10 podcasts like Serial to get your true crime fix

While they’ve been around for years, it took a few super popular podcasts like Serial to really bring the medium to the masses. The story of Adnan Syed in season one captivated millions of listeners around the globe, but what should you listen to once you’ve finished the 12-episode run?

Read also: Best podcasts to fill your feed in 2020

Sure, there are two more seasons of Serial to binge, but there are also more than enough fantastic podcasts like Serial to fill your feed for months. Whether these are podcasts Serial directly inspired or long-running true crime podcasts, we’ve compiled 10 of our favorites below. Happy listening!

Best podcasts like Serial

Atlanta Monster

If you’re not already familiar with the Atlanta killing spree starting in 1979 from other true crime podcasts or the hit Netflix original series Mindhunter, the story is still shocking and fascinating more than 40 years later. As the bodies of young boys start piling up, police are quick to pin the murders on the first serious suspect they find. But is he really the Atlanta Monster or a just convenient scapegoat?

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Criminal

Phoebe Judge’s Criminal podcast is like Serial in that it’s about true crime, but instead of full seasons about a single case each episode is self-contained. This means that you can pick any episode from the archive and get the same great production quality the show is known for.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

S-Town

The S-Town podcast, like Serial, is from the producers of This American Life. The seven episode series starts out as a true crime podcast in Woodstock, Alabama, but quickly becomes something more as host Brian Reed develops a friendship with a curious character in the Deep South. For fans of Serial and similar podcasts, this is required listening.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Up and Vanished

Up and Vanished is a podcast the same host and producer of Atlanta Monster. However, this podcast is even more similar to Serial in that each season dives deep into a specific case, digging up old leads and interviewing first-hand witnesses. There are currently two completed seasons, one of which has been adapted for television by the Oxygen network.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Black Hands

Black Hands is another whodunit-style podcast like Serial, but this time centered around a mass murder that shook New Zealand in 1994. Five members of a seemingly ordinary family were killed in cold blood, leaving only a single surVivor who was assumed to be the culprit. But did he really do it? This podcast seeks to find out by exploring new evidence and interviewing new witnesses.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Bowraville

Bowraville is a lesser known podcast about a killing spree in Bowraville, Australia. The murders of three Aboriginal Australians remains unsolved nearly 30 years later, but crime reporter and host Dan Box reopens the case in a short five-episode series. The podcast has been called Australia’s Serial, and at just a few hours long it’s perfect for a binge listen.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

The Teacher’s Pet

The Teacher’s Pet is another Australian podcast that, like Serial, achieved a massive amount of popularity with nearly 30 million downloads worldwide. It’s yet another investigative journalism podcast, this time centered around the disappearance of Lynette Dawson in 1982. Although not as tightly edited as Serial, it’s a fascinating podcast that led to real breakthroughs in the case.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Someone Knows Something

Someone Knows Something is another investigative journalism podcast that’s perfect for fans of Serial. Each season creates a narrative story around a single cold case, most of which took place in the host David Ridgen’s home country of Canada. Listening to interviews with eyewitnesses and family members, you will quickly find yourself deeply invested in the story.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Dirty John

Serial dove deep into the relationship between Adnan and his girlfriend, but Dirty John takes it to another level. It’s based on the real life escapades of John Michael Meehan, who married a woman he met online after just a few months. It deals heavily with the issues of abuse and manipulation, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final moment.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Missing Richard Simmons

This one is a bit different than the others on the list. As the title implies, it’s all about fitness guru Richard Simmons’ recent retreat from public life. The podcast is like Serial in that it takes a narrative approach to solving a mystery, but the stakes here are obviously much lower. Still, it’s an entertaining (and brief) podcast that shines some light on the life of one of the most flamboyant figures in the fitness world.

Listen on Pocket Casts, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts

Honorable mentions

• Casefile True Crime Podcast — This is another great podcast that’s perfect for fans of Serial. Like the Criminal podcast listed above, each weekly episodes focuses on a single case, often taking place in Australia.
• Finding Tammy Jo — A young woman was found dead in 1979, and it wasn’t until 2015 that officials identified her as Tammy Jo Alexander. This podcast is dedicated to finding her killer once and for all.
• Happy Face — This unique podcast gets into the head of a convicted serial killer through an unexpected medium: his daughter. Melissa Moore illuminates what it was like to grow up with her father Keith Hunter Jesperson, AKA the Happy Face Killer.
• Disgraceland — Part true crime podcast, part music podcast, Disgraceland is about famous musicians getting away with bad behavior. It isn’t always true to life, but it is always entertaining.
• The Missing Cryptoqueen — This BBC podcast tells the true story of Dr. Ruja Ignatova, who defrauded millions of people out of their money before disappearing without a trace.

That’s it for some of our favorite podcasts like Serial! If you’re a big fan of Adnan’s story, you should now have plenty of great options to binge at your leisure.