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Last Updated: June 7th
True Crime and podcasts go together like peanut butter and (that wrongly incarcerated sh*t is my) jam! With the massive successes of Serial, The Jinx, Making a Murderer, and so many more, it’s clear that we have an insatiable appetite for all things true crime.
That means that there are a lot of choices out there — far too many to list here. But, we can tell you our picks for the 16 best true crime podcasts right now. So draw the shades, cuddle up safely in bed (maybe with some comforting tea), and start streaming one of these noir gems.
CRIMINAL
Criminal is one of the best podcasts out there regardless of genre. Each episode is expertly researched and presented in a straightforward, no-nonsense way. It’s spell-binding story-telling at its best. And it drives deep into the heart of the human stories behind the headlines and police reports.
You can start from the beginning of the 80+ episode run or start at the most recent episode. You’ll get hooked either way.
WHITE WINE TRUE CRIME
White White True Crime is hosted by comedians Kari Martin and Caitlin Cutt. The show takes hilarious and deep dives into the world of true crime with plenty of white wine to wash down all the terror. The show doesn’t make light of the subjects and the jokes are often as dark as the stories. It’s a great way to spend an hour getting a wholly new take on old (and new) true crime stories.
Although the show is on pause right now, you can jump in at any point in the 90+ episode run. We recommend starting with episode 91, “Bernie on Valencrime’s Day!,” where Kari and Caitlin talk about one of the weirdest true crime stories and docufilms starring Jack Black, Bernie.
S-TOWN
S-Town is a spin-off of the insanely popular Serial — which sort of felt like all anyone could talk about as 2014 turned into 2015. This iteration finds This American Life producer Brian Reed heading Alabama to do some true crime digging at the behest of one John B McLemore, a resident of “Shittown.” After someone ends up dead, “the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.” Add in some southern gothic characters and Spanish moss and you have yourself a must listen.
This is a serialized story, so start with Chapter One. And good luck not binge-listening to the whole thing.
UP AND VANISHED
Tara Grinstead up and vanished 13 years ago. Since then her case has been one of the most sensational and unsolvable in Georgia state history. Payne Lindsey, a former documentarian, decided to take on the case and created a chilling cold-case podcast while he conducted the re-investigation. It’s a gripping tale that blew up again last year — but you’ll have to listen to find out just what happened.
Jump in at episode one: Cold As Alaska.
CRIMETOWN
The minds behind HBO’s hit The Jinx conceived of the brilliant Crimetown as their follow-up. The podcast’s first season follows the life of a Providence, Rhode Island prosecutor as he fights organized crime, becomes mayor, and has his soul whittled away by the realities of America’s criminal underworld.
This is a fully serialized story, start with Chapter One so you get a proper introduction to the whole affair.
PRETTY SCARY
Pretty Scary is part of comedian Adam Tod Brown’s podcast network Unpopular Opinion, or Unpops if you’re in the know. The show is a bit of a hybrid with comedians Caitlin Cutt and Kari Martin’s White Wine True Crime podcast, and sees Brown as the straight man/host leading the banter, tangents, and terrifying crime stories. Pretty Scary sets itself apart by covering more than just classic “true crime” topics. Their episode on chemical warfare and the use of sarin gas throughout history being a great example.
The episode titled The Box is a great starter show. The crew welcomes True crime writer Joan Renner to talk about a slew of unsolved murders.
TRUE CRIME GARAGE
The premise of True Crime Garage is pretty simple: Two friends sit in their garage, drink beer, and talk true crime. Every week Nic and The Captain delve into new true crime stories that span the ages. They offer a fresh and well-researched perspective into old and new stories, unsolved mysteries, and plenty of craft beer.
True Crime Garage passed the 100 episode mark awhile back and is still going strong, so there’s a lot to choose from. We recommend hitting their 100th episode first. The guys go over their Top Ten Unsolved Cases and the ep offers a solid glimpse into their personalities and the show.
ACCUSED
In 1978 Elizabeth Andes was murdered in her Ohio apartment. Two juries later and it’s still not clear who killed her. Accused is the work of investigative reporter Amber Hunt digging back into the case with a wide array of first-person interviews expertly interwoven with in-depth story-telling.
