Just a decade ago, podcasts made up a minuscule part of the media landscape. But, today, millions of us are devoted listeners. And, just like TV, film, and books, true crime is one of the top genres. If you’re a true crime fan, there are hundreds of crime podcasts you can listen to – but not all are made equal.
The right podcast can plunge you into a dark world of murder and mystery, hook you with chilling tales of duplicity and deception, and get you listening to multiple episodes back-to-back. But with so many podcasts available, which are the very best?
Whether you’re already a true crime podcast convert or only dipping your toe into the world of serial murders and cold cases, there’s a podcast out there for everyone. Here are 10 of our top picks.
1. Serial (2014)
You can’t have a list of the best true crime podcasts without featuring the one that kicked off the craze. Serial is the most successful and famous crime podcast of all time and its 2014 premiere propelled podcasts into the mainstream. Today, Sarah Koenig’s in-depth exploration of a 1999 Baltimore murder has been downloaded over a hundred million times, becoming a major cultural moment along the way.
The podcast dives deep into the murder of high school student Hae Min Lee, questioning the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed. Serial interviewed witnesses, played trial testimonies and police interviews, and picked over key documents. But it also discovered new evidence – and Koenig’s prison phone calls with Syed were a particular highlight. This podcast birthed a generation of true crime fans, and changed how many of us thought about convictions.
2. Dirty John (2017)
Following Serial’s success, podcast creators scrambled to find the next big thing, and Dirty John hit the mark. Inspired by a 2017 investigation by the L.A. Times’ Pulitzer-prize-winning reporter Christopher Goffard, the eight-part podcast was recorded later that year, with Goffard reporting and hosting. Dirty John delves into the dark world of conman John Meehan, described by police investigators as “the most devious, dangerous, deceptive person” they’d ever encountered.
The podcast focuses on John’s relationship with divorced businesswoman Debra Newell, who he met on a dating site. Believing him to be a Navy doctor, and caught up by his handsome charm, Debra falls fast for John. But John, of course, is not who he says he is, and the two become entangled in an increasingly twisted web of love, deceit, denial, and forgiveness. With fascinating psychological insight and stellar pacing, Dirty John will keep you gripped until the violent, unthinkable finale.
3. West Cork (2018)
If you’re looking for a gripping, spine-tingling podcast, it’s difficult to do better than West Cork. Hosted by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey, this excellent podcast revisits the horrifying unsolved murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier, a French film producer, in rural Ireland in 1996. Found beaten to death near her remote West Cork holiday home, Sophie’s violent murder rocked the area’s tight-knit community.
West Cork takes listeners back to the time of the murder, two days before Christmas 1996, as well as the weeks and months after, when suspicion followed several residents. The investigation and trial are also covered. If you caught Netflix’s docuseries Sophie: A Murder in West Cork, you might think you know who the killer is…but this infinitely more in-depth podcast may change your mind. At times haunting, at times horrifying, West Cork relays this case with genuine sensitivity and care.
4. Bear Brook (2018)
If you’re looking for a true crime podcast with plenty of character development and a gripping narrative, Bear Brook might be for you. Hosted by US radio host Jason Moon, Bear Brook takes listeners back to the summer of 1985 – specifically to the woods of Bear Brook State Park, New Hampshire. When three boys come across a mysterious barrel, they playfully kick it over without looking inside. But 15 years on, a second barrel is found just feet away from the first, and the story changes gear.
The barrels lead to the discovery of four bodies: a woman and three young girls. Who are they? What happened, and why? Bear Brook answers these questions – and more – as it follows this decades-long cold case, which spanned the length of the US. When new evidence is uncovered, years later, the case is reopened, and a serial murderer is revealed. Season two of Bear Brook is also highly praised, but it follows a different case, and it’s season one that’s considered the ‘must listen’.
5. You Must Remember Manson (2015)
The 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, orchestrated by Charles Manson, were more than a series of gruesome killings in the Hollywood Hills; they became the symbolic end of the 60s. Few true crime stories have captured the public imagination quite like that of the sociopathic Manson and his ‘Family’ – seemingly normal young people who were readily prepared to kill for him. Few mediums have covered the story as well as the history podcast You Must Remember This.
Exploring “the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century,”, the podcast dedicated a whole season to Manson in 2015, which soon became the standalone season, You Must Remember Manson. Expertly reported by Karina Longworth, the podcast explores the making of Manson, the years leading up to the brutal murders, and the subsequent trial, revisiting one of the most tumultuous eras in Hollywood history.
