A definitive countdown of the best true crime podcasts

Lyn Dawson has been missing for almost four decades. Two State Coroners reached the view that she is deceased. There has only ever been one suspect, Lyn Dawson’s husband, Chris Dawson. Within days of Lyn Dawson’s disappearance, Chris Dawson’s teenage lover was instilled to fill the hole left by Lyn. The Teacher’s Pet brought so much attention to the case that Chris Dawson was, for the first time, charged in connection with her disappearance. All of the shocking facts are laid bare in this captivating Australian true-crime pod that is also presently playing out in the Court’s.

While this podcast falls into the true crime genre, it is refreshingly specific, telling true tales of white collar crime. Since its release in January 2018, Swindled is building an impressive back catalogue of haunting accounts of corruption, fraud and embezzlement all with devastating consequences. Each episode of Swindled reminds listeners of how easy it is for innocent schemes to snowball into complex crimes.

The Spotify smash hit, Son Of A Hitman explores, over 10 episodes, the murders of 3 people including a US District Judge in 1979 with an alleged connection to Charles Harrelson, the father of actor, Woody Harrelson. Discussion of conspiracy theories are interspersed with details of the inconsistent case theory pursued by authorities and the largely circumstantial evidence relied on in this tale of this infamous ‘hitman’s’ activities. While Woody Harrelson doesn’t participate in the series, members of his family are interviewed and address the questions they have about Harrelson’s guilt.

The Root of Evil is an eight episode pod dedicated to investigating the Black Dahlia murder and the man suspected of committing it, George Hodel. It’s a murder for history buffs that takes listeners back to 1947 when Elizabeth Short (aka Black Dhalia) was killed. After Hodel’s death in 1999, his son (a former homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Police Department, no less) discovers information that leads him to believe that his father committed the murder. The podcast is unique because it is hosted by Hodel’s great-granddaughts who interview various family members to peel back the family’s uncomfortable history.

Jim Clemente is a former special agent in the FBI’s criminal behavioral analysis unit. Laura Richards is a former violent crime analyst at Scotland Yard. Liza Zambetti is the casting director for the long-running CBS crime drama series, Criminal Minds.  On the Real Crime Profile podcast they form a panel of experts that dives deep into profiling the criminals who have committed some of the world’s gravest personal atrocities, from Charles Manson to Dirty John’s evil protagonist, John Meehan.

We recommend that you do not listen to this podcast while in parks! It will frighten the bejesus out of you. Listeners are taken on horror-filled visits to Glacier, Shenandoah, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Hawaii Volcanoes, Chiricahua National Parks and many, many more. It’s no wonder national parks are popular locations for gruesome crimes – few people are around and the bodies are very difficult to locate. We recommend you check out the Park Predators website for epic cover photographs for each episode. Despite the tragic events that occurred in them, the photographs go a long way to ensuring listeners still want to visit them.

Who knew there was a market for a 10-ish minute daily podcast about a historical murder? Morning Cup of Murder has proved that there is. It’s short, sweet and gruesome! Having first been released in Augsut 2019 there are SO many episodes in the back-catalogue that you will be set for morning, midday and afternoon cups of murder for some time to come.

Having launched in 2015 and now with a back catalogue of hundreds of episodes, the Last Podcast On The Left (which also appears on our list of the best funny podcasts of all time) balances morbid true crime with light-hearted comedy. From the haunting crimes of black widow serial killers to the murderous misdeeds of Canada’s deadliest serial killer, Robert Pickton, the show is definitely only suitable for an adult audience, but if you love black comedy and want to hear broody real-life stories laced with outlandish jokes and impersonations, this one’s for you.

Fake Heiress tells the story of the rise and fall of convicted fraudster Anna Sorokin (aka Anna Delvey). Using the concocted alias of Anna Delvey, Ms Sorokin convinced New York’s high society that she was a wealthy German heiress. To maintain the facade she defrauded banks, hotels and wealthy individuals. It’s mind boggling how many institutions gave her money to enable her to perpetuate her extravagant lifestyle. Fair Heiress is presented in partially dramatized format with actors and actresses performing fictionalised elements of the otherwise true story.

