Hooked is a well-produced and compelling podcast—expertly written, edited, and narrated. The story is gripping, the pacing is tight, and the sound design pulls you in from the start. From a technical and storytelling standpoint, it’s top-notch. However, the podcast falls short in holding its subject, Tony Hathaway, accountable. Despite the devastating impact of his actions—especially on his own son, whom he involved in crimes including a bank robbery and repeated drug use (heroin) as a teenager—Tony shows little remorse. He downplays the trauma he caused to bank tellers and seems to believe that stealing insured money somehow makes it victimless. The narrator leans too heavily into a redemption arc and misses opportunities to challenge Tony’s narrative or demand accountability, particularly when it comes to his son’s prison sentence, which Tony could have helped reduce by owning up to his role. I was particularly disgusted by his lack of remorse around doing heroin with his son as a teenager likely led to his lifelong addiction.

I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. Tony and Connor were very honest and raw and the host, Josh, did a great job interviewing them. It was eye opening to hear about what addiction can make people do and how redemption is possible. Highly recommend this podcast!

I really appreciated the honesty in this story. I really hope Tony and Connor continue to do well. Your story is going to help a lot of people like myself have empathy for people with addiction. Praying for you!

I was drawn in at the jump to this good story, a host with a “radio voice,” & an intriguing interviewee, all capsuled in excellent production. I wouldn’t have liked *another sad story* of addiction, but this one did; in fact, I loved it. Great job!

I was drawn in by the story of a man robbing 30 banks in a year, then amazed by the quality of the reporting. The story that it really tells - of one family's disastrous exposure to Oxycontin and spiral into opioid addiction - exposes the greater crime: the destruction of countless lives by the reckless profiteering of the pharmaceutical billionaire Sackler family.

This was such an incredible podcast. Josh did amazing work. Your heart aches for Tony and Conner and all that they have gone through from addiction, incarceration, and the hurt that they have caused their family and friends. Truly helped me to better understand addiction and the Opioid crisis in our country.

Great story. It's nice to hear real stories, even though very sad. Very well narrated.

This podcast is breathtaking; a tour-de-force through the dark forces of addiction, & how opioid and heroine drive addicts to the far reaches of irrational behavior. The author, producer, and all who took part in its making including Tony Hathaway, are deserving of great credit.

WOW!!!!! Soooo good!!! This was freaking fantastic.

I was hooked as soon as I heard Josh’s voice. I have listened to some of his other podcasts so I enjoyed this one as well. It made me have a different view of those people hooked on drugs.

I started listening to what I thought was a story of a prolific bank robber. What I have heard is an insightful account of addiction, dependency, family struggle, gateway drugs, love, and some robbery. Excellent interviews from many perspectives, well edited, and leaves me in a range of emotions listening to the stories and overlaying these experiences with the lives of family and friends lost to addiction. Thank you Tony, Connor, Madison and Anne Marie for sharing; Josh for getting this story together, and the teams of people who made it possible. Excellent!

Had to stop listening to this podcast. Why does this guy still have the face-masks he used to rob banks? Felt like glorification for his illegal behaviors and while I sympathize with someone struggling with addiction, there were certainly opportunities for him to take advantage of getting support. I cannot finish this as I cannot in good conscience fund this guy. If there were any remorse but he was too nonchalant about (blaming his son?) getting hooked on heroin with his son, and totally lost interest when he allowed his son to go to prison while lying about his role in the bank robbery. And laughs about it. Constantly. Maybe a nervous tick but he’s too cavalier about the damage he’s done (especially to his son) and only willing to tell all about his part in his son’s conviction for the bank robbery after the statute of limitations is over? I’m all about redemption and think addicts can successfully be sober and make amends to loved ones. This ain’t it.

I’m completely infuriated by Tony and Josh’s blaming OxyContin for his “downfall.” Any addiction issues he has are due to underlying issues that were there already - as he said in Ep. 2. He was a heavy drinker and had to go to rehab. So, to blame legally-prescribed opioids for his addiction and turning to heroin is baloney, to put it mildly. The entire “opioid crisis” was manufactured by the press, and the “addiction” industry, along with the manufacturers of Suboxone, because legal opioids are cheap and effective, whereas Suboxone and the like, the treatment of “addction” is a multi, multi-billion dollar industry. OXYCONTIN IS NOT “LEGAL” HEROIN. The amount of inaccuracies and drinking of the fallacy Kool-Aid throughout this podcast is egregious. Whatever issues and moral failings Tony has are his, and his alone. Whatever choices he made or makes are his and his alone. Stop blaming safe, effective, and LEGAL pain medications for emotional issues that lead to stupid life choices

Came here for bank robberies, stayed for the story.

I lived in Seattle during this time and also struggled so I really related to Tony and his son. I knew a lot of different parents who used with their kids in Seattle. It was really common. Not saying it’s right. But the story is told so well and just is a great listen. I really loved the story and resonated with all of the people. Really terrific job. One of my all time favorite podcasts.

Wow. You always hear how it wasn’t the fault of addicts affected by this epidemic. But hearing this story really changed my understanding. My brother has a terrible story with a similar fall from incredible heights and now I understand him better. Tony is so intelligent and well spoken that he was a joy to listen to. Josh is incredible for having done this story. It’s sad to hear Tony was back in his car, I wish there were profits from it that he could get. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

I really like this but there is a little bit too much laughing at points.

Shines a different story on the depths of addiction, but found so many things disturbing. I struggle that AppleTV compensated someone who not only robbed banks, but involved his family.

Boeing doesn't owe this guy any favors. Why should they hire him? He's extremely high risk. There are places that hire ex-felons like carpet stores and thrift stores. This guy was a drug addict who robbed banks. He made his bed, now he has to sleep in it.. this is his reality now.

