on the request of one of my readers
(that sounds so fancy. I love it!)

The list consists mostly of true crime podcasts because that’s my favorite genre and what I know about most.

1. H3 Podcast

Wouldn’t recommend it at this time, but I haven’t invested anywhere near as much time into a podcast as I have with this one, so it’s gotta be no. 1 per default.

2. Your own Backyard

One of the best true crime podcasts there is and most famous for being extremely influential in the reopening and later solving of the cold case it is about. It’s about an (at the time) unsolved disappearance/murder of a young woman at a party.
TW sexual assault(s)

3. S-Town

Probably the only podcast I have listened to over and over again.
It’s about the (real) life story of a guy named John B. McLemore. He’s very eccentric, sad and sympathetic. Major themes of the story are mental health, obsession, queerness and feeling stuck in a shitty life unable to change or move forward. The podcast is considered to be kind of controversial for multiple reasons, one being that a lot of people consider it voyeuristic and explorative.
I totally get the critiques, but it still means a lot to me.

4. The Shrink Next Door

Very strange and interesting story about a very fucked up therapist who exploited the trust of his patients to enrich himself. Extremely captivating and just bizarre in a very entertaining way.

5. Serial (Season 1)

THE true crime podcast and one of the firsts that really got me into the genre. Unfortunately it still bugs me a lot that there still isn’t that much clarity on the case despite all the time that has passed and the massive amount of attention it got due to the success of the podcast.

6. Musicalsplaining

A podcast that Lindsay Ellis, one of my favorite youtubers started about 5 years ago. The premise of it is that she loves and knows a lot about musicals and her co-host and friend Kaveh hates them.
Every episode they watch another musical together, review it and share their knowledge about it. I really wasn’t that interested in the topic when I started the podcast but then I started watching all the shows they talked about and really got into it for a while. The enthusiasm is contagious!

7. Uncover (The first 10? seasons)

Very well made canadian true crime podcast where the subject changes every season. I’ve listened to the first 10-11 seasons (I think) and it took a long time til I got bored and stopped listening, so I think that kind of speaks for itself. Seasons 1, 3 and 6 were my favorite if I remember correctly.

8. Chameleon (Seasons 1 and 3)

Another anthology true crime podcast, but about less gruesome crimes. Every season is about a different scammer case. Unfortunately the quality of the seasons differs a lot, so I would only recommend season 1 (queen of the con) and season 3 (wild boys). I really really liked those.

9. Monster (Seasons 1-3)

Anthology true crime podcast about serial killers. The first season is about a case I have been very interested in for years, the Atlanta child murders. That’s how I first got into it. At the time I listened to all the seasons that were available and never followed up on it again. Now that I’m making this list I’ve discovered that there are 3 more seasons I have yet to listen to. So, yay!!
Thanks, person who asked me to make this list. I can listen to the 3 new seasons now. \o/

10. In The Dark (Season 1+2)

Another canadian true crime anthology podcast. I don’t remember a lot about the first season (except that I liked it), but the second one made a lasting impression. It’s about a man who’s been wrongfully convicted of murder, which would normally be the type of story I’d avoid because it’s so depressing and happens way too often, but the show is so well made and captivating that I couldn’t stop listening. Spoiler: it ends with the guy getting out of prison (after decades!!) and I remember crying all the way through the last 1-2 episodes. Really really good.

Honorable mentions: Truer Crime, Devil in the Dorm, Bear Brook (S1), The Thing About Pam, The Teachers Pet, That Chapter Podcast, Rotten Mango, The Dropout, Finding Samantha, oh and this really obscure one, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it…it’s called “This American Life”. 🙃