Entertainment

11 True Crime Podcasts To Binge Now That You've Finished 'S-Town'

by Eitan Levine
NPR

Now that you've binge'd your way through "S-Town," we've got 11 other true crime podcasts for you to plow your way through.

America has a massive true crime boner right now. I mean, the boner has always been there, but over the past few years that boner has reached critical boner mass.

"The People v. OJ Simpson," all those JonBenét Ramsey specials, "The Jinx," "Making a Murderer" and a billion other crime docs have become breakout hits because, as a society, we cannot get enough of watching real life people get hella murdered.

DURST BURP!

That list was all TV shows and specials, though, which means unless you want to be THAT GUY on the subway with an open laptop, the only real way to get your true crime fix on the go is through podcasts.

Here are 11 true crime podcasts to fill that dark freaky void you have in your life now that you've gotten through "S-Town."

1. "Serial"

This is the gold standard of true crime podcasts. It's probably partially responsible for the recent surge in true crime programming.

There are two seasons. The first deals with the murder of a Baltimore high school senior in 1999, and the second deals with the case of Bowe Bergdahl -- both of which will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

2. "Missing Richard Simmons"

While this technically isn't a classic true crime podcast, that is only because it is unclear whether or not a crime is actually happening.

This oddball podcast follows the bizarre "semi-disappearance" of fitness icon Richard Simmons.

3. "My Favorite Murder"

Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, each episode of "My Favorite Murder" features retellings of their favorite murder stories as well as hometown crime tales from the hosts and listener submissions.

4. "The Mind of a Murderer"

"The Mind of a Murderer" is narrated by criminal psychologist and trial consultant Dr. Michelle Ward.

The series features interviews with actual real-life murderers, and it is insanely spooky. I guarantee this is one of the creepiest things you will ever hear.

5. "Someone Knows Something"

Just like "Serial," "Someone Knows Something" focuses on one case per season.

The first run explored the 1972 disappearance of Adrien McNaughton, a 5-year-old who vanished while on a fishing trip with his family in Eastern Ontario.

The second season surrounds the disappearance of a woman named Sheryl Sheppard who went missing just two days after getting engaged.

8. "Sword and Scale"

According to the website,

Sword and Scale, which debuted in 2013, covers the underworld of criminal activity and the demented minds that perform the most despicable and unthinkable actions.

9. "Finding Tammy Jo"

"Finding Tammy Jo" is a limited release podcast centered around a single murder: the 1979 case of Tammy Jo Alexander, a teenager who was found dead in a cornfield.

10. "Here Be Monsters"

"Here Be Monsters" is a little tamer than the rest of these podcasts and doesn't exclusively deal with crime stories. It is still authentically creepy, and I guarantee if you get jazzed by crime stuff, you're going to love this podcast.

The website explains,

'Here Be Monsters' is a growing community of radio producers, artists, and listeners who are interested in pursuing their fears and facing the unknown. We tend to produce pieces about science, drugs, death, religion, politics, and medicine. But seriously, just dig through the archive a bit and you'll find shows about nearly everything.

11. "True Murder"

What separates "True Murder" from the rest of these podcasts is that host Dan Zupansky interviews authors who have written about some of the worst criminals of all time rather than those related to the case themselves.