Netflix’s ‘Long Shot’ tells the story of a Dodgers fan acquitted of murder thanks to ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
Juan Catalan’s defense in a murder trial depended on his love of the Dodgers and Larry David.
Netflix’s new documentary Long Shot tells a story that some baseball fans might recall from a decade ago. Dodgers fan Juan Catalan was accused of murder, and as his alibi he said he was attending the baseball game the same night that the murder was meant to have taken place.
Going against a prosector who had never lost, without a reliable way to otherwise prove he was at the game, the defense eventually resorted to looking through footage of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode that was filming at the game.
With commentary from Larry David included in the trailer, just watching it is a surreal throwback to a decade ago when such a case might not even need such an unorthodox approach today.
With mobile ticketing, automatic toll payments, and an increased use of social media, the chances of the case ever needing to resort to secondhand footage to prove someone attended the game in the first place.
Based on this trailer, Long Shot will look at the case, the absurdity of what was needed to get him acquitted, and the process that the legal team used to eventually achieve their goal. There’s also a decidedly emotional through line with the inclusion of Catalan’s firsthand account of that period in his life. Just watching it might choke you up a bit.
Hardcore baseball fans may remember the case from when it was first in the news, but with all the new information that the documentary looks to provide it will be a good watch for those new to the case as well as those who are already familiar with what happened.
