Diagnosis Murder, "Shanda's Song"

About this episode

The episode discusses the Diagnosis Murder episode 'Shanda's Song', exploring its themes, characters, and the evolution of television.

New episode out now! We watched the season one episode of Diagnosis Murder titled “Shanda’s Song”. We delve into the charm of Dick Van Dyke and believe his casting likely led to the eventual success and longevity of the show, talk about Dr. Sloan’s shaky authority in speaking to suspects and investigating crimes, really get into the ‘90s hairstyles and fashion choices, and believe these characters are taking wild leaps of logic. We revisit the notion that none of these clues from non-law enforcement investigators would be admissible in court and they luck out with confessions every time. We also discuss the changes in television over the last few decades, from how shows are piloted or spun off to where they are shot and how much time is given to the theme songs. Katy does not want to hear sports, Carrie feels safe and comfortable with Columbo , Maddy will not investigate crimes, and Mack shares mustache secrets. We also get into lip syncing scandals, are accidentally sexist, think culture may be dying all around, and learn when HIPAA became law. Listen to hear more about misplaced fart sounds, anthropomorphic dinosaurs, 9-1-1 , Edith Head, Home Alone 3 , and notorious Ken dolls…

People in this episode

Host: The O'Brien Siblings

Topics covered

• Diagnosis Murder
• 1990s television
• crime investigation
• fashion and hairstyles
• television evolution
• cultural commentary

Keywords

• Dick Van Dyke
• Diagnosis Murder
• 1990s
• crime
• television
• fashion
• HIPAA
• cultural commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HIPAA

Books & works: Diagnosis Murder, Home Alone 3, Anastasia, Sawbones

More episodes of Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

• Osmosis Jones (2001) · June 3, 2026 · 1h 38m
• The Loch, "Episode 1" · May 13, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Sherlock Holmes, "The Blue Carbuncle" · April 22, 2026 · 1h 21m
• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, "Horizons" · April 1, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Shardlake (2024) · March 11, 2026 · 1h 38m
• Murder by Death (1976) · February 18, 2026 · 1h 23m