The new host is just okay. Unfortunately, following Hannah Smith is impossible to follow because she is amazing! They haven’t even put this poor new host’s name on the podcast. After how they treated Hannah and the boring new host, I just can’t listen anymore. I hope Hannah makes a new podcast! My recommendation would be to skip the new episodes.

This feels a bit opportunistic if I'm being honest. Never in my life have I victim shamed but this was very unbelievable. There wasn't a moment of this that felt legitimate. It felt poorly researched and lacked professional perspective. Do better

Used to love it, not anymore with the new host (no offense, but Hannah was much better.) it’s boring now.

The new narrator ruined it for me. I love the old hosts voice. I gave it 3 episodes and had to give up. Also the stories haven’t been as compelling.

This used to be one of my favorite podcasts. But the new narrator/host is hard to listen to. It sounds like it’s an AI voice from tiktok or Instagram. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one.

Why was he such a star? Had he done decades of what appeared to be good work? Did his quality of work fall off after he gained in popularity? What do his successor’s say?

I used to love this podcast, excitedly awaiting a new season / episode. This new season is disappointing because Hannah Smith is no longer the host and you can tell because the storytelling is absent. It lacks the depth she brought to this podcast. The new host sounds AI generated and the writing is clunky. They should have retired the podcast once Hannah was no longer affiliated with it and started something else with this new host. I think the new host was set up for failure because as an avid former listener this new season feels like a really bad recasting. Very disappointed.

The show has lived up to its name by savaging Tim Ballard. The producers are opportunists indeed.

It’s not the new hosts delivery I am disappointed with…it’s the writing. All the episodes I’ve tried to get into post transition the storytelling is so slow and clunky; like it’s being written by a college freshman writing an expository essay and not a storyteller. Proving the same basic point over and over again, not surprising me or catching me off guard. I’m afraid I’m going to have to give up on the show.

I’ve honestly never listened to any other of your previous podcast but I was definitely interested in the Tim Ballard exposé. Right off the bat I’m just not buying it. Something about the seams staged. I don’t even know if I could get to episode two. I really hope if he did all of this the victims get justice. So far you’re telling of events feels fake. I’d like to hear about him in a different podcast so I will look around.

Tim Ballard, what a nut job!

Update…I miss Hannah. Where did she go? I’ve been a listener since the very beginning and I feel up upended with this big change, and no info provided. I love this podcast! The content is so interesting and the host does an amazing job of keeping me informed and engaged ♥️♥️♥️

I love this show and I love the new host. (And the old host. The whole show is a yes for me.)

It’s just not the same. I used to absolutely love this show, but whatever change took place ruined it. I cant stand this new host or the format. The quality went down by a lot! Edit: just read the other comments and im happy to know im not the only one who has noticed the decline and really appreciated and loved the original format and host.

Bummer.

I used to love this podcast, but with the newest season the quality of the writing has gone down significantly. I’ll stick around to see if it improves and if the stories will capture me again.

This podcast was one of my favorites, but no longer enjoyable to listen to.

you’re fully missing the point - it’s not that we think she’s actually AI, it’s that sarah’s as deadpan as an AI voice. also that she totally lacks hannah’s sense of engagement, is droll, and the content isn’t as good. on top of which, no info on why hannah is no longer here. the paywall is also expensive nonsense.

I’ve really enjoyed the podcast over the last year but was really bummed to hear the writer for the new Tim Ballard project explain right away how she was no longer a Mormon and doing the story on a person and his affiliation with the Mormon church. It didn’t seem necessary to even announce any affiliation with religion, let alone describe yourself as being an ex member. I can’t imagine how the story will unfold. It’s sad that she doesn’t even know the name of the church! I’ve lost interest and will find something else.

Like a lot of people are saying, the new host is not it. It’s missing something….I will no longer be listening, which is heartbreaking because I was brought to this podcast through Karen on MFM and immediately fell in love!

Appachia wisteria is another one. True crime bedtime stories is how I get to sleep. Don’t we all? I always am excited for new seasons

What happened to Hannah ? I am not going to follow the show anymore without her.

Rather than recasting they should have just ended the show and started anew. This latest episode with the producers was awkward and forced. Hopefully, Hannah will start a new podcast, and all of us former listeners can rejoice.

unfortunately, like everyone else i am disappointed that hannah left. what's even more upsetting is that there was no announcement so every new upload, i would check to see if she came back like maybe she had someone fill her position briefly while she took a break, but turned off the pod after realizing it wasnt her. the podcast feels cold. corporate. you might as well have fed the script to chatgpt and asked it to read aloud, that's how it sounds. trust me, i tried giving it a chance but it just isnt the same or even a worthy substitute. i can't stomach another podcast money grab with hosts coldly reading from a script, which is why i loved the first iteration, with a host that seemed to care. disappointing but i guess i'll see what else is out there

This is used to be one of my favorite shows. Now…, not so much. I think the story writing has declined but also the new host is not someone I can listen to… super bummed because I used to listen to this regularly and would share it with others constantly… super bummer…

I've always found this podcast to be both informative and engaging, but the quality has really gone down since Hannah left.

Was so excited to see new episodes but I couldn’t make it through one. No substance to the reporting. I double checked I was still listening to The Opportunist and that I didn’t accidentally click on a random new podcast. Almost made it through the Jeffrey Ferguson one until the host started giving random comparisons to fictional books & TV shows followed by “which only highlights how shocking it is that life has started to imitate art.” What?? Also the whimsical & light hearted background music is so bizarre to be playing as she’s describing horrific murder.

