has built a fan base, which makes it successful to this day. In fact, some of the show's fans are even famous personalities who can't get enough of watching women who snap.

One of the famous personalities who loves watching "Snapped" is Bill Hader, who has proclaimed the fact in plenty of his interviews. Whenever the actor and "Saturday Night Live" alum is asked about his guilty pleasure, he always mentions true crime, and in particular, "Snapped." In an interview with Conan O'Brien, Hader said, "Snapped is rad." He said the same answer in an O Magazine interview: "There's a show on Oxygen called 'Snapped' about women accused of murder. The same line appears in some of the episodes: 'And that's when she snapped.' I really like that show."

Lady Gaga has also tweeted about watching the show and said that it relaxes her at night while saying that she is crazy, but "not as crazy as those chicks." "How to Get Away with Murder" star Viola Davis also told "The Wrap" in 2015 that while she is not into watching too much television, she watches "Snapped" and finds the show's marathons "addictive."

For a true-crime show like "Snapped" to stay accurate and true to the story, in-depth research must be done for each episode. The show, per E Online, has a research team that verifies information about cases, but more than that, they have police departments and prosecutor's offices all over the country at their disposal. In fact, authorities do not only help in confirming facts, but they also tip the "Snapped" team for new cases.

As "Snapped" is a show about women offenders, authorities call the "Snapped" team when they come across a case that they think might be a good case to cover in the series. From there, the research team then goes through a thorough look at the case to determine if it is, indeed, a good story for their target audience. As a rule, the show only covers murder cases that are already done in court and of course, only if those involved in the case are willing to share their story.

Jupiter Entertainment, the production company behind "Snapped," is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. For this reason, the reenactments are shot in that area as well. Per Knox News, the city is also called TV's true crime capital because of the number of true crime shows that are shot there. At the time of an interview in 2019, Jupiter's Senior Vice President, Robert Twilley, shared that they had 16 true crime show productions happening at the time. He also shared that about 90% of their projects at Jupiter Entertainment revolve around true crime.

Because of this, many of the true-crime shows like "Snapped" make use of talent or extras in scenes who are from Tennessee, with police roles sometimes even being played by real police officers. Although "Snapped" reenactment scenes are shot in Knoxville, the film crew goes to other locations as well to conduct interviews with those involved in the crime being covered.

Those involved in the cases that "Snapped" covers have been through something truly difficult in their lives. And although the show is "entertainment" for fans, the "Snapped" team makes it a point to be sensitive while dealing with the subject matter. As former host Sharon Martin said, it is a privilege for her to tell their stories and she takes it seriously. "These families that talk to us have had terrible things happen to them," she said to E Online, which is why sensitivity and respect are important for her.

With the popularity of true-crime shows, people sometimes tend to forget that the events happened to real people. In some cases, the crime is so gruesome that even those who are used to dealing with crimes and death are affected, which is why being sensitive to victims or relatives of victims interviewed for the show is of utmost importance.

"Snapped" has slowly but surely captured the hearts of true-crime fans. The show has aired hundreds of episodes, with the 500th episode debuting in 2020. The success of "Snapped" has resulted in two spin-off shows. The first is "Snapped: She Made Me Do It," which had two seasons and aired from 2015 to 2016. The spin-off focused on cases involving women as well, but this time, these cunning women manipulated others to do the dirty deed for them instead of doing it by themselves.

Another "Snapped" spin-off show is entitled "Snapped: Killer Couples," and as the title suggests, the crimes covered in the series involve couples who committed violent crimes together. The show aired its first episode in 2013 when "Snapped" aired its 200th episode, and it is currently in its 15th season, with more than a hundred episodes aired.

For those who love listening to podcasts, "Snapped" also has something to offer. In 2020, the podcast "Snapped: Women Who Murder" was released, and it features the audio from "Snapped" episodes that have already aired. The podcast releases a new episode every Sunday on streaming platforms.