Best Real Crime Podcasts
Ever since Serial emerged in 2014 and awakened the world to the wonders of podcasting, real crime fans have been looking for a way to recreate it. The story of the murder of high school student Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed has since received TONS of press and made into both a book and an HBO documentary .
If you haven’t listened to him, then, anyway, start with this. Highly recommend Season 1 . Season 2 was good, but I loved Season 3 which followed the Cleveland courthouse for a year. However, I am originally from Cleveland, so it might have been a little more fun for me for that reason.
There are a few other obvious crime broadcast options that you’ve probably already heard of: The crime , half-hour (ish) show that covers a wide range of crime escapades, Dirty John , which has since morphed into a Bravo TV show. , and Crimetown , about the culture of crime in a big city. And, of course, there is the gem known as S-Town about the murder in a town that is not very kindly called Shittown, Alabama. This is good stuff.
But when you run out of basics, where do you go? Not just any old crime boss will do; A good true crime podcast should include engaging stories as well as detective stories or dramas. You want to go deeper without feeling like things are dragging on too long. And, perhaps most importantly, the voice of the presenter should not be annoying.
Doctor Death
The story of a Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Dunch, in whose operations dozens of patients were seriously injured or killed, is terrifyingly gripping. After hearing this, you will vow to research every doctor you will ever go to from now on. You won’t trust anyone.
In the dark
Be sure to listen to the first season of the 1989 abduction of Jacob Wetterling and the failed law enforcement investigation into the case. The case led to the creation of a sex offender registry and helped rekindle parents’ fears of “someone else’s danger.” As long as you do it, look a series of 99% Invisible on the theme ” Children of cardboard boxes”, which explains in detail how images and information about missing children began to appear on the packages due by milk in the 1980s.
Bear creek
Two bodies were found near an overturned barrel in Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire in 1985. Fifteen years later, two more bodies were found in a second barrel. Unable to even identify the victims, let alone the suspect or the motive, websites with DNA evidence and genealogy are being used to further the complex investigation.
Over my corpse
Two attractive, wealthy college-educated lawyers get married and move to Tallahassee. What could possibly have gone wrong? Apparently an awful lot. There are a few chilling twists and turns in this 2014 case, including an interesting extended family dynamic and a pair of (presumably!) Hired Killers.
Up and disappeared
Beauty queen / high school history teacher Tara Grinstead went missing in 2005, disappearing without a trace from her Georgia home. The first season takes a close look at this case, which is known to be the largest case in the history of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Many romantic interests = many potential suspects.
Not disclosed
Speaking of deep dive – and Georgia – if you want to go deep, deep into a murder case, the Undisclosed State v. Joey Watkins investigation will take you a while. A man from Georgia was (… wrongfully …?) Sentenced to life in prison for aggravated assault, stalking and murder. The presentation resembles the first season of the series.
Murderville
Murder at Taco Bell, followed by three more brutal murders in Adela, Georgia. This short – just six episodes plus an epilogue – but it has it all, including the shocked town and possible wrongful conviction.
Atlanta Monster
What’s going on NA, Georgia ?? I don’t know why this state produces so many of the best real crime podcasts, but here we are. Atlanta Monster is the first season of the Monster podcast (the second season of the Zodiac Assassin), which tells the story of the disappearance and murder of more than 25 black children in Atlanta 40 years ago.
My favorite murder
If you want to make things a little easier, My Favorite Murder is as engaging as it gets when you discuss, you know, murder. Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, this podcast of true crime comedy features the tagline “Stay Sexy and Don’t Be Killed,” which is very good advice. In fact, I prefer “mini-series” in which they read the letters from the listeners about the almost murders that the authors of the letters experienced. The mini-episodes are short and sweet, and don’t include as many casual pranks from the hosts that tend to overshadow the longer single-case episodes.
Staff recommendations
I know I can’t find all the forensics that are worthy of listening to them yet, so I posed a question to the Lifehacker staff, asking their favorites. To be honest, they didn’t help much. I have a serial proposal (sigh), S-Town, My Favorite Murder and Dirty John. Cooking & Drinks editor Claire Lower likes The Last Podcast on the Left , which seems to be a cross between comedy and horror, so I’m seeing a prank.
Just as I was about to write off the staff entirely, our dedicated editor-in-chief Melissa Kirsch took a break from her busy day to kindly – and thoroughly – present her recommendations:
I’ve listened to a lot of Australian murder podcasts and the only thing I have to say is DON’T WORK ON NORTHERN BEACHES because if you go there you will probably get killed.
The two best ones I’ve heard are Teacher ‘s Pet , about a rude high school gym teacher and former rugby league star who had an affair with a student and who may or may not bury his wife in his backyard; and Phoebe ‘s Fall , about a woman who either climbed into a garbage chute or was shoved into a garbage chute.
When it comes to crime predictions in North America, I like The Dream of multi-tiered marketing campaigns; The Pope ‘s Long Swindle about a southern politician that is a complete bogus; and Season 1 of the Canadian masterpiece, Disclosure: Escape from NXIVM , about this cult in upstate New York, even though no one was killed by them as we know it .
Then she came back an hour later to tell me that a Bikram season of 30 for 30 podcasts was good too. A quick search brought up this description, which moved it to the top of my Listen To List: “Bikram Chowdhury’s fitness revolution brought a boom in yoga to America. But his guru status allowed him to behave more and more gloomy. “
That’s all. Stay sexy and … don’t get killed.