Top True Crime & Forensics Podcasts (2026-2027)

Over half of all Americans listened to a podcast last year (Pew Research 2025). They have a lot to choose from: current estimates put the total number of podcasts at over 4.7 million. Most commonly, listeners choose true crime, the most popular podcast genre (Pew Research 2023).

Academics have pointed to a few different reasons for this. Dr. John Mayer, a psychologist specializing in violence in media, believes exposure to true crime topics is a way for people to build up a tolerance for something frightening. Social psychologist Dr. Amanda Vicary conducted a study suggesting it had more to do with the alluring psychological content implicit in true-crime cases. A simpler explanation might be that humans are narrative-driven creatures, and true crime tales are among the most engrossing you can find.

Podcasts like Serial set a new bar for the genre. Suddenly, true crime podcasts weren’t just guilty pleasures: they were educational, Peabody-winning stories that could have an impact on the very topics they explored. Serial was just the beginning, and countless other true crime and forensics podcasts are just waiting to be discovered. Below, we’ve picked ten of the best.

In selecting our top true crime and forensic podcasts in 2026, we strove for diversity, quality, and originality. Our list touches on all the main areas of the true crime and forensic podcast map. We have comedic shows, scientific examinations, episodic seasons, and individual vignettes. These podcasts cover the hard forensic sciences, the evolving digital forensics scene, and even the institutional systems that prosecute and sometimes perpetuate injustice.

We didn’t just pull the most listened-to podcasts off of the charts (you’ve probably already listened to those yourself), but we’ve still included a few heavy hitters, in case you missed them. After some lengthy (and enjoyable) research, these podcasts are the ones that had us going back for more.

Sword and Scale

Since 2013, Sword and Scale has been tantalizing listeners with the dark side of humanity. They primarily focus on the criminal underworld and the criminal justice system’s response to it. These stories are not for the faint of heart and cover the most bizarre forms of crime, such as cannibalism and dismemberment, along with more common ones like rape, murder, and abduction. For example, episode 33 and 34 covers the bizarre story of Luka Magnotta, who posted a video of his murder and dismemberment of international student Jun Lin.

During the first year of the podcast, over 1 million episodes were downloaded. Mike Boudet, the show’s host, rounds out each episode with court testimonies, 911 calls, and interviews. Episode after episode delivers a full 360-degree view of the entire story. However, listeners should beware as often these audio clips are truly graphic and horrifying. With over 349 episodes, this podcast is prime binge material.

• Recommended Episodes: Luka Magnotta (Ep. 33 and 34)

Double Loop

If you actually want to educate yourself on the ins and outs of forensic science, there aren’t many podcasts that can scratch the itch as well as Double Loop. Hosted by forensic scientists Glenn Langenburg and Eric Ray, the show goes into significant detail on latent prints, bloodstain pattern analysis, and scientific articles in forensic science. They also conduct in-depth forensic reviews of mainstream true-crime series such as The Staircase and Making a Murderer.

It may be a little dense for casual listeners, but if you’re a true crime fiend who’s also interested in the hard forensic sciences, Double Loop should be on your list.

• Recommended Episodes: The Staircase (Ep. 175-177)

Darknet Diaries

Where many true crime podcasts could arguably be reclassified as history, Darknet Diaries is firmly rooted in the present. Hosted by Jack Rhysider, this podcast explores true crime on the darknet. Hackers, kingpins, cryptocurrency lords, it’s all here. It’s easy to mistake Rhysider’s voice for Ira Glass of This American Life, but only part of that is due to auditory similarity. The other part concerns how well-researched the show is, and how cleanly its complex elements are explained in a tightly-knit narrative.

There’s little, if any, blood in these tales from the dark side of the internet. But they’re firmly rooted in the pulse of the future. Listening to an episode about a darknet drug dealer is akin to taking an intro-level course on onion addresses, PGP encryption, DDoS attacks, and cryptocurrency tumblers, but it feels as engaging as any other story you’re likely to find. After listening to Darknet Diaries, many other true crime podcasts begin to seem as if they take place in an era when the world was black and white.

• Recommended Episode: The Beirut Bank Job (Ep. 6)

Last Podcast on the Left

How can you beat that title? Here, the hosts create an atmosphere reminiscent of three best friends on a starlit camping trip, holding flashlights under their chins as they collectively tell some of the creepiest, goriest, most fascinating true-crime stories. Luckily, those best friends have a few cans of beer, a whole host of conspiracy theories, a killer sense of humor, and a surprising grasp of both history and the occult.

Last Podcast on the Left is one of those podcasts where you’re embarrassed if your headphone falls out, because someone might hear what you’re listening to, but it’s compounded by the fact that, if such an event does happen, you’ll probably be laughing, too, despite the horrific reference material.

Over the course of the show, and with a single (but significant) personnel change, the narrators of LPOTL have developed a real camaraderie and a flawless knack for comedic rhythm. Despite the bend towards humor, the episodes are incredibly well researched, so you might learn something while you listen, despite your best efforts.

• Recommended Episodes: The Oklahoma City Bombing (Ep. 274-277)

My Favorite Murder

Science suggests that while violent criminals are more likely to be male, true crime fans are more likely to be female. So if you think that the Last Podcast on the Left is a little too much of a boys’ club, check out My Favorite Murder, hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.

These two comedians—who are also LPOTL fans and true crime aficionados—met at a Halloween party and bonded over a story of a lethal car accident, so if that sounds like a context that would draw you in, you’ve found the right true crime podcast. Karen and Georgia will make you feel a whole lot less alone in your true crime obsession.