Rodney James Alcala aka the Dating Game Killer is a brutal rapist and murderer. His crime spree spaned the American east and west coasts between 1971 and 1979. So brazen was he that in 1978, during the period when he was most criminally acitve, he appeared on the television show, The Dating Game. He actually won the competition but the eligible bachelorette refused to go out with him because she reportedly found him “creepy”. Talk about a reliable gut-reaction. While convicted of 8 murders, it has been estimated that the number of deaths caused by his hand is as high as 130. The pod is produced by Wondery so it’s professional with high-quality production.

Believed, produced by NPR tells the terribly sad story of the crimes committed by Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor against hundreds of women and girls in his case. The pod looks at how these women struggled and ultimately achieved justice. Like so many stories like it, this podcast highlights the prevelance of doubt in otherwise responsible adults and how it is exploited by perpetrators to facilitate the continuance of their own twisted desires. Believed is ultimately a story of perserverance and hope.

Produced by the ultimate podcasting professionals at Wondery, American Scandal is constituted by a variety of “seasons” (29 in total to date) of mini-series dedicated to some of America’s most notorious scandals. American Scandal has made our top crime list despite it being crime adjacent, rather than crime centric: the subject matter covered in each mini-series is wide-ranging, both in terms of content and time-period. Lance Armstrong, The Red Scare, Bernie Madoff and, The Unabomber are but a taste of the subjects addressed. American Scandal stands apart because the topics are addressed comprehensively over three to four, 30-40ish minute episodes. The format means that listeners are taken on a deep dive, but each episode is easily digestible. It’s a good format for maintaining listener’s attention. Having actors role-playing short snippets during episodes mixes up the way the information is delivered and helps to transport listeners to the world of those wrapped up in each scandal.

Undisclosed is dedicated to presenting stories of wrongful convictions and the US criminal justice system. The 400+ episodes that span 20 seasons in the archives demonstrates how massive the phenomenon is. Fans of Serial experiencing withdrawals after finishing listening to Season 1 will be delighted to learn that the Undisclosed team take a look at The State v Adnan Syed. The show has an impressive social justice record – they have been instrumental in achieving relief for of 14 defendants whose cases they have explored. Absolutely worth your time and respect.

We loved Someone Knows Something so much we also included it on our list of top podcasts like Serial. In the first of multiple series of the hugely popular show, David Ridgen investigates the case of Adrien McNaughton who, at the age of 5, disappeared without a trace on a family fishing trip in 1972. In season two, Ridgen searches for answers in the case of Sheryl Sheppard who disappeared 4 days after her boyfriend proposed to her on national television, in 1998. The most recent series investigates the murders of Charles Moore and Henry Dee who were found in the Mississippi River in 1964.

Presented by two quick-witted socially progressive true-crime buffs from the UK, Hannah and Suruthi, RedHanded has amassed a cult following. A huge part of the show’s charm is the rapport the presenters have with one another and their often hilarious takes and tangents. The research is far-ranging and with more than 200 episodes in the bank, you will have more than enough eps to quench your thirst once you have become addicted.

Paper Ghosts, as the name suggests, is dedicated to investigating stone cold murder cases. Season 1, released in August 2020 takes listeners back 50 years to when four girls went missing in neighbouring New England towns. Season 2 tackles the death of four membes of the Stevenson family found inside a farmhouse in Ohio during the 1981 Fourth of July weekend. Both series strike at the heat of how devastating not-knowing truly is.

Connie Walker and her team have returned for season 2 of Missing & Murdered with the tragic tale of Cleo Nictone Semaganis. Cleo, a young Cree girl was apprehended by Saskatchewan child welfare officers in the 1970s and, her family believes, was raped and murdered while she was attempting to hitchhike from her foster family in the United States back to Canada. With only a single photo of Cleo as proof of her existence, Missing & Murders: Finding Cleo seeks to discover what really happened to Cleo and ascertain where her remains are located. With episode one released on 14 March 2018, now is the perfect time to start listening.

It took 27 years for law enforcement in Minnesota to solve the case of the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling, even though the man who would finally admit to the crime was sitting under their nose the whole time. In The Dark tells the story of Jacob’s disappearance and explores how badly the police bungled their duties to solve the case.

