🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
True-crime podcasts are some of the most popular in the world, often dominating the charts above big hitters such as The New York Times.
People can't seem to get enough of unsolved crime, especially murders, as they seek to devour the latest audio serial on the topic.
In 2020, true crime was the third most-popular podcast genre in America, according to Statista. Its cousin, the true-crime documentary, grew 63 per cent in popularity between January 2018 and March 2021. That made it the fastest-growing genre in the streaming industry, according to Parrot Analytics data.
True crime's popularity has seen a boom in podcasts being added to online platforms, and it can often be overwhelming to pick which show to listen to next.
However, we've got you covered, with 10 of the most popular true-crime podcasts in the U.S.
1. 'Undetermined'
Investigative journalist Jessica Noll and former Detective Todd McComas try to solve the disappearance and death of Jessica Easterly Durning, 43, from her New Orleans home in 2019.
The word "undetermined" is used in a coroner's report, to describe the cause or manner of death when there's insufficient evidence for a more specific determination.
Jessica's death was classified as undetermined, but her friends and family believe someone played a role in her suspicious disappearance, thanks to evidence of foul play.
2. 'Crime Junkie'
Crime Junkie is a weekly true-crime podcast dedicated to giving listeners "a fix."
Co-host Ashley Flowers tells the audience the crime she's been obsessing over that week in a way as though she's chatting with friends.
The storytelling is straightforward and easy to follow.
3. 'Murder & Magnolias'
Dateline's Keith Morrison explores the murderous story of betrayal involving a couple who had seemed perfect.
The story of Chris and Nancy Latham tells of how a hitman tried to kill Nancy in 2013 during divorce proceedings against her husband.
This complicated story and cast of characters has to be heard to be believed.
4. 'Dateline NBC'
A classic of the genre, the Dateline NBC podcast shares current and classic episodes, featuring true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
5. 'Proof: A True Crime Podcast'
This investigative podcast looks into a night in October 1996, when a gunshot was heard in a trailer on the outskirts of Rome, Georgia. It was found that 15-year-old Brian Bowling had been shot in the head.
He died the next morning, and investigators decided the wound was self-inflicted, but within six months, two of his friends were arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill Brian.
Cain Joshua Storey and Darrell Lee Clark were sentenced to life in prison and were released only this week. But was this an evil teenage plot or a miscarriage of justice?
6. 'The Deck'
This cold case-focused podcast works with investigators and family members to solve a number of crimes.
It's called The Deck based on how some law-enforcement agencies have replaced the faces of traditional playing-card decks with images of missing and murdered people. They have distributed them in prisons, hoping inmates would come forward with critical information to solve the cold cases.
7. 'Bone Valley'
Michelle Schofield was found dead in a phosphate pit in Florida in 1987 when she was just 18. Two years later, her husband Leo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
But, 15 years after that, previously unidentified fingerprints matched Jeremy Scott, a violent teenager who lived nearby. He then confessed to Michelle's murder, but Schofield remains behind bars.
Bone Valley host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy may be responsible for even more murders than Michelle's.
8. 'Culpable'
In 2013, Brittany Stykes, 22, was shot and killed while driving down Highway 68 in Brown County, Ohio.
Host Dennis Cooper returns for a second season to find out what happened to this young mother whose life was cut short. The first season explored the case of Christian Andreacchio, whose death in Meridian, Mississippi, in February 2014 was ruled a suicide, despite substantial evidence that pointed to murder.
9. 'My Favorite Murder'
The long-running and very popular podcast is hosted by lifelong fans of true-crime stories Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.
In this serious, but oftentimes humorous, podcast, the pair tell each other their favorite tales of murder and listen to hometown crime stories from friends and fans.
10. 'Murder With My Husband'
Hosted by husband and wife duo, Garrett and Payton Moreland, this podcast ventures into the darkest of stories.
The only problem is: Payton has been obsessed with true-crime for as long as she can remember, but Garrett hates it. It's the perfect formula for a true-crime podcast.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more