6. S-Town (2017)
Produced by the makers of Serial, S-Town starts like your typical true crime podcast. When John B. McLemore contacts host Brian Read to tell him about an unsolved murder in his hometown of Woodstock, Alabama — a place he insists on calling “Shit Town” – you might think you know roughly how the podcast will play out. But, S-Town is not a true crime podcast at all; it’s an incredibly complex deep dive into one man’s life.
When Read learns no murder ever actually happened, he turns his focus on McLemore himself; who is this puzzling eccentric, and why is he making up murders? But at the end of episode two, McLemore kills himself by drinking cyanide. Some critics say S-Town is exploitative and should have been abandoned then. Perhaps so, but it wasn’t, and the result is remarkable, troubling, complicated and, at times, both profoundly sad and painfully beautiful.
7. Your Own Backyard (2019)
If you like seeing results from podcast investigations, Your Own Backyard might be for you. Hosted by journalist Chris Lambert, this one-man, 10-episode podcast investigates the 1996 disappearance of California student Kirstin Smart from a party. Haunted by her disappearance at the time, Lambert tells the story in great detail, yet with respect and sensitivity, and his compelling podcast reignited interest in a case that had been cold for 25 years.
Your Own Backyard honed in on Paul Flores, Kristin’s fellow student at Cal Poly, and the one person of interest in her disappearance. Following new information uncovered during the podcast’s investigation, Flores and his father, Ruben, were arrested in 2021 and charged; Paul, with first-degree murder, and Ruben with accessory to murder. The podcast merges extensive investigative reporting with coverage of the 2022 trial, featuring commentary by the prosecution and jury.
8. In the Dark (2016)
Fans of long-form investigative journalism and deep dives into a single subject shouldn’t miss In the Dark, an award-winning podcast, reported and hosted by The New Yorker journalist Madeleine Baran. The first season revisited the 1989 abduction of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, asking why it took authorities 27 years to solve the case. While gripping, and absolutely worth listening to, season two had the most impact – not just with listeners, but on the case itself.
Season two focuses on Curtis Flowers, a black man who was tried six times for the same murder – by the same prosecutor. Reporting from Mississippi, the podcast examines each trial, and revelations from the investigation – including that the prosecution misrepresented evidence and eliminated black jurors – which led to the Supreme Court overturning Flowers’ most recent conviction. Charges were dropped in 2020, putting an end to this astonishing 24-year-saga.
9. Sweet Bobby (2021)
Not all crime podcasts involve murders. Not all even involve crimes. In the UK, catfishing – pretending to be someone else online to fool somebody – isn’t illegal. But after listening to Sweet Bobby, a six-part podcast from Tortoise Media, you may be left wondering how that’s possible. This is the story of Kirat Assi, a British Sikh woman who became the victim of perhaps the world’s largest and most complex case of catfishing, where a whole world of digital deception was created on Facebook.
When Kirat becomes Facebook friends with Bobby, a cardiologist whose brother used to date her cousin, the two start chatting. Gradually, over months and then years, Bobby introduces Kirat – virtually – to his friends and family, slowly seducing her into a toxic relationship involving shootings, witness protection, and life-threatening illnesses. But Bobby isn’t real…so who’s impersonating him? This expertly-told podcast, which examines coercive control, will leave you questioning everything – and everyone.
10. Casefile (2016)
While most popular true crime podcasts tend to follow stories for multiple episodes, some have a more singular focus – so if you prefer dipping in and out of podcasts, Casefile may be for you. What started in 2016 as a one-man project has grown to include a large multinational team and, today, the episodes are still frequently churned out. The one constant is that the host, an Australian man, remains anonymous.
Each case is meticulously researched, the writing remains unbiased, and the lack of commentary allows listeners to make up their own minds. Unlike some other podcasts, Casefile always keeps the focus on the victims themselves, never glorifying the killer or feeling exploitative. There are hundreds of episodes, so you can pick which type of case you’d like to hear about: categories include historical, serial killer, mystery, and cults.
Final thoughts…
Fascinating and thought-provoking, and often haunting and chilling, it’s no surprise that true crime podcasts have become so popular.
Hundreds of millions of people have downloaded the episodes featured above and listened, captivated, as these sometimes frightening, sometimes frustrating, real-life stories are told. Often hosted by veteran reporters, these investigations aren’t just compelling to listen to; in some cases, they’ve even resulted in convictions, and solved decades-long cold cases.
Whether you enjoy long, deep dives into single stories or prefer to dip in and out of episodes, these 10 podcasts will keep you gripped – and some will stay with you long after you’ve finished the final episode.
For more podcast inspiration, you might want to read our article, 16 interesting podcasts to try.
Have you listened to any of these podcasts? Do you have any of your own suggestions for the best crime podcasts? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.