It might be a little less factually correct or as doggedly researched as other true crime podcasts (some episodes include a segment specifically devoted to correcting errors from other episodes), but the informal and comedic style makes it easier to stomach and fully bingeable.

Karen and Georgia often say that the podcast is a form of therapy for them, a way to cope with their anxieties. They’re not the only ones: with over half a million downloads per episode by loyal fans (who call themselves ‘Murderinos’), the podcast has been hailed as a type of mental health support group by The Atlantic. As the podcast’s sign-off goes: stay sexy and don’t get murdered!

• Recommended Episode: My Firstest Murder (Ep. 1)

Buried Bones

Forensics may be a relatively new science, but it can be applied to cases that predate it. That’s the concept behind Buried Bones. Hosted by journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and forensic investigator Paul Holes, the show explores some of history’s most compelling true-crime cases through a 21st-century lens. Some of the cases are solved, and others are cold (ice cold, even pre-dating the Revolutionary War), but all are covered with a mixture of breadth and depth, and Holes often weighs in with modern forensic techniques.

The show has been running since 2022, and it’s gathered fans across different disciplines and media. A podcast review in the American Sociology Association’s Teaching Sociology highlighted the show’s educational potential; Netflix lets you watch episodes for a more fully immersive experience.

• Recommended Episode: The Alcatraz Escape Pt. 1&2

The Consult

As close as it gets to being in the room with the FBI’s Behavioral Analyst Unit (or so the tagline goes), The Consult brings listeners into conversations they likely wouldn’t have access to unless they were a veteran forensic professional. Over 142 episodes, the show has examined the behavior exhibited before, during, and after the commission of a criminal act.

Host Julia Cowley is a retired FBI agent and profiler who spent 22 years investigating violent crime, and was a member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team. She holds a bachelor’s in chemistry and a master’s in forensic science. The consultants (Robert Drew, Susan Kossler Drew, and Angela Sercer) are all retired FBI agents and profilers. Former FBI case agents, journalists, authors—experts, all—occasionally feature as guests.

• Recommended Episode: Expert Witness with Dr. Ann Burgess (Ep. 108)

Criminal

Criminal is a podcast about crime: stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. It’s one of the more literary and person-centric true-crime podcasts, and it takes a holistic approach that encompasses the human, historical, and social dimensions of crime.

The host is Phoebe Judge, a reporter based on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi; her work has won multiple Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards. Since 2014, she’s traveled to countries for Criminal interviews. The show has won its share of accolades, too: Criminal was named as one of the best podcasts of 2023 by the New York Times, and has made ‘best of’ lists in Vulture, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and Rolling Stone.

• Recommended Episode: Unwarranted (Ep. 361)

Forensics Focus

The Forensics Focus podcast is, as the title implies, focused: in particular, it’s focused on digital forensics and incident response. Rather than entertainment for true crime fans, the show is like professional development for practitioners and students. The material can get pretty technical and granular but that’s part of its appeal: these are forensics experts speaking to other forensics experts about the challenges and opportunities in digital forensics today.

If you want to listen in, Forensics Focus is a way to access water cooler style conversation that ranges from chain of custody, to mental health in the digital forensics community, to the use of AI in investigations. Just be ready for a lot of jargon (CSAM hash, ADF, CAID, DFU etc.). You might want to keep a pen and paper handy.

• Recommended Episode: Investigating the Darkest Corners of Digital Evidence (with David Shipley)

Inside Forensic Science

The Inside Forensic Science Podcast has a similar concept to Buried Bones: exploring older crimes through a modern forensic lens. However, Inside Forensic Science, which is a product of the University of Dundee, is much more technical, academic, and procedural. This is high-protein content for new and aspiring forensics professionals—though the descriptions can be, to the layperson, graphic—with a scientific and investigative approach.

Instead of approaching a different case each episode, the show takes a wider view, dedicating entire seasons (series) to a particular case. Over a dozen experts are involved. The most recent series, which began in July 2025, covers a 1935 identity theft case. It’d make for a riveting lecture; in this case, the tuition’s free.

Recommended Series: A Case of Stolen Identity (Series 4)

Women & Crime

Placing itself at the intersection of true crime and criminology, Women & Crime focuses on cases where women have been victims of crime, committed crimes, or been involved in the criminal justice system. Since 2019, across more than 350 episodes, the show has focused on the stories of those women and has also examined the causes of female crime and victimization.

Women & Crime is hosted by Dr. Meghan Sacks and Dr. Amy Shlosberg. Dr. Sacks’s focus is on deviance, and Dr. Shlosberg’s is on policy analysis; both have PhDs in criminal justice from John Jay. As advocates for reform, they are unafraid to propose solutions to some of the biggest problems in criminology. It’s a serious topic, but it’s not overly academic or impersonal. Both hosts have cases they wish they could solve more than the others (Diane Schuler is a mutual pick). Listeners hungry for more can access the hosts’ reading list.

• Recommended Episode: Diane Schuler Reconsidered (Ep. 347)

Matt Zbrog

Writer

Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about the increasing digitization of investigations, the growing importance of forensic science, and emerging areas of investigative practice like open source intelligence (OSINT) and blockchain forensics. His writing and research are focused on learning from those who know the subject best, including leaders and subject matter specialists from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS). As part of the Big Employers in Forensics series, Matt has conducted detailed interviews with forensic experts at the ATF, DEA, FBI, and NCIS.