First Day Back artwork

First Day Back

28 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 631 ratings

First Day Back is a documentary podcast series about people facing and trying to overcome life’s most challenging moments. Each season, host and creator Tally Abecassis tells the story of someone attempting their own personal comeback.In 2019, First Day Back is back. On May 3rd 2017, comedian Jason Weems collapsed on stage from an asthma attack. His heart stopped beating for a full 5 minutes. Jason was lucky enough to be revived by a member of the audience. Now the Baltimore comedian is dealing with his death the only way he knows how: by making jokes about it. Jason wants to turn these jokes into a 1 hour special that he hopes will make him a household name. For the past year, Tally Abecassis and the First Day back team have been following the life and career of Jason Weems, a man who lives and died for comedy.

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Episodes

​Introducing Unfinished: Deep South

June 29, 2020 04:00 - 3 minutes - 3.11 MB

Unfinished: Deep South is a new historical true crime podcast produced by Witness Docs that races to resolve the unfinished business of a small Arkansas town by starting with one question: who lynched Isadore Banks? Sixty-six years after the murder a wealthy African American farmer and WWI veteran who found a way to prosper in the Jim Crow South, this investigative series attempts to restore his legacy and solve the crime before the story goes cold forever. Season 1 of Unfinished is out NOW...

Introducing Unlocking Bryson’s Brain

April 30, 2020 16:25 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MB

Bryson seems like a perfectly healthy baby. But soon doctors confirm his parents’ worst fears: something is wrong with Bryson’s brain. Despite dozens of tests over nearly a decade, doctors come up empty in their efforts to find a diagnosis. Then one day, everything changes. Scientists working at the cutting edge of genetics believe they know what's causing Bryson's disease — and think it could be reversed. Here’s the first episode of the new CBC Podcast, Unlocking Bryson’s Brain. More episode...

Introducing Verified

February 24, 2020 05:35 - 4 minutes - 4.06 MB

We’re bringing you a special clip from Verified, a new investigative true crime podcast from Witness Docs and Stitcher. Season one of Verified tells the story of a group of fearless women from around the world who band together with a team of Italian reporters to bring a policeman turned sexual predator to justice. Hosted by investigative reporter Natasha Del Toro, this ten-episode, immersive true crime series examines the trust we place in the sharing economy and the power that a simple che...

S3E6: Unknown

February 27, 2019 05:01 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MB

We follow Jason in the hours leading up to the taping of his much-anticipated special. The excitement builds as his friends and family all gather at the theater. When Jason steps onto that stage, will he have transformed his near death experience into something meaningful?

S3E5: The Countdown

February 20, 2019 05:01 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MB

There’s one month to go before Jason is set to perform his new special and the pressure is on. It’s a mad dash to sell tickets, finalize his set, and get everything in order to film and shoot the special. Will Jason make it to the special or will the pressure of putting on the show derail him?

S3E4: Pulling for Every Breath

February 13, 2019 05:01 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

It seems like asthma is always with Jason Weems. In this episode, Jason's constantly being confronted by health scares - on stage, at home, even with his family. But at every turn, he surprises Tally with his resiliency.

S3E3: Absolute Certainty

February 06, 2019 05:01 - 29 minutes - 27 MB

Twelve years into his comedy career, what keeps Jason hopeful that his big break will still happen? We get a peek inside his creative process and find out what family drama pushed him to stay in a city that isn’t great for his national career ambitions

S3E2: Almost Famous

January 30, 2019 05:01 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB

How do you build a career in comedy? Jason takes us through his journey and how a childhood filled with health issues drove his desire to be the funniest man in the room.

S3E1: The Attack

January 23, 2019 05:01 - 19 minutes - 18 MB

What happens on stage to set in motion comedian Jason’s Weem’s first day back story? On May 3, 2017, Jason collapsed at a Philadelphia comedy club after suffering a near fatal asthma attack. We hear a blow-by-blow account of Jason’s night as it shifts from raucous to downright terrifying.

Introducing First Day Back Season 3

January 09, 2019 05:01 - 2 minutes - 2.61 MB

First Day Back returns this season with the story of Jason Weems, one of Baltimore’s biggest comedians. Jason’s life changed on May 3, 2017 when just minutes into a set, he had a severe asthma attack. It was so bad, his heart stopped. Sixteen hours later, he was barely alive, recovering in a Philadelphia hospital. This season on First Day Back, host Tally Abecassis follows Jason as he tries to come back…from death. He wants to keep doing comedy— the stage is where he’s always felt the mos...

