Here are the best true crime podcasts you need to binge
Photos: Getty
A great true crime story has it all: mystery, intrigue, a compelling cast of characters and a satisfying ending. So, it’s perhaps no surprise that true crime has become one of the most popular categories in podcasting, almost tripling its listeners over the last five years. Today up to 40% of podcast fans regularly tune in to the genre.
Immersive, expansive and inexpensive to make, podcasts are the perfect medium for a riveting true crime tale – but with so many great shows out there, it can be hard to decide what to listen to first. From unsolved murders to ongoing cases, long-form investigations to pitch-black comedies, here are some of Gathered’s favourite shows to add to your download queue.
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1. Serial, Serial Productions
The podcast that started it all. Sarah Koenig’s award-winning 2014 investigation into the murder of Baltimore student Hae Min Lee led not only to questions about the guilt of Lee’s ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, but also a wave of imitators trying to recreate the show’s success.
Over 12 gripping episodes, Koenig delves deep into the case and presents the evidence for and against Syed’s conviction. It’s easy to see why it’s often credited as the first great true-crime podcast.
2. Your Own Backyard, Chris Lambert
Another show that had real-life impact is Your Own Backyard, which focuses on the case of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, who went missing in 1996. Host Chris Lambert had no journalistic background and no connection to the Smart family, but felt compelled to investigate – little knowing he’d end up helping to solve a murder.
Listen to the story unfold as Lambert goes from interested outsider to sitting in court as the suspect is found guilty…
3. In the Dark, The New Yorker
For a true crime podcast with pedigree, look no further than In the Dark. Among many other accolades, this New Yorker production has won the Pulitzer Prize and three Peabody Awards.
Each season “investigates the investigation” into a different crime, as reporter Madeleine Baran looks at the wider impact of the event on local people, law enforcement and national policy. Proof that there’s a lot more to crime storytelling than whodunnit, all six seasons of In the Dark are worth a listen.
4. Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley, BBC
Who knew that Victorian women were such criminals? Historian Lucy Worsley analyses the cases of murderers and swindlers from a modern, feminist perspective, shining a light on our changing attitudes towards both the crimes and their perpetrators.
It’s a fascinating look at the past that questions whether the right response to misconduct is condemnation or compassion – or, as is often the case, an uneasy mix of both.
5. Casefile True Crime, Casefile Presents
“Fact is scarier than fiction…” says the tagline of this award-winning podcast series. With its anonymous host and scripted format that relies heavily on original interviews and recordings, Casefile sounds a little different to the conversational shows that dominate the true crime genre.
No theorising and friendly banter here, just the facts of the story, as they happened. Visit the website to sort the episodes by type of crime, from abduction to the dark web and unsolved mysteries.
6. Morbid, SiriusXM Podcasts
Morbid lives up to its title as a podcast that will give you chills. In it, a mortuary technician and a hairdresser take a tour through some of the more gruesome and spooky crimes of recent years, covering everything from famous, headline-grabbing cases to tragic forgotten stories.
Its well-honed mix of creepy and comedy has made Morbid enduringly popular, and it regularly appears in most-listened lists. Explore the rest of the Morbid Network podcasts for more spine-tingling listens.
7. Crime Junkie, Audiochuck
The top-rated true crime show on Apple Podcasts, Crime Junkie has a devoted following and an impressive count of more than 1.5 billion downloads. Hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, their weekly look at missing persons, conspiracies and killers has been airing since 2017.
With an activist heart and a strong interest in justice, this is the show every armchair detective needs in their podcast queue. Dive into their impressive archive and you’ll never be short of a case to listen to.
8. Drunk Women Solving Crime, Audio Always
Need a break from serious documentaries but not from your favourite genre? Try this comic take on the theme from writers and comedians Hannah George and Taylor Glenn. Each week they and their guest hosts attempt to get to the bottom of a true crime case, with plenty of scurrilous, rambling diversions (and glasses of wine) along the way. Previous guests include Katherine Ryan, Desiree Burch and James Acaster.
9. You’re Wrong About, Sarah Marshall
If your favourite thing about true crime is a compelling story with a twist, it’s time to add You’re Wrong About to your podcast queue. Covering much more than just law-breaking, each fortnight Sarah Marshall (accompanied in earlier episodes by Michael Hobbes) takes a fresh look at old news to see what we got right – and what we got utterly wrong.
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