In recent years true crime podcasts have exploded in popularity. These also lead to a surge in documentaries of a similar ilk. While most assume it was the documentaries that led to the explosion of true crime related content it was actually podcasts that got the ball rolling. Below I list my personal top five favourites along with numerous honourable mentions.
True Crime All the Time is co-hosted by Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson. Every Monday the two take you through another crazy true crime story. Their banter back and fourth is good and adds to the show. They currently have 186 episodes in the archive which will take months to get through!
Crime Junkie is another weekly podcast that also drops on Monday mornings. Hosted by Ashley Flowers and co-hosted by Brit Prawat, the two take you through different cases each week. The rapport the two have is obvious from the off and I love the way they present the evidence. You really get the sense that they care about seeing justice for what they are discussing.
Serial was the first true crime podcast to hit it big. In-fact it’s the only reason this article even exists, because without the incredible success of this show, many of the podcasts on this list likely wouldn’t exist. The same goes for a lot of the documentaries as well. Serial captivated everyone who listened and showed what a hunger there was for this type of storytelling and reporting.
There have been three seasons of the podcast so far and while they are all worth listening to, make sure you start at the beginning. The story of Adnan Syed is one of the craziest things you will ever hear. Sarah Koenig re-investigates the 1999 murder of student Hae Min Lee, a former girlfriend of Syed. You even get first hand information as Koenig uses actual audio from phone calls with Syed in prison.
Swindled is a bit of an outlier in this list as it doesn’t generally revolve around murder. Hosted by “A concerned citizen”, episodes delve into stories of corruption and wrongdoing. There is usually an smaller introductory story leading in to the main topic of conversation which is often equally compelling.
New episodes tend to drop every few weeks rather than on a strict schedule, but they are absolutely worth the wait. Plus if you are new to this podcast you will have the entire back catalogue to run through. This is one of the best podcasts of any genre on the internet.
For me there could only be one winner. Up & Vanished has had two seasons so far and while season two is good, season one is hard to beat for gripping audio. Film maker turned podcaster and amateur investigator Payne Lindsey has a ropey start in episode one but quickly gets the formula right as he goes over and above to get to the bottom of the unsolved murder of teacher and beauty queen Tara Grinstead.
While most of these seasons covering a single case end with more questions than answers, here you get to follow the case week to week while actual breakthroughs are made. This is a must listen for anyone interested in true crime. Also if you want more from Payne and the team he has since released a documentary on Tara’s case as well as a decent TV mini series with single episodes on some other fascinating unsolved murders. These are all available through Oxygen TV in America.
Honourable Mentions
True Crime All The Time Unsolved – Very similar to True Crime All The Time which made #5 on our list. This features the same two hosts going through unsolved cases and it drops every week.
Atlanta Monster – The series takes an in-depth look into the infamous Atlanta Child Murders, which occurred between 1979 – 1981.
Criminology – Yet another podcast hosted by Mike Ferguson of True Crime All The Time/Unsolved. In this one he has a different co-host by the name of Mike Morford (yeah… it’s a lot of Mikes). Again this was another one that could have easily slotted in at #5.
Hell and Gone – Season one investigates the cold-case murder of Rebekah Gould, a beautiful and popular college student who was killed in 2004.
22 Hours: An American Nightmare – A D.C. power couple, their 10-year-old son and housekeeper held hostage for nearly 24 hours and murdered inside a burning D.C. mansion. This podcast examines the complicated trail of evidence that police say led to finding their killer and why they say he committed such a brutal crime.
CounterClock – It’s been 20 years since emergency responders found Denise Johnson murdered inside of a burning home. Delia D’Ambra, revisits her small coastal hometown in North Carolina to dive deep into a 22-year-old cold case murder and arson that’s marred the image of where she grew up. This investigative series reveals new clues, never-before-heard interviews and tracks down potential suspects in the case.
The Teachers Pet – A 2018 Australian crime podcast that investigated the disappearance of Lynette Dawson in 1982. This podcast became so big that it has been blocked for download in Australia in-case it influences jurors in an upcoming trial. Hosted by journalist Hedley Thomas.
Undisclosed – Originally an addendum to Serial, this podcast is hosted by Rabia Chaudry, lawyer and cousin of Adnan Syed. Co-hosts Colin Miller and Susan Simpson are also law professionals. After the first season following Serial and Adnan’s case, Undisclosed branched out to cover cases of their own. After multiple seasons I think their best work is the season two coverage of Joey Watkins. Even after listening to it twice I cannot believe a guy so clearly innocent is in jail.
Well that’s my list. A top five followed by eight honourable mentions. If you somehow make it through all these recommendations and need more, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @VizualDze as I have plenty more suggestions.
-VDZE ✌️
