This is a post about what I do at home while reading the newspaper and eating spicy eggs and rice on a Sunday morning. It involves listening to podcasts about crime and murder. If that last sentence left you with wide eyes and a face or terror… I know. It’s ok. More food on Thursday. Carry on and good day.
Now…
Do you want to talk to me about a murder mystery episode of 20/20 from 2002? We could. I could tell you all about the suspicious shoe prints in the slow leading out of the master bedroom’s patio door. I could tell you that the wife didn’t just disappear leaving her children. We could talk about how suspicious the husband’s 911 call was. We could speculate all night because I have THEORIES! I’ve thought about it a lot… likely too much.
Here’s the thing- you know that I have a mind for butter and sugar and biscuits and bacon. You get it. I’ve nailed home that point, rather relentlessly, for the past nine years. I also have a mind for true crime. It’s dark, y’all. Have you seen every episode of Forensic Files, too? It’s where you go when Law and Order Criminal Minds just isn’t cutting it. It’s real life stories of people and their people, the stories of times cut short and the insane circumstances that surround trying to catch the awful people who commit terrible crimes.
Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’re deeply horrified by me. Maybe you’re confused and curious. I understand every range of emotion. If you’re like me. If you’re a murderino (listen to the My Favorite Murder podcast and you’ll understand), here are a list of some of my favorite true crime podcasts. Some are really well-produced stories, others are more casual (inappropriate word choice?) and conversational (again with the word choice…). BUT, if you’re like me you’ve likely binge-listened to all of these. In that case. What else are you listening to?
Just know that if you see me with headphones in my ears on a plane, I’m listening to a murder podcast, taking mental notes as to not get murdered myself, and I’m feeling deeply suspicious of the man sitting next to me because you neeeeever know until you know.
• My Favorite Murder If you’d like to dip your toe into the true crime genre, you might need a friend or two. Hilarious, easy to laugh, sharp and clever friends who make no qualms about their obsession for crime and murder. Meet Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff. Let them talk to you about crime and murder and life and cats. I recommend starting from the beginning and just letting it wash over you. Really… the only way (this is not a true statement) to not get murdered is to be VERY well-educated and well-researched about murder. Georgia and Karen understand this and that’s why we’re staying sexy and NOT getting murdered (for as long as we can help it).
• Accused Brought to us by the Cincinnati Inquirer, is this thoughtful and compelling telling of Elizabeth Andes who was found murdered in her Ohio apartment in 1978. The police immediately pointed their police-y fingers and her boyfriend, but two juries disagreed. What happened? What the heck happened? I cried at the end of this podcast, spoiler alert.
• In The Dark I found myself listening to this podcast in my headphones (I think they’re called earbuds now but I don’t know when that changed or how official it is) at Target, in the kitchen towel aisle, with my heads covering my face in horror… if that’s any indication of this supremely tragic 1989 kidnapping. It’s the story of Jacob Wetterling, his friends, his town, his family, and how the case was just solved late last year, 27 years after his disappearance.
• Stranglers Have you ever heard of the Boston Strangler? Follow up question: do you have any idea how strange that string of murders in the 1960’s was? There was more than one strangler, and my goodness it was hard to be a woman and stay alive in Boston between 1962 and 1964. I’m not even kidding.
• Crimetown Think: organized crime, political corruption, great accents, Providence Rhode Island. I listened to much of this podcast while our gardening one afternoon and when I emerged from my podcast immersion I had bizarre knowledge of very specific Rhode Island politics and a little bit of a mob mouth. No apologies.
Are you listening to Casefile and/or Sword and Scale? Thoughts? Feelings?
If you’re wondering how I sleep at night after these true crime benders…. the answer is: not great. Be like me / don’t be like me. (Story of my life.)
xo Joy
Natalie
I stopped listening to Sword & Scale after it was revealed that he was sending inappropriate messages to his female fans and plagiarized a whole episode from a Rolling Stone article. There has been a lot of shadiness around the creator. I really love MFM, Generation Why, Someone Knows Something and All Killa No Filla. I also recommend frequently The Last Podcast on the Left. They don’t just cover true crime, they also dip into conspiracy theories, cults, and other horrors. With their serial killer episodes (and honestly pretty much all their topics) they do insane amounts of research and are incredibly thorough. I will say their humor is not for everyone, they are incredibly vulgar (which I find to be hilarious) and definitely not PC but when it’s hosted by three dudes, two of which are comedians you wouldn’t expect less.
joythebaker
Thank you for the suggestions Natalie!
Suvi Lambson
Someone Knows Something season 2 is so great! I’ve been telling everyone about it.
Emily Rose
Sword and Scale is not my favorite—literally found it affecting my mood in a way I couldn’t shake. BUT I love true crime generally!
I really enjoyed Undisclosed. Their first season they dove into the Adnan Syed case, but more deeply from the legal ins and outs. Their second season they explored an interesting wrongful conviction in Georgia. I haven’t listened to any of the new season yet.
