The 17 Best Podcasts Like Serial

1) Bear Brook

Here at Podyssey we can’t recommend Bear Brook highly enough. This series from New Hampshire Public Radio follows the case of the Allenstown Four: one young adult woman and three female children found in barrels in a state park. Police were unable to identify the victims and their murders went unsolved for decades. In the hunt to identify the victims, and find their killer, new advancements in forensic technology would be made that would change murder investigations forever. This is really one of the best crime podcasts like Serial, and is certainly a must-listen.

2) Unjust & Unsolved

If you’re interested in wrongful conviction podcasts, you need to check out this show from journalist Maggie Freleng. In each episode, she covers a different wrongful conviction case, including speaking to the person who was convicted, as well as their family, friends, and lawyers. The stories are often heart-breaking, but incredibly important to hear, and Maggie gives them the coverage they need and deserve.

3) Undisclosed

Finished Serial season 1 and want to learn more about Adnan Syed’s case? Make sure to listen to this podcast created by Rabia Chaudry, the lawyer and friend of Adnan who first brought Adnan’s case to the attention of Serial host Sarah Koenig. Rabia hosts the podcast with two other lawyers, Colin Miller and Susan Simpson, and together they investigate wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system. But in season 1, the three attorneys go back over the evidence in Adnan’s case, including what they feel Serial left out and got wrong. This podcast has been dubbed “Serial season 2” and is a must-listen for anyone left wondering what happened to Hae Min Lee.

4) Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo

This investigative series is undoubtedly one of the best true crime podcasts ever made. The podcast recalls one woman’s search for the truth about her missing sister Cleo, who was only a child when she was stolen, murdered, and missing. The only proof of her existence is a tiny, undated school photo. This podcast also sheds light on a broader, dark chapter in Canada’s Indigenous history. Reporter and host, Connie Walker, an Indigenous woman, helps craft this sensitively-structured podcast helping the family of the victim find closure from their heartbreak.

5) Forgotten: Women of Juárez

In this series, Journalists Mónica Ortiz Uribe and Oz Woloshyn investigate the mass disappearance of hundreds of women from Ciudad Juárez, a border city in Mexico. With many of the women showing up dead, Uribe and Woloshyn dive into the theories surrounding the murders — from drug cartels to hit men to satanic cults — and shed light on the factors that have allowed these tragic killings to continue.

6) Unraveled: The Long Island Serial Killer

The case of the Long Island Serial Killer is one of the biggest murder mysteries in American history. In this serial killer documentary podcast, co-hosts Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen reinvestigate the case along with new key evidence that could point to a suspect, and police corruption of the highest degree. Like Serial, at times you won’t know what to believe as you try to piece together what really happened to the women left murdered along the south shore of Long Island.

7) Dirty John

Whether you’ve seen the TV show or not, this podcast about a con artist is a must-listen. Told in interviews with the victims, this series follows the trail of destruction and deceit left by a dangerous con man who wormed his way into a woman’s life despite her children’s protests. If you’re looking for a gripping story that will have you on the edge of your seat, this is the podcast for you.

8) Accused

9) Up and Vanished

10) Man In The Window: The Golden State Killer

11) In the Dark

12) Death in Ice Valley

13) Hunting Warhead

14) Missing in Alaska

15) Wind of Change

16) Dr. Death

17) Blood River