True Crime Podcasts to Listen to Together

Listening to the same podcast is one of the simplest ways to bond over true crime: you can play an episode on a walk, in the car or while you cook, and you always have something to talk about afterwards. These five suit different moods, from comedy to serious investigative reporting, so you can pick by the kind of evening you want. Availability varies by app and country, so search each show by name in your listening app.

The one that started the craze: Serial

Serial’s first season premiered on October 3, 2014. It was developed by This American Life and hosted by Sarah Koenig, and it spent 13 episodes investigating the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee. The show is described as the first podcast to win a Peabody Award. Later seasons moved on to new stories, so you can start with whichever subject appeals to you both.

The weekly favourite: Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie premiered on December 17, 2017, hosted by the lifelong friends Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat and produced by Audiochuck. Episodes run from about 30 minutes to an hour, with new ones every week. Flowers narrates cases of murder, missing persons and serial killers while Prawat adds her perspective. That makes it a good fit for a walk or a drive.

The funny one: My Favorite Murder

My Favorite Murder began on January 13, 2016, hosted by the comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. One host tells a case while the other reacts, and full episodes arrive weekly and run 60 to 120 minutes. The hosts have described the show as a kind of therapy for their own anxieties about true crime. It has also faced criticism over its treatment of some groups and over factual errors, and it now has a corrections segment. It is a good pick if you want to laugh and still talk about the case.

Short stories with heart: Criminal

Criminal premiered in January 2014 and is hosted by Phoebe Judge. It was created by Lauren Spohrer, Judge and Eric Mennel. Each episode tells a different story, about people who did wrong, were wronged or got caught somewhere in the middle, and new episodes come out twice a month. It has won Webby Awards, and its mix of subjects suits listeners who want more than murder.

The serious reporting: In the Dark

In the Dark premiered on September 7, 2016 at American Public Media, with Madeleine Baran as host and lead reporter. Its first season examined the 1989 kidnapping and murder of Jacob Wetterling in Minnesota, focusing less on who was responsible and more on how the sheriff’s office handled the case. The second season looked at Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for a 1996 murder in Mississippi. The show has won several Peabody Awards and was the first podcast to receive a George Polk Award. It is the heaviest of the five, so choose it for a night when you want something weighty.

How to listen together

Pick one episode and press play at the same time, or listen separately and meet to compare notes. Pause when a theory needs discussing. Talk about the people in each case with care, and skip any episode that either of you would rather avoid. If a story stays with you at night, switch to something lighter.