I’m in love with this podcast! I just found it a couple of weeks ago and have binged 4-5 hours per day. This is very well researched and presented.

I was so excited to see there was a new season - I downloaded a ton of episodes before a 5 hour flight and was so confused when I couldn’t find Hannah narrating any episodes. I couldn’t make it through 2 mins of any episode. Bring Hannah back

No hate to the current host but what used to be deep dives into complex stories with an emphasis on solid journalism has become cheap sensationalism. Instead of extensive interviews with experts and witnesses, there’s one person with a VERY tenuous connection to the case, making this little more than speculation. Can’t bear to listen and stopped my subscription. I’m not interested in tabloid fodder, or in rushing stories out every week when they’re not ready to be told. Hope they rethink this reinvention!

Not the same since the original host left. The writing is not as good & the stories aren’t fully developed. No hate to the new host but it’s just not the same

Hannah always presented a thoroughly researched, compelling story. The new hosts/researchers are extremely lacking and really only seem to scratch the surface. That coupled with the awkward pacing makes it truly unlistenable now. Such a shame, it was one of my favorites.

Add me to the long list of former listeners. Bring Hannah back. The happy teenager voice ruins the narration.

Great episodes started with the Robert Courtney episodes highly recommend

I loved this show, but it’s hard to listen to without Hannah. No hate to the current host at all. But Hannah’s tone just fit this show!!

Loved the original episodes of the opportunist, they were incredibly well researched and worth a binge if you are new. However the change in format in 2024 and a new host without any explanation wasn’t smart and I miss Hannah Smith!! Hope she comes up with something new and amazing!

Haven’t gotten to the new stuff, but I’ve really enjoyed the initial seasons.

I hate to pile on here but this show is not what it used to be now that Hannah is no longer the host. I’m an avid podcast listener and this was one of my favorites that I always recommended to people. In fact, if someone were to ask me what my overall favorite podcast was, it would have been this one. Not anymore. Why did Hannah have to leave?

Edit: What happened to Hannah Smith?? I was so excited to finally have new episodes and this is what we get? Not the same, very disappointed! Original: Karen from MFM mentioned this podcast a couple different times, so I decided to check it out. I’m so glad I did! It’s well researched, well told, and very compelling. I highly recommend it!

Cannot listen to this awfully and oddly infantile voice. This person (AI?) is a baby voice that no adult can possibly listen to. Bye!

Unfollowing

The new host sounds AI generated. Note to the new production: the audience notices and cares about quality. We don’t just follow True Crime shows blindly. Hannah was an amazing host front top to bottom: the quality of her voice, story and sound pacing, and you felt she cared about the story she was telling and the people involved. Unsubscribed and stopped listening.

Update: I couldn’t finish it. Such stupidity just ended up making me more and more angry... The storytelling, structure, and explanations are excellent. The podcast is well-crafted and intriguing. Maybe I’m listening to this at the wrong time, though. After 4 years of the idiocy of Trump and seeing its culmination in an attack on the U.S. Capitol, to hear how people were manipulated by this charlatan who kept a squirt gun filled with her homemade orgone water — maybe — is beyond maddening. That people lost their lives listening to Sherry Shriner’s harebrained, too-lame-for-science-fiction ideas is terribly sad, but comments on Americans’ willingness to suspend all disbelief if the conspiracy theories they consider happen to tickle their religion/anti-government obsessions. I feel awful for the victims’ families and only wish America could ostracize and imprison the wannabe-demagogues like Sherry Shriner.

This was one of the best podcasts out there until 2024. Hannah Smith was really enjoyable to listen to and the people covered were in fact opportunists. It was fair and balanced journalist that tried to get to the bottom of the story. Now it’s what sounds like a chirpy chipper AI reading poorly written copy of some basic criminal behavior. No journalism, no thoughtful person discussing it, and no opportunists to be found. The AI reading the script is unbearable. I’m going to do my own true crime podcast: Who murdered The Opportunist podcast and WHY?!?

I really loved the multi-episode deep dives of the original format. Not that there weren't sometimes one-offs when Hannah was hosting, but they were still really good. Every new episode I've listened to so far is shallow and has left me disappointed. And why are there so many awkward pauses in the middle of sentences? I've given it enough of a fair shake but I think I'm going to unsubscribe.

What the heck happened to Hannah? The new girl reads plainly off a script and doesn’t have the same magic to it. And why the heck is it hidden behind a paywall to episodes I’ve already heard? Y’all messed it up.

I assumed these were filler episodes as they worked on a new in depth season but now I’m wondering if for some reason she’s not hosting anymore? If so, I won’t be listening any more. The new episodes are not good and it’s obvious they are just reading scripts or literally copying someone else’s in depth articles, etc. NOT COOL

Used to love the host, the format and the well researched material of the show. Now-it’s so disappointing to hear someone else “hosting” (more like reading whatever was assigned to her) and she isn’t even covering the same kinds of stories. I was hoping Hannah would come back, but they didn’t even give an explanation for her absence. They messed this show up. Back when it was good- Very interesting and well done! The host is very pleasant, unbiased and informative. Her positive attitude is unique and refreshing. I’m so glad I gave this a try cuz it’s very entertaining. I blew through all the episodes in one day so sadly I’m all caught up and will be impatiently looking for (and also looking forward to) the next available episode!

The original host and format was so good and legitimate in-depth reporting but the podcast seems to have changed hands? The new stories are just one-offs and the new host lifelessly reads a script. The pacing is weird and there’s awkward pauses and repetition.

I used to love this show. The writing, the pacing, the narrator were all amazing. It seems as though this has been taken over by some one else and it is a sorry excuse for a podcast.