Start with Chapter One to get a base for the crazy crime story that will unfold throughout the nine episodes.
MY FAVORITE MURDER
Comedians Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff host this lovingly rambling examination of true crime stories from the American mythos. My Favorite Murder’s often silly and always gripping coverage of grisly crimes has spawned a close-knit community of Murderinos who send in hometown murders which get covered on mini-episodes and posted up on the show’s blog. It’s interactive!
You can really jump around anywhere in the episode list. But if you have to have a recommendation, Episode 60: Jazz It Up is a great benchmark of the series.
SWORD AND SCALE
Sword and Scale is no laughing matter. Each episode is a deep dive into a darkly fascinating crime, it’s always well-researched and often comes with great interview subjects to bolster the episode’s validity. It’s a comprehensive look at some incomprehensible crimes, cover-ups, and some conspiracies that turned out to be more than just theories.
There are over 100 episodes to choose from, so it’s really dealer’s choice where to start. We recommend trying episode 86 which reexamines the Heaven’s Gate cult on the 20th anniversary of their (spoiler alert) mass suicide.
SERIAL KILLERS
Hosts Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson decided to take a different route with Serial Killers. Instead of chatting about a case, they tell a straight story by narratively voicing segments and characters. It makes for an audiobook-like experience and helps to raise the stakes of each story.
The podcast started last year, so there are 34 two-part episodes to choose from. If you want to jump in anywhere, start with episode five titled “The Vampire Of Dusseldorf.”
GENERATION WHY
Generation Why is an insanely addictive podcast. Two buddies, Aaron and Justin, spend around an hour recounting various crimes of the past and present. Each episode is well-researched and presented though banter that’s educational without making you feel like you’re in school.
There are over 250 episodes to choose from. A great example is episode 229 about the Belcher Islands Massacre when an Inuit man read the bible for the first time and decided he and his buddy were Jesus and God, respectively. As the episode title suggests, it doesn’t end well.
SOMEONE KNOWS SOMETHING
Crime does happen up in Canada too. Our sleepy neighbor to the north is full of tragedies, stories, and true crime. Listening to the CBC’s Someone Knows Something is like finding a whole new section in the library. Each season takes a deep dive into cold cases through the loved ones and family members of the victims. The harrowing and very personal take on cold case files is an engaging take on the genre.
There are four seasons available. Season four covers the mysterious death of Wayne Greavette who was killed by a mail bomb. There are five 45 minute episodes making the season easily bingable over a weekend.
TRUE CRIME HISTORIAN
Richard O Jones is a great true crime narrator. His podcast, True Crime Historian, takes a look at some of the most gripping crimes of the past and brings them back to life in the present. Jones’ retelling of big cases from the past and those that have long been forgotten offer a glimpse into the minds behind the madness, the way cases were investigated and maybe solved, and why they were important back then while still resonating to this day.
There are over 200 episodes to choose from. Each one is about an hour and covers one story — so you don’t have to worry about jumping in at any point. Our recommendation is to find a story that piques your interest and start there.
CASEFILE TRUE CRIME
Casefile True Crime is one of the most engaging podcasts out there right now. Maybe it’s the Anonymous host’s Australian accent helping us listen more and more. The true crime stories are truly stellar here. The production value is high, the stories are amazingly researched, and the narration pulls you right into the madness of it all.
There are over 80 episodes to choose from right now. Each one is about an hour or so and really you can jump in anywhere. There are a couple multi-episode series in the mix. The three episode arc about Jonestown is a great place to dive in and get a sense of the quality of this pod.
MOST NOTORIOUS
Most Notorious is another chance to take a sprawling dive into the crimes that have shook us and shaped us throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes has been obsessed with solving crimes for as long as he remembers and that enthusiasm makes this podcast shine. Rivenes often invites experts on to talk about their books which cover whichever crime is being highlighted in the episode, providing a very deep take on the subject. It’s conversational, engaging, and chilling.
We suggest the episode titled “1897 Chicago’s Sausage Vat Murder.” Simply because who doesn’t want to know what’s up with that story immediately??? Spoiler alert, it’s grisly.
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