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Copied from Reception Section of S-Town (original text)

S-Town was culturally popular and received mixed[disputed – discuss] critical reviews. The Boston Globe 's Ty Burr thought the show was complex and voyeuristic. He asked the question "is S-Town a freak show for the NPR crowd?" and described the series as "seven chapters of provocative red herrings that almost but never quite add up to a place, a people, or a man". Jessica Goudeau from The Atlantic wondered how Flannery O'Connor, Robert Lowell, or Elizabeth Bishop would have reacted to the podcast and the exploration of poor, white, rural America. Slate 's Katy Waldman wrote that S-Town feels more like a new genre, "something more like aural literature".

The podcast's critics claimed that the studio took advantage of John's death in order to gain publicity. Crixeo, an online arts monthly, argues that Reed did not have the right to publicly out John as queer. At the same time, other views contend that S-Town was a way for them to take the story of John's death and shed light on mental health in the U.S.

By May 2017, the podcast series was downloaded over 40 million times. It retained a high ranking in the iTunes chart and continued to be analysed in the press well into 2017.

New Revised Text (My Edits)

'Jessica Goudeau from The Atlantic'' questioned the ethics of the series, asking "is it okay to confess another person's pain for the sake of a good story ?" (Citation)'''. Gouda also wondered how Flannery O'Connor, Robert Lowell, or Elizabeth Bishop would have reacted to the podcast and the exploration of poor, white, rural America. Vox's Aja Romano called the podcast "stunning", but suggested the podcast was too invasive and should not have been made (citation). Slate 's Katy Waldman wrote that S-Town feels more like a new genre, "something more like aural literature".

The podcast's critics claimed that the studio took advantage of John's death in order to gain publicity. Crixeo, an online arts monthly, argues that Reed did not have the right to publicly out John as queer. At the same time, other views contend that S-Town was a way for them to take the story of John's death and shed light on mental health in the U.S. The Atlantic 's Spencer Kornhaber praised the series for its journalism and humanism, as the series "hints at the possibility of cultural reconciliation" within the community (citation). Rebecca Nicholson from The Guardian called the series "a noble attempt at understanding life" (citation), as the series showed "the great hope that resides within", by showing a person trying to survive within their surroundings.

By May 2017, the podcast series was downloaded over 40 million times. It retained a high ranking in the iTunes chart and continued to be analysed in the press well into 2017. Since then, the podcast has still remained popular and has now nearly been downloaded 77 million times (citation).

sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/04/was-the-art-of-s-town-worth-the-pain/522366/

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/30/15084224/s-town-review-controversial-podcast-privacy

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/apr/03/s-town-review-its-hard-to-recall-a-more-touching-devastating-podcast-serial-john-b-mclemore-brian-reed

https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2018/03/27/s-town-podcast-impact-still-felt-woodstock-1-year-later/462364002/

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/s-town-podcast-review-empathy-cultural-divides/521325/