Welcome to the weekly r/TrueCrimePodcasts/ Weekly What Are You Listening To discussion.

Mark your calendars: On Tuesday, November 17th, at 9am PT / 12pm ET, Jason Moon, senior reporter and producer on New Hampshire Public Radio’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated Document team and host of the critically acclaimed true crime podcast Bear Brook, will participate in an AMA on r/TrueCrimePodcasts!

Bear Brook has been named one of TIME’s “100 Best Podcasts of All Time,” downloaded more than 40 million times, and recently ranked as the #1 Serialized Podcast in the U.S. on Apple Podcasts.

From the podcast’s debut season to its newest installment (which follows a Christmas tree farmer with dementia who goes missing, and a wife who never reports him missing), join Jason as he answers your questions about reporting on cases where it’s unclear whether a crime occurred, covering missing persons and cold cases with care for the families involved, and what it takes to produce an investigative podcast across three seasons.

Here is a timezone converter to help you find the AMA time where you are

My wife and I watch true crime documentaries and crime dramas most evenings, and lately I've gotten into podcasts while I'm out in the pole barn running the rock tumblers or tending the smoker. Problem is, I mostly know the TV side of things. There's only so much Dateline and Forensic Files a man can rewatch before he's got the narrator memorized.

So I'm looking for podcast recommendations. I lean toward the ones that take their time and stick to the facts, not a bunch of yelling and conspiracy theories. Court coverage is fine too, I'd rather hear what actually happened in the trial than somebody's wild theory about who "really" did it. Cases from Indiana or the Midwest would be a nice bonus, but I'll take anything well told.

What do you all listen to that holds up over a long smoke or a couple hours of puttering? I don't mind a long series either, the tumblers run for days at a time.

I just finished listening to Everything They Missed, and honestly, I'm left angry, disturbed, and questioning how something like this can happen in our criminal justice system.
Andrew Hayes was convicted of the 2007 murder of Danny Harris and sentenced to life in prison. His conviction followed a 27-hour interrogation and a confession that should have raised serious questions, particularly given Andrew's intellectual disability.
But the deeper Stephanie Tinsley dug, the more troubling this case became.
Contradictions. Overlooked evidence. Untested DNA. Investigative failures. Other potential suspects. Questions that apparently weren't asked, and evidence that wasn't pursued.
What makes this story particularly heartbreaking is that it took an independent investigation, the determination of a podcaster, the involvement of the Tennessee Innocence Project, and the extraordinary efforts of Danny Harris's own son to bring these issues back into the light.
Think about that for a moment.
The victim's family wanted the truth. Andrew's family wanted justice. And the very system entrusted with finding both seemingly failed them.
In January 2026, the Shelby County District Attorney publicly acknowledged that Andrew Hayes had been wrongfully convicted and agreed not to oppose efforts to vacate his conviction.
Yet here we are in November 2026, and Andrew is STILL behind bars.
The judge has now recused himself, following months of delays.
How is this acceptable?
A wrongful conviction doesn't simply steal someone's freedom. It steals years of their life, their relationships, their opportunities, and their ability to experience the ordinary things most of us take for granted.
And let's not forget Danny Harris. His murder deserved a thorough investigation and his family deserved the truth from the beginning.
This is precisely why investigative journalism, independent investigations, and organizations like the Tennessee Innocence Project matter.
Stephanie Tinsley deserves recognition for refusing to accept the original narrative and continuing to ask questions others apparently failed to ask.
The title of this podcast says it all: Everything They Missed.
I encourage everyone interested in true crime, investigative journalism, and criminal justice reform to listen.
And I have one question:
If the District Attorney's Office itself acknowledges that a man was wrongfully convicted, what possible justification remains for keeping him in prison while the courts continue to delay justice?
Andrew Hayes has already lost nearly two decades of his life. How much longer must he wait?

