In recent years, both development- and succession-based methods have been used to render entomological estimates of the postmortem interval (PMI) in medicolegal investigations; however, the latter is more restrictive than the former, often applicable in cases of advanced decomposition, after pathological indicators have run out. In recent years, euthanized pigs (22 – 25 kg) have become a favorite and convenient research model of forensic entomologists for conducting baseline studies, verifying life-cycle and successional timetables, and for rendering PMI estimates. In this paper, we review recent and emerging findings on carrion-arthropod succession and explore their practical uses and limitations in forensic casework. Among the issues we will explore are: a) to what extent are named decay stages and successional behavior linked? b) are colonization histories of forensically-important taxa repeatable across studies? and c) to what extent do human and pig corpses mirror each other in arthropod species composition and PMI statistics? Knowledge gaps and untested assumptions will also be addressed.