The podcast genre that started it all! True crime holds a special place in our hearts at Podcast App as it reminds us of the early days of podcasts and brings back memories of road trips with friends and partners, solving mysteries together as we listened to an investigation unfold episode by episode. We hope you like this list of some of our favorite true crime podcasts, from classics to lesser-known gems. Whether you’re already obsessed, or just dipping your toes into the true crime waters, there’s a mysterious who-dunnit rabbit hole here for you.
Serial
There’s a reason Serial remains a true crime fan favorite: it’s simply the best. Hosted by the incredible journalist, Sarah Koenig, Serial picks up the pieces of a true crime story and puts them together over the course of one season. Each season is different, and Sarah’s just as in the dark as her listeners as she solves each mystery with you, one episode at a time. A brilliantly composed podcast full of genuine intrigue and surprising discoveries, Serial will have you so enthralled in an investigation, you’ll feel like a detective yourself.
Criminal
Examining the intersections, and sometimes even gray areas, between criminals and victims, Criminal tells a fascinating new crime story every episode, from murder to mutilation to spooky medical malpractice. Described as “the thinking person’s true crime podcast” in The News & Observer, Criminal investigates crime through a more sociological and philosophical lens than the genre’s average. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network and hosted by journalist Phoebe Judge, Criminal is truly unmissable.
In the Dark
Produced by American Public Media and hosted by investigative journalist Madeleine Baran, Season 1 of In the Dark looks into the case of an 11-year-old boy named Jacob Wetterling who went missing in rural Minnesota in 1989, and Season 2 studies a long-overdue justice served to the killer responsible for shooting four people to death in a Mississippi furniture store in 1996. If you can stomach the terrible realities exposed in this show, you’ll be riveted by the twists and turns of the stories, and impressed by the accountability to which those in power are held by the reporters.
Bear Brook
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Bear Brook is a thoughtful and complex exploration of a 1985 cold case in which four bodies were found in barrels near Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. For three years, NHPR reporter Jason Moon worked to create a true crime show with a more conscientious approach than the majority of similar podcasts. The story is thrilling, the storytelling is top of the line, and the groundbreaking discovery of a new technique changed the investigative process forever.
Believe Her
From Lemonada Media, Believe Her is a captivating new true crime podcast challenging our beliefs about domestic and sexual violence. The show follows the story of Nikki Addimando, a young mom of two, who shot her partner of nine years and was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for murder, despite her claims that she was acting in self-defense. The complexity of Nikki’s story brings a fascinating, poignant twist to the true crime genre.