Top True Crime Podcasts of 2018

Our fascination with true crime in unmatched. Cold cases, serial killers, unjust sentences—the world of true crime is no longer limited to daytime TV. And podcasts lend themselves perfectly to the telling of true crime tales—over the course of a season, they can get in-depth about intense, confusing, and shocking cases, or give you the highlights in a one-case-per-episode manner. However you prefer, podcasts are changing the game when it comes to true crime. And it's not just a matter of telling the stories: in many of these podcasts, the team does their own investigation, presents their own findings, and gives you the opportunity to interpret the evidence right along with them, just as the police, detective, even FBI have done already. Here are the best true crime podcasts of 2018.

Sword and Scale is an incredible podcast, which uses interviews, 911 calls, witness statements, and more to reconstruct the most gruesome cases for listeners. Each episode covers a new crime, and with well over 100 episodes, that's a whole lot of murder to listen to.

This is not a podcast for the weak of heart. In part, that's due to its content. While fans of true crime podcasts are certainly no strangers to the grim and gruesome, the crimes described and investigated in Sword and Scale are truly some of the most horrendous, horrifying, and dark occurrences you will ever hear about. This is not just about crime and investigation and justice—it's about the underbelly of the world, acts of violence that make you question humanity.

But honestly, it's not just the choice of content and grim detail into which creator and host Mike Boudet goes—it's also, frankly, his voice. Listening to these horrendous events is one thing—listening to them in a deadpan, monotoned, unaffected voice is another. So get ready to be addicted... but get ready for the nightmares.

Crimetown is a podcast for the dramatic. First, they don't shy away from the big stories—namely, organized crime. You won't find tales of bedroom quarrels turned crimes of passion here, but you will find dramatic retellings of some of the most high-profile criminals in America. The first season, for example, focuses on a variety of loosely-related crimes in Rhode Island, presenting events and evidence that may (or may not) implicate major families and figures in many or all of them.

Besides the dramatic content of this true crime podcast, the producers and hosts really know how to tell a story. While staying true to the fact, they create immense suspense, drama, and intrigue, with a soundtrack to fit. They also don't ask you to accept any particular conclusions, but rather present the information, and allow you to draw the connections yourself.

I said of Crimetown above that they don't shy away from the big stories. But that's nothing compared to their spin-off podcast, The RFK Tapes. This podcast, currently in its first (and perhaps only?) season, is about the Robert F. Kennedy assassination. So, not quite a "grassy knoll" story, but, almost literally, its brother. Some may find The RFK Tapes just a bit too, well, conspiracy-theory sounding, but true crime fans will recognize the quality of the investigation and portrayal of the case. Podcast hosts Zac Stuart-Pontier's and William Klaber make an interesting duo, as Zac is a young journalist, who heard of Klaber only through one of his father's cassette tapes, and Klaber a retired journalist and author. In fact, Klaber wrote a book on the RFK assassination, entitled Shadow Play. Much of the content of this podcast is taken from his investigation, and that book.

You probably won't walk away from this podcast wearing a foil hat, but it will certainly make you rethink many of the things you think you know and trust.

From the producers of NPR's This American Life and S-Town, Serial is widely considered the gold standard of true crime podcasts. Each season tackles one case, beginning with an investigation into an already closed murder trial. Host Sarah Koenig searches for answers about a murdered teenager and her ex-boyfriend, who was quickly convicted. But the more she digs, the more holes she finds in this seemingly open-and-shut case. Each episode introduces new facts and new findings, with interviews, original police records, court documents and witness statements to weave a story of doubt and deceit. New evidence arises, even in the last weeks of Koenig's investigation, keeping listeners in constant suspense and doubt.

The Generation Why Podcast began in 2012, one of the very first true crime podcasts. The podcast hosts, Aaron and Justin, discuss a range of criminal activity and topics, from unsolved murders to large-scale conspiracy theories. They offer facts and data, as well as their own opinions and interpretations. Because each episode presents a new case for the two to discuss, it's not the in-depth, investigative reporting of many other true crime podcasts—but it has a much broader breadth, covering an incredible range of crimes—including some recent, controversial cases in the national spotlight, such as the Brock Turner ruling in California.

Casefile True Crime is one of the most carefully researched and well-detailed true crime podcasts out there. The podcast hosts take care to present as much information as possible, and provide a complete background, without injecting their own opinions or theories, or biasing your interpretation with emotional storytelling. In this calm, professional manner, they allow the listener to absorb the facts as they are, and follow the case as any investigator would. In general, each episode covers one case, but they do occasionally devote a series of two or three episodes to a single crime, in those cases that require more time to properly outline and detail all the relevant information.

Criminal is a podcast for all your true crime interests—not just the gruesome murders and cold cases. Each episode tackles a different topic, ranging from unjust killings to the lives of coroners. With over four years of content, and episodes that can stand alone, Criminal gives listeners the opportunity to dive into their interests and skip around, or listen straight through. The episodes are also much shorter than most true crime podcasts, making them a perfect option for a quick jog or car ride, or just something to do when you need to kill a little bit of time.

Fans have also praised host Phoebe Judge for having a soothing, calm voice that makes difficult information easier to digest.

David Ridgen, host of Someone Knows Something, has a sincere and compassionate way of discussing difficult cases of terrible crimes. Though this might not appeal to those who want nothing but cold, hard facts, it is a pleasant way to get into true crime, especially for the more sensitive of listeners. He investigates cold cases, generally pursuing a single case over the course of a 10-episode season, and personally interviews many of the witnesses and players in the crime. This podcasts focuses mainly on the events of the cases and the perspectives of the witnesses, giving it a softer edge of humanity than many true crime podcasts.

Podcast hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark are an excellent duo for a more fun, comedic, personal take on the true crime podcast. The two friends discuss their "favorite" murders, as well as taking stories from fans, friends, and other listeners. While it might seem a little morbid for two comedians to get together and make a podcast out of lightheartedly discussing murder, they do it in a way that expresses a kind of sincerity and maturity, walking the line between clever and disrespectful. It certainly won't be for everyone, but this is definitely a podcast to give a listen to if you're into small town murders, cats, and good laughs.

In the Dark differs from other major true crime podcasts, like Serial, in the same way that Law and Order differs from Criminal Minds. It has the same general structure, with each season devoted to a single murder case, but focuses much more on the justice system and legal proceedings of the case than the murder itself. In doing so, host Madeleine Baran and her investigative team highlight some of the failings and weaknesses of our law enforcement and justice system—weaknesses that can lead great tragedy.

The team responsible for In the Dark is not in the entertainment business—they are investigative journalists, of the most tenacious and professional kind. They devote years to the investigation of these crimes, and only then do they report their findings.

Up and Vanished is the incredible story of a 12-year cold case, the disappearance of Tara Grinstead. Payne Lindsey, the host and investigator, began his investigation into the case with the original motivation of making a documentary, à la Making a Murderer. But as his investigation heats up, new leads open up, leading to a re-opening of the case and the re-involvement of the state of Georgia. It's one of the top true crime podcasts you should be listening to.

That's what's most striking about this case—what begins as an exposition of an ancient case, with no more than small hopes of new interpretations, has in fact entirely broken open a new case, leading to a potential resolution after all these years.