From "Dr. Death" to "My Favorite Murder," these crime podcasts delve into a wide variety of history's most chilling cases — each one more disturbing than the next.
True crime has been having something of a renaissance in the past few years. In fact, the genre has become so immensely popular that it often teeters on the edge of becoming oversaturated. Fortunately, among the swaths of true crime podcasts out there, we’ve narrowed down a list of the best that are actually worth your time.
And we would know a thing or two about crime stories. After all, we’ve been covering true crime here on the site for more than a decade now, and our own podcast, History Uncovered, has touched on a range of some of the most morbid, macabre, and mysterious unsolved cases out there.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the 21 best true crime podcasts you can listen to right now, from wide-ranging shows like The Last Podcast on the Left to deep, in-depth investigations as heard on The Dropout.
My Favorite Murder
My Favorite Murder
Odds are, if you’re into true crime, you’ve heard of My Favorite Murder. The podcast is a mix of comedy and crime hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, and they’ve been breaking records since they debuted in 2016. In that time, they’ve also started their own podcast network, sold out live shows all across the country, and written a dual memoir called Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered.
The Shrink Next Door
The Shrink Next Door
The Shrink Next Door may sound familiar if you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber, since it was adapted into a series starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd. The podcast, however, tells the firsthand story of journalist Joe Nocera and his neighbor, Isaac Herschkopf, a psychiatrist who regularly abused his relationship with his patients for personal gain. The 14-episode series is a perfectly binge-able exploration of power dynamics and corruption.
The Dropout
The Dropout
The Dropout is an ABC production all about Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos labs, and how a woman who once took Silicon Valley by storm found herself at the center of a highly-publicized criminal investigation facing decades of jail time. Hosted by ABC News correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, this series encapsulates a multi-year investigation and features interviews with Theranos employees, investors, and patients — as well as Elizabeth Holmes’ own deposition testimony.
Morbid
Morbid
Morbid, despite its name, is an often lighthearted and comedic show that emphasizes heavy research into a litany of subjects, including true crime and creepy history. With more than 500 episodes, hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley have a wealth of stories under their belt, including the Dyatlov Pass incident, multiple episodes on John Wayne Gacy, and the Dybbuk Box.
Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories
Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories
From the title alone, it should be obvious what the Spotify original show Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories covers. What might be surprising, however, is how deeply the podcast dives into history. With episodes ranging from subjects like the death of Cleopatra to the mysterious demise of Edgar Allan Poe, Unsolved Murders delves into territory well beyond what its name would suggest.
The Last Podcast On The Left
The Last Podcast on the Left
While it bills itself as a horror podcast, The Last Podcast on the Left covers a range of macabre topics, including cryptids, cults, and serial killers. Hosts Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski keep the tone light, allowing listeners to feel like they’re hanging out with friends while having a few drinks and a couple of laughs.
Dr. Death
Dr. Death
Dr. Death started as a podcast discussing the crimes of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas-area doctor who severely injured almost all of his patients — and killed two of them. But Duntsch wasn’t the only surgeon who failed his patients, and host Laura Beil has created two more seasons of her hit show, with the second season focusing on the story of Farid Fata and season three delving into the case of Paolo Macchiarini.
Root Of Evil
Root of Evil
Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia, or more simply Root of Evil, serves as a companion podcast to the TNT series I Am the Night. It focuses on one of America’s most infamous unsolved mysteries: the Black Dahlia murder. Hosted by Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro, Root of Evil reached the number one spot among podcasts in the United States when it debuted in 2019 — and for good reason.
Scamanda
Scamanda
Scamanda is an investigative true crime podcast that explores the life and lies of Amanda Riley, a woman who made a name for herself blogging about her journey with cancer — a disease she never had. Hosted by award-winning journalist Charlie Webster, Scamanda exposes Riley’s lies and lays the truth bare, using her very own words against her.
White Lies
White Lies
White Lies is a podcast from NPR that has released two seasons at the time of this publication. The first season delves into the 1965 murder of Reverend James Reeb. The second focuses on a group of Cuban detainees who took over a federal prison in Talladega, Alabama, on Aug. 21, 1991. Unlike many other true crime podcasts, the crime at the center of season two of White Lies is not a murder. Rather, it explores the immigrant experience in America, the cost of indefinite detention, and what happens when a country turns its back on the very ideals it claims to uphold.
