10 Best True Crime Podcasts to Keep You Up at Night
You can deny all you want but you are here for a reason: to satiate your desire for bone-chilling, nerve wracking true crime podcasts. Whether it is going over one crime per episode or one crime over multiple episodes, true crime podcasts really just satisfy our inner soul and start our descent to madness.
True crime catches our curiosities because we get a glimpse into the minds of probably some of the worst people who ever walked this planet and decided to commit heinous crimes. We get to understand their ways and how they were able to do what they did to their poor, innocent victims. Sometimes, we cannot even help but compare if we have similar attributes to those serial killers, right?
But even if you are just listening to true crime podcasts for relaxation or for a deeper study, it is best to have a guide on where to start. Let us take a look at some of the best true crime podcasts that you can listen to.
1. Serial
Serial is hosted by Sarah Koenig wherein she narrates nonfiction stories over the course of multiple episodes. The series is leaning towards investigative journalism wherein each season focuses on one unique event. In season 1, the podcast featured a Baltimore County-based investigation of the 1999 murder of 18-year-old Woodlawn High School student Hae Min Lee. In season 2, it focused on an American Army soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for 5 years and was then charged for abandoning his military duty. In the most recent season 3, the podcast was set in Cleveland wherein cases within the Justice Center Complex were explored.
As of writing, the podcast is yet to release a new season.
2. My Favorite Murder
My Favorite Murder is hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, both of whom are comedians. Their podcast episodes come in what they call “minisodes”. Their 325 episodes as of writing usually vary from “minisodes”, to celebrity hometowns, and to recorded live shows. Hometown murders are usually the topic when it comes to “minisodes”. When it comes to celebrity hometowns, this now involves Karen and Georgia to sit down with a celebrity as they talk about hometown murders, personal experiences, and family legends.
3. Criminal
Criminal is said to be one of the earliest true crime podcasts to have aired. With Phoebe Judge as the host, the podcast explores people who have been victimized, been accused of, and basically just been caught in the middle of a crime. With 20 episodes in 2 years, the podcast tells a different story every episode across all imaginable topics.
As of writing, the podcast is still said to be active but it has not released a new episode in 7 years.
4. S-Town
Some very valid critiques have been leveled at the 'This American Life' spin-off 'S-Town,' which is, to be honest, not a true crime podcast in the most literal sense. But you'd never guess it from the first three episodes, in which host Brian Read is invited to Woodstock, Alabama by local oddball John B, who is convinced he has discovered across a murder mystery. What occurs next is completely unexpected, and some argue that Read should have given up on the project entirely. But what he discovered is genuinely amazing – if scary.
5. Morning Cup of Murder
Yes, this is a limited series with carefully prepared one-hour long individual episodes that have a huge impact on global consciousness. However, they might be excessive at times. 'Morning Cup of Murder' is a daily ten-minute podcast that recounts the events of a murder that occurred on that particular day in history. That's all there is to it. But it's excellently written, and if you're looking for a daily murder spike, it's hard to beat.
6. Suspect
When one of the hosts, Aparna Jinaga, is murdered, a Halloween haunted house party goes horribly wrong. When one of the guests is unfairly imprisoned and sentenced to prison based on inadequate evidence and racial bias, the web of harm becomes even more complicated. Returning to the case more than a decade later, Suspect provides a unique look at forensic science, the investigation process of Jinaga's murder, and how prosecutors' pursuit of justice may sometimes result in the opposite outcome.
7. Bad Women: The Ripper Retold
Jack the Ripper, who brutally murdered five women in 19th-century London, is perhaps one of history's most iconic serial killers. But, according to Bad Women host Hallie Rubenhold, there's a lot we don't know about Jack the Ripper. And, more significantly, we don't know anything about his victims. The series examines the infamous London killings from the eyes of five women.
8. Stuff the British Stole
Each week, host Marc Fennell concentrates on an object, individual, idea, and maybe even a pet that the British took during their empire-building exploits and skilfully delves into its background and significance. It's a very damning tale of the plunder-hungry Brits, as you might guess from the title, but that doesn't stop Fennell from seeing the ridiculous side of imperial adventure.
9. Death in Ice Valley
Is it really Scandinavian if it’s not a true crime? The Isdal Woman, an unnamed woman found dead near Bergen in 1970, is the subject of this partnership between the Norwegian public broadcasting service NRK and the BBC World Service. There's evidence to assume she was a Cold War spy, but her identity has never been established, and her cause of death is still a point of contention. The podcast, which was created by Norwegian investigative journalist Marit Higraff, has unearthed several important clues, yet the woman's name remains unknown.
10. The Hurricane Tapes
Due to Bob Dylan's iconic 1976 song about him, the case of Black US boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, who was convicted of murder in 1967 on ridiculously thin grounds, has forever gained prominence in American culture. But there's more to the story than can be contained in the lyrics of a single (albeit lengthy) song. This great 2018 podcast walks you through the case's confusing and furious background, with invaluable insight from Carter's lesser-known co-defendant John Artis.
You can deny all you want, but you know that somehow, true crime podcasts both give you the good and bad feels. Whether you listen to them for your entertainment, or maybe just an aid to let you fall asleep, remember that these true crime podcasts will be most valuable if you pick up the most important things it teaches you— how to not be a killer and how to not be killed.
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