True crime podcasts are all the rage these days, with new shows popping up seemingly every week. The genre first exploded into popularity in 2014, and has only continued growing since, giving way to thousands of serialized shows offering insight into numerous slayings, unsolved mysteries, and occasionally paranormal happenings. In fact, the true crime genre frequently tops the list of most popular daily rankings on the biggest streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. With so much content to parse through, it can become difficult for true crime addicts to discover new reliable podcasts that offer them the thrills, chills, and kills that they’re looking for.
So, let’s take a moment to list a few of the greatest true crime podcasts to ever hit the web, ranking them by the quality of their stories, presentation, and likability of their esteemed hosts. If you’re a fan of the true crime genre, you have to check out the following podcasts at least once, as you’re all but guaranteed to enjoy at least one of them. Without any further preamble, let’s strap on our detective hats, dust off some cold case files, and kick off our list.
7. Sistas Who Kill: A True Crime Podcast
We’re starting off this list with the hit series Sistas Who Kill, a true crime podcast that centers on the intersectionality of black women in the criminal justice system. Best friends MaRah and Taz spend 30–90 minutes each episode focusing on women who kill, and how they are overlooked and under-treated throughout the booking and sentencing process. If you’re interested in the legal side of the true crime genre, with an affinity for social justice causes, this podcast will be perfect for you. The series began as a hobby for the hosts back in 2020, and has since become so lucrative that the gals have made the show their full-time hustle.
6. My Favorite Murder
For those looking for a lighter, more comedic approach to the true crime genre, be sure to check out My Favorite Murder. This podcast offers a bi-weekly deep dive into serial killers, cold cases, and all things creepy as hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark crack wise along the way. The series has done episodes on the Zodiac Killer, the Black Dahlia, and even the Golden State Killer, who terrorized multiple California counties throughout the 1970s and 1980s, evading capture until his identity was revealed in 2018. Kilgariff and Hardstark have had such massive success with My Favorite Murder that their catchphrase from the show, “Stay sexy and don’t get murdered,” eventually became the title of their 2019 book.
5. Bear Brook
Unlike previous entries, Bear Brook doesn’t offer a weekly look into separate and unrelated true crime stories. Instead, this New Hampshire Public Library-funded podcast offers a long-running deep dive into the tale of the Bear Brook murders, taking place in 1985 and 2000. These murders saw victims dumped in barrels in the eponymous New Hampshire state park, and remained unsolved for decades, allowing for plenty of material to parse through. Over the course of 10 episodes, which aired throughout 2018, host Jason Moon examines the police files, forensic data, and public sentiment surrounding the bizarre case, offering tons of insight throughout.
Bear Brook became so popular after its conclusion that Moon returned for a second season in 2023. Season 2 of the true crime podcast centers on the story of Jason Carroll, who has served decades in prison for a crime that he claims he did not commit. Over the course of 10 new episodes, Jason Moon explores the case, as well as Carroll’s appeal plea. Moon works to uncover a host of thought-provoking information which may still lead to real-world consequences, as Carroll continues to fight to have his conviction overturned.
4. Scamanda
True crime isn’t just about serial slayings, with some shows, such as Scamanda, taking aim at other illegal acts like fraud. The show originally ran for only 8 episodes, though it has continued to come back for repeated bonus outings as developments in this case continue to take shape. Scamanda centers on Amanda C. Riley, a mother, blogger, and now-convicted fraudster who claimed to have terminal cancer as a means to scam hundreds of thousands of dollars from her well-meaning followers. Award-winning journalist Charlie Webster explores the life and identity of Riley, unpacks how she was able to build her online empire on a pillar of lies, and eventually dissects the outcome of her arrest and trial.
Developments of the Scamanda case have continued to play out in recent months. According to Deadline, the podcast series has even been optioned for a television adaptation with ABC. While the docuseries doesn’t yet have an official air date, new episodes are expected to arrive as early as Fall 2024.
3. LISK: Long Island Serial Killer
If you’re looking for something that blends the long-running format of a weekly show with the intense deep dives of something like Bear Brook, look no further. Long Island Serial Killer, or simply LISK, follows the lives and deaths of the young women who fell victim to Rex Heuermann. Heuermann was arrested in 2023 for a spree of killings that occurred along Long Island’s Gilgo Beach, stretching from the early 1990s through to the early 2010s. While it’s deeply unfortunate that the killer was able to get away with his crimes for so long, it leaves tons and tons of information for host Chris Mass to parse through, intercut with interviews from families of the victims, police investigators, and more.
LISK first began back in 2020 long before Rex Heuermann was convicted, and has continued to air new episodes over the course of the last several years as Heuermann’s case proceeds. As of this writing, the series has just released a new breakdown of additional murder charges against Heuermann, which were incurred in June 2024. If you’re interested in jumping into a very active case with a massive backlog, this may be the perfect true crime podcast for you.
2. Ridiculous Crime
Clocking in as the penultimate pod on our list, we have Ridiculous Crime. Not all fans of the true crime genre are interested in rounding out their weekly commute with graphic tales of viscera and gore. Sometimes, you just want to sit back, hit play, and enjoy a podcast that offers details of real criminal activity that won’t make you sick to your stomach. If you fall under this category, you’ll find that Ridiculous Crime is a guaranteed hit. The series touts a 99 percent “murder-free” episode structure, which usually dives into bizarre and hilarious tales of theft, fraud, and con-jobs gone wrong. Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton of iHeartRadio host the off-the-wall podcast, delivering hour-long takes on sidesplitting tales every week.
1. Crime Junkie
It’s difficult to even bring up the topic of true crime podcasts without bowing to the undisputed GOAT, aptly titled Crime Junkie. This show, which tops our list, touts nearly 100,000 glowing reviews on Spotify alone, just to give you an idea of the listenership the show carries. As you’ve likely surmised from the podcast’s title, Crime Junkies centers on hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat as they deliver the details of mysterious cases dating back to the 1940s.
For a weekly show that dates back to 2017, you’d figure these two would run out of steam by now, but there never seems to be a shortage of true crime stories to cover. The show also splits up their content by diversifying from murders, kidnappings, cold case files, and other variations, allowing listeners to pick and choose their interests if they don’t want to faithfully catch each and every episode. If you’re looking for a true crime podcast to jump you into the genre, there’s truly no better point of entry than the OG Crime Junkies show.