Your Own Backyard
Your Own Backyard
Your Own Backyard is the rare true crime podcast that succeeds in actually helping to solve the case it is investigating. In this instance, it is the case of Kristin Smart, a young woman who was murdered in May 1996 by her classmate Paul Flores. But for 27 years, Flores walked free — until Chris Lambert got involved, created Your Own Backyard, and reinvigorated interest in the case, all the while gathering new evidence that helped shine a light on the man Paul Flores really was.
Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders
Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders
Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders is a concise true crime series covering the mysterious and tragic deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German, two girls who were killed in February 2017 just outside the small town of Delphi, Indiana. Known as the Delphi murders, this story is chilling — and is made even more terrifying because of the video Libby German took just before she disappeared: a man telling the two girls, “Down the hill.”
The Art Of Crime
The Art of Crime
The Art of Crime is created, written, and narrated by Gavin Whitehead, who explores the unlikely collision between true crime and art. A friend of our podcast, History Uncovered, The Art of Crime’s subjects range from Valerie Solanas, the woman who attempted to kill Andy Warhol, to the ancient Roman emperor Nero, a brutal ruler who had an obsession with becoming a musician.
Bone Valley
Bone Valley
Bone Valley explores the aftermath of the murder of an 18-year-old girl named Michelle Schofield. She was found dead in a phosphate pit in Florida in 1987, and her husband Leo was eventually convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years later, however, new evidence pointed to a violent teenager named Jeremy Scott, who confessed to killing Michelle. Despite this, Leo Schofield remains in prison — but host Gilbert King has new evidence that shows Jeremy Scott was responsible for more than just Michelle Schofield’s death.
Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie is an all-encompassing true crime podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, two self-confessed “crime junkies” who have covered more than 630 stories on their show since 2017. The podcast releases new episodes every Monday, covering cases the hosts are currently obsessing over. It has a very casual, dinner-with-a-friend feeling to it, so if you can’t get enough true crime in your life, take some comfort in knowing that, with these hosts, you’re not alone.
Fairy Meadow
Fairy Meadow/BBC
Fairy Meadow is an investigative BBC audio show hosted by news correspondent Jon Kay. The podcast explores the sudden and strange disappearance of three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer, who was taken from an Australian beach in 1970 — and never seen again. It’s an engrossing mystery, told with the professionalism and quality expected of a BBC production, and one that’s sure to keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Suspect
Suspect
Suspect is an investigative series that is currently in its third season. Each season covers a different case of mislaid justice. The show began when journalist Matthew Shaer received a letter from a man accused of murder. The man swore he was innocent and that the most compelling evidence against him was something called “touch DNA” — DNA transferred from a person to an object when they make contact with it. Shaer and another reporter, Eric Benson, became fascinated with the case, especially once they traced it back to a brutal killing at a Halloween party in Seattle where everyone had been in costume.
In The Dark
In the Dark/The New Yorker
In the Dark is an acclaimed investigative podcast from The New Yorker that began with the story of Jacob Wetterling, a young boy who was abducted on an October night in 1989. Yet, for 27 years, the investigation yielded no answers. The first season of In the Dark delves into Jacob Wetterling’s case — and how law enforcement mishandled it.
Serial
Serial
Serial is easily one of the most well-known true crime podcasts of all time. A spin-off of the incredibly popular This American Life, Serial set the standard for the true crime series that would follow it. The show’s first season covers the disappearance of Baltimore teenager Hae Min Lee in 1999, the arrest of her boyfriend Adnan Syed for her murder, and the lingering question of his guilt.
Anatomy Of Murder
Anatomy of Murder
Anatomy of Murder is a weekly true crime podcast series that examines a variety of homicide cases, but with a unique twist — it’s hosted by former New York City homicide investigator Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi alongside Emmy award-winning journalist and former deputy sheriff Scott Weinberger. Whereas other true crime podcasts largely feature “armchair” detectives who observe cases from a distance, Anatomy of Murder offers listeners insight from genuine experts and gives a peek behind the scenes of some of the most engrossing true crime stories in recent memory.
Man In The Window
Man in the Window/The Los Angeles Times
Man in the Window is a gripping true crime series from The Los Angeles Times covering the years-long saga of serial killer Joseph James DeAngelo, otherwise known as the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo, an ex-cop himself, terrorized residents across California from 1974 to 1986 and eluded police for more than four decades. Man in the Window is hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Paige St. John, who examines the twisted case of the Golden State Killer through his victims’ eyes.
After learning about some of the best true crime podcasts you can listen to right now, see our list of 33 serial killer movies and the chilling stories behind them. Or, look at these 28 crime scene photos left by some of history’s most notorious murderers.
