There are approximately seven zillion true crime podcasts out there now – so which ones are actually worth listening to? We’ve made the ultimate list.
I am generally one big scaredy-cat who can easily terrify myself if I hear a strange noise in the dark (or convince myself that I might have heard one). I watched The Ring during daylight hours and still had nightmares.
Yet, somehow, I am also someone who consistently listens to true crime podcasts and watches all the scary documentaries on Netflix and Neon.
And I wonder why I don’t sleep particularly well…
If you’re like me (a murderino!*) you will already have your favourite go-to podcasts, but in case you’ve missed these – or are new to the genre! – here are my top five true crime podcasts of late:
Dirty John
Debra Newell, an interior designer in Southern California, meets a handsome doctor, John Meehan, on an over-50s dating site. Debra falls fast and hard: John is a divorced, Christian anaesthesiologist who professes his love for her early on. They quickly make plans to marry and Debra believes him to be the perfect husband. But, her children aren’t so keen on John and worry that his story doesn’t add up. Why does an anaesthesiologist have no money? When he leaves his house in the morning in his blue scrubs, where does he actually go for the day?
The rift escalates – John puts the blame on her children – they’re spoilt and are trying to sabotage her relationship, he tells her. Debra’s psychologist tells her she needs to establish boundaries with her children. But, is there something more sinister going on, and could there be secrets in John’s past he is trying to hide?
In episode one of this podcast (which I found RIVETING), you immediately hear details of a murder – someone has been brutally killed, but who? It will take the entire podcast to unravel which of the key characters has been killed, and who does it.
This true story is TRULY insane and beautifully unfolds in this podcast. I found the narrator’s voice a little grating, but it’s worth it for hearing this story.
If you’ve already watched the Netflix series of the same name (starring Eric Bana and Connie Britton) you’ll already know the story and outcome well – but if you haven’t seen it, please, listen to this podcast BEFORE watching. It’s so much better. (I’m sorry Eric and Connie, I love you both!)
My Favourite Murder
It’s not often that you see the words “true crime” and “comedy” in the same sentence, but that’s exactly what this hit podcast serves up. Its hosts Karen Kilgariff – a stand up comedian and TV writer – and Georgia Hardstark – a writer and host for the Cooking Channel – are upfront about the fact that their podcast isn’t for everyone.
Each week they do a deep dive into a well or lesser-known murder, going over all the ins and outs, while sharing plenty about their own personal lives. They also serve up a ‘Minisode’ each week – sharing short ‘hometown’ stories, written in by listeners about crimes, strange things found in the walls, creepy uncles, life-saving pets, or any number of whacky topics they throw out to their audience.
Karen and Georgia are vocal about their struggles with depression, eating disorders and addiction, and use comedy as a coping mechanism to deal with darkness. They’ve also written a book, based on one of their catchphrases: ‘Stay Sexy & Don’t Ge Murdered!” Both it, and this podcast are GOLD.
* Fans of this podcast will obviously have understood what I mean when i said Murderinos.
The Teacher’s Pet / Trial / Accuser
Lynette Dawson was reported missing by her husband, former rugby league player and teacher Chris Dawson in 1982. The pair lived in Australia’s Northern Beaches, and it was presumed (mainly due to the evidence given by Chris) that his wife had walked out on him and their two young daughters and run away – perhaps to join a commune.
But in this podcast by The Australian, reporter Hedley Thomas delves into the cold case and finds some disturbing twists in the case.
Chris had enjoyed a bit of stardom in the 70s as both he and his twin brother (yes, this story has it all – even a mysterious twin) were star rugby league players – both were handsome, charming and well liked in the community. But by 1981 Chris was teaching at Cromer High School when he began a sexual relationship with a student – 16-year-old Joanne Dawson. He even invited Joanne into the home he shared with his wife, on the guise of being a babysitter, while Lyn began to suspect there was something going on.
In January 1982 Lyn went missing. Three days later Chris moved Joanne in to the home – taking a full six weeks to report his wife missing.
This podcast has to be heard to be believed – it’s riveting stuff. As it was unfolding in 2018, it became massively popular, putting pressure on the NSW police to reopen the case – and to dig up the old home to search for clues, or perhaps even Lyn’s remains.
It has now made legal history after Chris Dawson was charged with Lyn’s murder in April 2019 and a judge ruled in 2020 that the trial could not take place that year, due to the popularity of the podcast and the resulting “media storm”. Chris pled not guilty and his defence team say he would face “considerable forensic disadvantages in advancing his defence,” due to the podcast being downloaded a mind-boggling 28 million times.
SPOILER ALERT: A ruling was made on this case in 2022 – you can see the details here, or listen to the follow-up podcast, The Teacher’s Trial for the full story. There’s now also a third series – The Teacher’s Accuser.
Serial
This, my friends, is where it all began. In 2014 Sarah Koenig decided to investigate an old crime, record every step of her journey, and turn it into a new fandangle thing called a podcast. Every podcast you hear today will bear some hallmarks of Sarah’s style, which quite literally heralded podcasts into the mainstream.
If you didn’t listen back then, Serial is well worth tuning into. Sarah takes us back to Balitmore in 1999 where Hae Min Lee is a popular high-school senior, who suddenly disappears after school one day.
Six weeks later, detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he’s innocent – although he can’t remember exactly what he was doing on that January afternoon…
Again, there is a big update on this story – for the spoiler alert as to what has come next click here.
Truth & Lies: Jeffrey Epstein
This ABC podcast is made by the same folks who made the extraordinary series, The Drop Out. If you missed The Drop Out, it tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes – the youngest self-made female billionaire who founded Theranos – a company which promised to change healthcare forever. The Silicon Valley company ended up being one gigantic fraud, for which Elizabeth faces up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
Changing gears, this time around the team meticulously investigate the Jeffrey Epstein case, going over every step of his life, uncovering new evidence and highlighting the incredible work of other journalists and detectives who blew up this case.
The series begins by taking the listener back to 2005, to Palm beach where a mysterious millionaire is inviting young girls to his mansion to give massages. It is a disturbing listen, but tells the story excellently – I haven’t seen a single TV documentary that has been able to rival this series.