Season 3 Update, and Introducing Dear Franklin Jones

February 28, 2018 08:01 - 3 minutes - 3.32 MB

We are hard at work on season 3 and are following another story that is unfolding as we speak. In the meantime, if you like First Day Back, check out Dear Franklin Jones by my friend Jonathan Hirsch. Growing up, Jonathan’s family was a little different. They followed a controversial spiritual leader named Franklin Jones. Join Jonathan on a journey to find out what really happened. Subscribe to Dear Franklin Jones, a new documentary podcast from Stitcher. Subscribe to Dear Franklin Jones i...

S2E6: The Refuge

May 16, 2017 10:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MB

Lucie obsesses over Gerry’s death, her regret about what she did and her inability to remember what happened the night she killed him. How will she find some sliver of peace? Her search for forgiveness leads her to an unlikely source.

S2E5: The Doubters

May 09, 2017 10:00 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MB

Six years after Gerry’s death, close friends from Lucie’s past make a startling accusation. How will Lucie cope?

S2E4: Lucie Island

May 02, 2017 10:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MB

Even as Lucie reconnects with family and spends more time outside the transition house, she finds herself increasingly isolated.

S2E3: The Transition House

April 25, 2017 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MB

Once Lucie gets her day parole from prison, she has one foot in the correctional system and the other in the regular world. She gets tiny rations of freedom in the transition house where she lives, but she soon realizes her crime is going to follow her wherever she goes.

S2E2: The Prelim

April 18, 2017 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

Lucie is charged with first-degree murder after police arrive at her home and find her husband shot dead. She hires a top lawyer, but there’s one huge problem: How do you defend yourself when you have no memory of what happened?

S2E1: Lovebirds

April 11, 2017 10:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB

Lucie and her husband Gerry were together for 13 years. People called them lovebirds. Until the fall of 2010, when she shot and killed him. And here's the thing: Lucie has no memory of killing him. This season on First Day Back, how do you come back from the worst thing you’ve ever done when you don't even remember doing it?

Coming Soon: First Day Back Season 2

April 04, 2017 10:30 - 2 minutes - 2.59 MB

First Day Back returns this season with the story of Lucie and Gerry, lovebirds who were together for 13 years. Until the fall of 2010, when Lucie accidentally shot and killed him. And here's the thing. She has no memory of killing him. Lucie's story isn't just about what she did, it's about the aftermath. How does she come back from the worst thing she's ever done, when she doesn't even remember doing it? Season 2 of First Day Back debuts April 11, with new episodes out every Tuesday.

S1E10: On Death and Space Clouds

May 08, 2016 00:42 - 8 minutes - 8.26 MB

A short piece for Mother’s Day. Something different that is not part of the First Day Back storyline. Stay tuned for details on Season 2!

S1E9: Generations

August 27, 2015 05:17 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

What happens when Tally's life starts mirroring the subject of her film? Also she talks to a 97 year-old woman and a Millennial who both reject the idea of "having it all".

S1E8: Your Stories

July 10, 2015 14:10 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MB

In this episode, listeners sent in recordings of themselves talking about work, parenthood and, how hard it is to know what to do with your life, with kids or without.

S1E7: Good News, Bad News

June 11, 2015 04:30 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MB

Tally gets news about her film project, compares notes with a friend who didn’t have kids, and hears about her youngest son’s turnaround.

S1E6: Searching for Sally

May 11, 2015 01:58 - 20 minutes - 19 MB

This episode is a little departure. In it, Tally goes looking for a teacher who had a huge impact on her life and career.

S1E5: Curveball

April 16, 2015 01:29 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

In this episode, Tally meets her old producer, who cautions her that she is re-entering a different documentary industry than the one she left and Tally’s son Jack throws her a curveball.

S1E4: Fear and Insecurity in Las Vegas

March 22, 2015 22:01 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

An episode about creativity and insecurity. Questions are raised about Tally's ability to jump back in after 6 years off and she talks to a painter who says some things she is afraid to say.

S1E3: Patti Smith Made Me Feel Better

February 23, 2015 01:35 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

What's the difference between taking time off to take care of your kids versus taking that time to travel the world? Tally and her producer discuss it. Also, Patti Smith knows about mothering.

S1E2: This Discussion is Retro

February 03, 2015 02:31 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

Tally looks at gender roles in hers and other households and asks her father what feminism means to him. Spoiler alert: he has no clue.

S1E1: Getting Back Out There

January 11, 2015 22:22 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

In which Tally lays out her situation and tries to jump-start her filmmaking career, asking big questions to her family members along the way.