Criminal is also great—20-30 minute episodes on all things criminal. Some are bizarre crimes, some are from a victim’s perspective, etc.
Kristina
Serial (season 1) was my gateway podcast for this genre. (Before that I was all about Rescue 911 and 20/20 as a kid…) I’ve got the same line-up as you and I do like Sword & Scale, but I cannot listen to the episodes about pedophilia and child abuse — too too much. S&S is one of the darker ones, but he also covers cult killings/activity, which I am so fascinated by. And Georgia and Karen joke about not forcing anyone to listen to the 911 recordings, but sometimes they’re insanely entertaining.
It does feel weird to admit to enjoying this stuff in mixed company, but I think it is about educating yourself, ESPECIALLY as a woman. F*ck Politeness, yo.
Allison
I highly recommend Criminal from APM. It’s not all murder, it covers a lot of different types and aspects of crime, but the reporting is really good and she also does solid interviews. Worth a listen!
chaucees
Omg, have you heard for Criminal?! Another amazing true cime podcast. Check it out! It’s one of my favorites.
Ashley
I always knew I liked you and now I know why (besides the food, duh). I’ve listened to all the ones you recommended, but Crimetown was a definite favorite.
Try homecoming next. It’s made by the same team that does Crimetown, but it’s fiction. I didn’t think I’d like it, but it’s SO good. It has Ross from friends and the older chick from 40 year old virgin. It’s short and definitely worth a listen.
Also, a podcast about other podcast and all things true crime (they often recommend new things to watch/listen/read) is Crime Writers On.
Oh and Bowraville – it’s about 3 kids who went missing in Australia. Kind of gruesome and hard to listen to at times, but in the best way. You know what I mean.
Over and out.
Kate
I <3 Crime Writers On. Bowraville was so interesting and so frustrating! Lately I've enjoyed (maybe not the best word choice) Stranglers, about the Boston strangler(s).
I refuse to listen to My Favorite Murder because the hosts dismissed the Owl Theory as silly :D
Kale
Sword and Scale is okay, but sometimes I have to turn it off because it gets too ridiculous. He’s very into sensationalizing the crime while adamantly insisting that crime is not to be sensationalized.
One podcast I love that is not all glitz and glamour is Dan Zupansky’s True Murder: The Most Shocking True Crimes in History and the Authors that Wrote About Them. Perfectionism is not his style, which is what I love about him.
Meredith Wall
Sword and Scale is a great podcast – but some of the episodes get REALLY dark! I have had to skip over some of them. The creator/narrator does a great job on researching the cases though, and I usually think about them for days after listening. I recommend it to anyone who loves true crime!
sarah
Up until a few days ago I would not have been interested in this post. BUT. A friend recommended Up & Vanished and I’ve been binge listening all weekend. I’m hooked! I might have to check out another crime podcast next…though I do notice that I’m feeling more scared at being alone or in the dark, which is probably not something I need more of in my life!
Karianne
I second Up and Vanished, it’s so good.
Valerie
I love Up and Vanished! Highly recommend.
Wendy
The Charles Manson episodes of You Must Remember this are an amazing listen. Fascinating to hear about the music, and politics and climate at the time. It’s a great podcast in general.
Joanna Schuth
Heartily second this! I was *riveted*.
chetanddot
I love You Must Remember This and the Manson episodes were SO good.
Christina
HI Joy!!! MFM got me hooked and now I’m listening to most of those you posted. I have to say this… you will love Sword and Scale. But it is dark at times. Like -I’ve have to pull out my earbuds to keep from vomiting-dark. But well researched and soooo terrifyingly good. Listen… then go back to Georgia and Karen for some comic relief. Stay sexy!!
Matt
20/20, Dateline, Forensic Files… I could go on and on and on. LOVE THIS.
Amy
Ooo, I love this list – will definitely check these out. I am so morbidly curious about true crime – and I’m glad I’m not the only one! Have you ever tried All Killa No Filla? It sounds a little like My Favorite Murder based on your description – it’s deep dives into the lives of serial killer by two lady comedians with some rather hilarious asides. Definitely worth a listen!
Andrea
Oh Joy, you made me laugh out loud, “we’re staying sexy and NOT getting murdered”!
Perhaps I laughed so hard because I too understand how intriguing murder stories can be. However, I keep it light with fictionalized shows like “Elementary” and “Rizzoli and Isles”, otherwise I would never get to sleep at night.
francetaste
I used to be such an addict of mysteries (murder or not), but I did notice that I started sleeping much better when I swore off TV and the typical French lineup of U.S. cop shows (dubbed. nothing worse than lips not matching sound). Some of them are so sick, and I don’t mean that in the complimentary way. True murder stories would be even worse, because somebody really was that sick.
That said, I have long been a podcast addict (podcasts were a lifesaver when I moved out of NPR reception). I binge on economics and politics, which are horrors in a different way.