Jeffrey Dahmer, the necrophiliac murderer who cannibalized his victims. Dr. Death, the British doctor caught intentionally and covertly killing the patients who trusted him. Edmund Kemper, the Co-Ed Killer who was released from custody for killing his grandparents only to orchestrate a string of horrific slaughters on college students. Since 2014, The Generation Why Podcast has profiled the worst serial killers of all time, the world over, and put together a body of podcasting work that all true crime fans should explore.

The creators of Dirty John have cemented their place as top creators of pods in the niche, medically inspired true crime pod genre with the release of Dr. Death. In this captivating season, the shoddy practices of Christopher Duntsch, a former neurosurgeon are laid bare. The stats that drew suspicion to Duntsch’s work alone are staggering: out of the 38 patients operated on by Duntsch in a two year period, 2 died and 31 suffered serious injuries. Listen to discover how this happened and why the system didn’t identify the problem sooner. While we’ve been raving on about Dr. Death since its release, others in high places have been entralled deciding to turn it into a television series for Netflix.

Casefile True Crime, enthralling at the best of times and downright chilling at the worst of times, sits alongside Serial in the pantheon of great crime podcasts and tops our list as the best episodic true crime show out there right now. Each episode of Casefile is told in precise detail, with exceptional control over the crime narrative, and the well-kept anonymity of the host adds much enigma to the show’s brand, which percolates through to each epsiodes. For the listener, the host’s apparently natural storytelling talent draws out the drama and suspense inherent in every tale. Ironically, perhaps the only criticism that can be levelled at the show is that it can be too powerful on the psyche and can become omnipresent in your life if you listen to too many episodes in quick succession. You might find yourself, like I did, second guessing everyone you thought you once knew…

In October 2005, Tara Grinstead, a 30 year old high school teacher disappeared after leaving a friend’s BBQ.  Since her disappearance was reported, there has never been a confirmed sighting of Tara and no persons of interest were identified until February 2017. The audio, particularly the interviews, can be difficult to hear but the presenter, Payne Lindsay circles back and ensures that the listener catches pertinent details.  Getting a fresh take on Grinstead’s disappearance was always going to be tough given the level of press coverage the case has received. But Lindsay achieves it in Up and Vanished by seeking to crack the tough veneer of small town Ocilla, Georgia and speaking directly to those involved rather than focusing on old case files.

Having already covered over 100 true crimes, My Favorite Murder has raked in a swag of 5-star reviews since its launch in January 2016. The show’s hosts, Karen and Georgia, have perfected the art of blending comedy with gritty crime and their kooky hosting chemistry makes for both entertaining and compelling listening. If you’re looking for a break from the brooding true crime shows you’ve been listening to, My Favorite Murder offers the perfect cocktail of felony and frivolity.

From Alcatraz escapees who may or may not still be alive to biologists who’ve made their careers testing stomach contents to work out estimated times of death in criminal trials, Criminal explores just about every true crime topic imaginable, and does it with incredible storytelling mastery. Nothing slips through their investigative traps and every episode is short and well narrated for optimal listener engagement.

The podcast that started it all: Serial. We unresevedly believe Serial deserves the top spot in this top true crime podcast list. One cannot underestimate the impact that this groundbreaking series presented by Sarah Koenig and developed by This American Life has had on the true crime podcast genre. Series One, especially, stands the test of time – it is as good on a 2021-lockdown re-listen as the first time we downloaded it in 2014. It has also had massive international attention – by February 2016, season 1 of Serial had been downloaded over 80 million times. For those of you who aren’t in that group of 80 million, season 1 is dedicated to investigating the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old female student at Woodland High School in Baltimore. In season 2, Koenig and her team investigate the disappearance of Private Bowe Bergdah who walked off his US Army post in 2009 and was captured by Taliban members. Season 3 changes tact and rather than presenting a linear story about a single event, various cases being heard and determined in the Justice Centre Complex in Cleveland are examined. Serial’s most recent series (series 4, ‘Nice White Parents’ released in August 2020 and series 5, The Improvement Association released in April 2021), have moved away from the true crime genre. Nevertheless, by the time you get to these series, you will be so addicated to the impressive display of investigative journalism that you’ll gladly step-away from true crime to listen.