Compelling, informative, heartbreaking and courageous.

Loved hearing directly from the main character. Quite a story

This podcast will reel you in and you’re going to love it. A grand mixture of heart and soul, the pretty and the ugly. Give it your time and your mind, you’ll become a fan of Tony and Conner in no time at all. 🤎

The transcript was nearly flawless. A few errors here and there, but miles above all the other garbage out there. Story is great too ;)

Such a compelling story to tell from a successful engineering to robbing banks, had me wanting more. Well told and structured to keep you hooked. It felt original and interesting to binge the whole series in one sitting. Highly recommended!

This is a delicate topic and you handled it with care and integrity. I hope this family continues to heal and gets compensated for what big pharma allowed to happen to them and so many b/c of their greed. I hope you put out another season soon- you’re a great storyteller!

The reporting was good. I appreciate the historical context concerning Purdue, big pharma, and our governments role in creating and profiting from the opioid attack on and death of so many of our country men/women. Where was this energy when Raegan and Oliver North unleashed crack and the “war on drugs” aka the war on Black America? Entire generations were stolen by the prison system and the crack sentencing guidelines. May we learn from the struggles before us and put and end to impunity of our oppressors

The storytelling is good but listening to a man who participated in a bank robbery but denied it for years because he was waiting for the statute of limitations to run out was a LOT. Additionally to hear Tony complain about being roughly handled by police while being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery (they had no way of knowing he was a lovable idiot junkie 🙄) was pretty rich. If you want to listen to a podcast where the subject person who reportedly wants to acknowledge responsibility but spends almost the entire podcast deflecting blame from himself and complaining about others, this is the one.

I appreciate Tony and his family for sharing their story. This shows how the Sackler family easily destroyed one’s high ranking career, how a white collar worker’s injury plunged him into a life of abuse and crime. This also tells how abuse affected his child, from the perspective of life choices. This podcast is well-edited and presented. Thank you for this story that has affected so many families due to the Sackler family’s hunger for money and power, and being above the law, while their victims are suffering.

This is a fantastic podcast. It really brings the human element into the opioid crisis that we’ve all heard about. Everyone has a story and this one is fascinating. It really makes you think about criminal acts and what might be behind driving those. Rarely is a situation black or white and this is a reminder of that. I listen to a lot of podcasts and truly loved this one. I wish all the best to Tony, Conor, and everyone impacted by this story.

I love the way this story was format. By the end of the story, I really felt a deep connection to the subject.

This is so far my favorite podcast of 2024!! Don't sleep on this one and just push play. Soooo good

Interesting topic, great storytelling, and flawless editing. I wish all podcasts were this good!

Heart wrenching yet hopeful story, so well told. I have a deeper understanding of addiction now. Best wishes to Tony and Connor for continued success in life.

Loved this podcast! Tony is such a likable guy, it was so sad to hear about his downward spiral. I'm really rooting for him and Connor. Josh did a great job interviewing and telling the story (he's got a great voice too)

Interesting story about a “good guy” hooked on oxy because of the “bad guy” pharmaceutical companies and how his life was turned upside down to keep hooked. Thanks for the program

Great pace. Interesting characters. Pretty flawless.

This series plays with one’s feelings. One is sorry for the bank tellers who he robbed and at the same time sorry and empathetic with the main subject who found himself in his situation. Each episode just got better and better. I didn’t want it to end!

Took a long road trip with Wife. Can only listen to so much music, found this podcast and we both really enjoyed! Was very unique how lose Josh got with Tony and felt he told his story excellently. We know this is happening in the country to but hear a story like this really changes your perspective on people fortunate enough to survive this epidemic. Great listen!

Listening to the father and son talk about robbing the bank and laughing about it. Not funny. Mom/wife also blames father when her adult son was the one who introduced his father to heroin.

As a sibling to a drug addict who sadly lost his life last month this was very eye opening. It helped me understand addiction and how a good life can unravel due to the ravages of addiction. I hope Tony and Connor keep doing the hard work of recovery! Excellent podcast.

This is one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to! Thank you for being so raw & open, Tony & Conner! I have respect for how you handled it! I’m so proud of you & how you’ve turned your life around. You’re making waves of impacts! Keep shining! Josh- absolutely amazing job! ♥️♥️♥️

Excellent storytelling and very well done. Humanizing. You should be very proud of this piece of work. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I am listening to this now and about to start episode 5. It is really interesting and I am learning more about the opioid epidemic.

Fascinating story told by a compassionate host. It’s been a while since I’ve binged a podcast this quickly!

I was looking at my podcasts and saw this title Hooked and I was very curious and clicked on it and listen to what it was about and I said why not let’s give it a shot and since then I can’t put it down. I need to listen to the whole thing.

I went for a walk this morning and started listening. I ended up finishing all the episodes today. Wishing the best for Tony and Conner! I’m excited to listen to more episodes with Josh. I’ve shared and followed the podcast!

This podcast is so important and incredibly well-done! There should be more stories like these because they’re more common than people think.

Excellent podcast! I am sharing with all friends and family. I follow all of Josh’s podcasts and enjoy everything he has done.

I have binged this podcast over a few days. Such a well told, heartbreaking, fascinating, sad and meaningful story. Thank you to Tony and Conner for telling their story and shining a light on the Oxy pandemic and addiction.

Found this great one after listening to White Devil. Yes, I’m always late to anything new! Everything I’ve listened to from Josh is awesome, not long drawn out speaking about what you’re going to hear. Not long drawn out hearing about what you just listened to. Other podcasts ultimately give you 20 mins of information. Not anything I’ve listened to from Josh! Apple needs to give him credit and keep him on board! Thanks Josh!