There’s no body, but there is a mystery: Why does Seattle love Small Town Dicks so much? Maybe it’s the brooding skies. The shadowy streets. The endless drizzle. Or the coffee-sipping, side-eyeing locals who can’t resist a good story. Or maybe it’s something deeper — an appreciation for the human-centered cases and compelling storytelling the true crime podcast delivers.

Yeardley Smith, Emmy-winning actress and co-host perhaps best known for voicing Lisa Simpson on the animated sitcom The Simpsons, doesn’t have an answer, either.

“You know what? That’s a really good question,” she says. “I don’t know. I do know that our listenership skews more female than male, and women are usually the bulk of the fan base for true crime in general. Maybe it’s because we’re often the victims of these crimes.”

Unlike other true crime podcasts, Small Town Dicks gives the mic to the detectives who solve the cases, focusing on their instincts, humanity, and challenges. The show is co-hosted by identical twin brothers Dan and Dave Grice, both veteran detectives, and Paul Holes, a retired crime scene investigator. Together, they bring decades of firsthand law enforcement experience to the stories they share on the show.

Now in its eighth year, the podcast is heading out on its first-ever live tour, with a stop at Neptune Theatre on Feb. 6.

We caught up with Smith to talk about true crime, life behind the mic, and, of course, Lisa Simpson.

Our Chat with Lisa Simpson

Small Town Dicks is heading out on its first live tour, with Seattle as one of just four stops. Why Seattle?

We have a pretty big fan base in Seattle, so it made sense, with a big fan base in Portland too, to geographically group things. That’s why we’re doing the West Coast. This is our first time out, so it really is sort of a toe in the water. How do we like it? How do the fans like it? But we’re hoping for a lovely warm welcome.

You’ve said the podcast skews more female in its audience. Why do you think that is?

That’s true. My theory is, we’re often the victims of these crimes. There’s a kind of “there but for the grace of God go I” aspect to it. I think many of us listen and think, “What can I glean to better keep myself safe? What sort of situational awareness tips can I pick up that might help me not be a story on Small Town Dicks?”

How did you get involved in creating a true crime podcast?

Well, I’m married to Detective Dan. We got married in 2022, but we’ve been together since 2014. I actually met Dan at a Simpsons event — he was my security detail. It’s like a real-life The Bodyguard story.

We were long distance for the first two and a half years of our relationship. When I would visit Dan in his small town, his identical twin brother, Dave, lived around the block. They would talk about their cases, and I’d just sit there slack-jawed because law enforcement — really any first responder job, and I would lump the military into this as well — is so intense. They’re doing things most of us try to avoid.

So if your job every day is to meet people on their worst day, that takes a very specific kind of person and dedication to stick with that. It’s basically trauma at every turn. Originally, it was just going to be Dan and Dave doing what they used to do on the couch — open a bottle of wine, have a glass of scotch, and talk about Monday. But it turned out it was really helpful to have me — an outsider — to ask clarifying questions.

What makes Small Town Dicks stand out in a crowded true crime space?

I’m really interested in the human element. We don’t dwell on the victims — it’s not our story to tell — but we explore how these detectives solved the cases and how the work affects them.

Our listeners tune in to find out how this third party, who shows up after the worst parts usually have happened, is able to gather the evidence to connect the dots and bring justice to the victim or victims. There hasn’t often been a platform for these men and women to talk about how it affects them. We ask them to share the cases that stick with them, the ones they can’t forget.

Do you find that a lot of first responders and detectives listen to the podcast?

Yes. We actually have the best fans in the pod universe. We get loads of mail from them. They write to us all the time. And I think it’s especially gratifying for my co-hosts — Dan, Dave, and Paul — when we get a letter from somebody else who’s in law enforcement or a dispatcher or another kind of first responder, and they say “‘I tell my recruits to listen to your podcast because there’s so much information in there about how to do the job the right way,” or “because of your podcast, I had the courage to seek some counseling.”

I never take lightly the vulnerability that our detectives are willing to share with us. I think it’s kind of a new trend that’s gathering some steam, but agencies around the country are now realizing that to place a stigma on somebody — even if it was a “good shoot,” as they say, like they had to kill a suspect — that’s just not something you ever take lightly. And so if somebody, beyond the mandated “I need you to see a psychiatrist before you can come back on duty,” needs more processing of that event, they shouldn’t be labeled in any negative way. There shouldn’t be any mumblings like that. We should just help these people out so that they can continue on the job.

Right, and those traumas just get compacted.

That’s it. When we ask the question, “Where do you put all that stuff that you’ve seen?” — especially detectives who’ve been on the job for many, many years — they all say, “You know, I just put it in a box.”

And then if you press them, they’ll tell you. The thing is, the lock on the box isn’t that good. And so any of those traumas — they catch up to you while you’re still on the job because there’s something that breaks the camel’s back. Or there’s a price to pay when you retire, because, of course, this vacuum is created.

Is there an episode that stands out to you as particularly memorable?

Yes, there’s an episode called Girl for Rent that sticks with me. The story is about a detective who followed his gut when something didn’t feel right. He ended up uncovering a case of human trafficking.

When you talk about the finer points of what it means to follow your instincts in a situation, it’s important to have the time and space to tell the story fully. I really appreciate the smaller details of those stories — the kind you don’t have the inches to tell in a newspaper. We’re also not constrained by 42 minutes on an hour-long episode of television. We’re able to tell these stories and give them the length and breadth that they deserve.

This is a very abrupt transition, but I can’t not ask about The Simpsons. You’ve played Lisa Simpson for decades now (the show is in its 36th season). What has that experience been like?

First of all, I think of her as a living, breathing, three-dimensional, red-blooded little person. She really is, for me, all the best parts of a human being. Even when she gets her comeuppance, she has such resilience and seems to have gratitude for whatever lesson is learned. She takes it all in stride, which I still strive to do.

She’s funny, complicated, curious, and has such a big heart. There’s definitely a blending after so many years. You can’t play a character that long and not have her rub off on you — and me rub off on her. I just love her to pieces. It’s the best job in the world for so many reasons.

Anything you’re looking forward to while you’re in Seattle?

It’s a quick trip. We fly in, perform, and fly out. But I’ve been to Seattle a few times. It’s such a beautiful city, with great food. I’ve been there in the winter and the summer. Your summers are spectacular, but even in the winter, I love the mystery of the fog. It’s just beautiful.