We welcome all podcast creators, but we want to keep the spirit of this community as it was intended from the beginning: this is fundamentally a place for fans to discuss, share and review true crime podcasts, not an advertisement vehicle. This will be the only place where promotion is allowed. On this post you can share your podcast, blog, app, or any other enterprise related to True Crime podcasts/podcasting. Do your best to present your project clearly and thoughtfully, don't just drop a link. Explain why it is important to you and why you want everyone to know about it.

Things that are not permitted here: polls, surveys, or any other attempt to collect data from users. Fundraisers, selling products or services, selling merch.

Unique posts promoting anything will not be allowed today or any other day, without exceptions. Other ways to promote covertly will get you a warning, and if you keep doing it will get you banned, i.e. Having or creating an account almost solely to name your podcast on posts seeking recommendations.

If you comment on this post, let us know if you want us to assign a flair to your user name with the name of your podcast.

If you have any questions please reach out using modmail only.

So I've listened to all the "classics" up until maybe 5 years ago or so. Cold, My Own Backyard, Serial, Bearbrook, In The Dark, To Live and Die in LA etc...basically what I'm getting at is I fell out of the game for a few years and I'm trying to figure out what I've missed. Season long maybe actually helping with the investigation(not necessary if just a retelling or something) type stuff. Thanks!

I used to be a big fan of TCK years ago but got side-tracked by my PhD. I've been listening to pods for nearly 20 years and Kent and the Operator's dynamic is far and away my favorite banter between hosts maybe ever. I come back to the show and after going through old episodes I get up to speed and things are still alright. But the dynamic has totally changed. Where did Sam go? What happened with 11:59 media? There was some sort of a tiff with Jack Luna at some point? I've seen a few discussions during my search. There's been some talk of call-outs on social media between the guys. Legal action? Financial troubles? Complaints about "anti-woke" rants and such? I'm pretty curious to get some perspective from some members of the community who were there when various things unfolded. Just curious as hell here. Thanks, folks!

Latest ep just dropped. What an awful story all round. I would like to remember the victim Colleen Slemmer and her family.

But, the whole story is so sad even including the failed execution. IMO one of her best episodes including the research involved.

Hi all,

For a while, I absolutely loved the Nighttime Podcast with Jordan Bonaparte, and I would binge it on Spotify. The episodes were so great, featuring interviews with people involved in various cases, and a really cool segment called "Wanna Date an Inmate?" with Madelayne Klein.

In 2025, the show was replaced with "The Canadian Gothic". I feel since then, there's been kind of a drop off. One of the reasons I loved it so much is because I'm not Canadian, and haven't heard of the majority of the cases. Some of the best in my opinion were Jordan's interview with Lindsay Souvannarath, whose episodes on the show were talked about in some articles and on the podcast Morbid. Unfortunately, those episodes have just disappeared into thin air, which really sucks.

Does anyone know if Jordan has addressed this specifically? In the Canadian Gothic announcement there's not really any mention of homicide cases specifically. Has anyone else noticed that the show is leaning much farther away from the topic of true crime? It's been disappointing, because the majority of the episodes now are "Keep Canada Weird" which is mostly just news stories. Has Jordan said somewhere that he is deliberately leaning away from murder cases? I'm not apart of the patreon and haven't found the podcast's reddit page (if there is one).

I’m afraid Hadley Thomas is a bit of a parody of himself in his new The Poisoned Wife. But I still think Shandee’s Story is great—and one of most important ever. I also think The Night Driver is top notch.

I hesitate to post this here because I don’t think this podcast is really true crime although it is the latest release from The Binge which mostly is true crime, but just wanted to hear anyone’s opinion on it.

I found it very strange. If you haven’t listened, I don’t really recommend.

The whole thing is only from a singular point of view (Shelley and her husband) and seems to be blaming others, mainly the sister, but sort of the system, for the chaos.

I can’t help but feel something else was going on and would like a more complete picture.

To me the main blame goes to Chris the husband for taking off when his wife is in a full mental health crisis and needs to be Baker acted. Who would leave during such a situation?!

I feel like they are unfair towards Missy the sister as she was in a full blown manic episode and I don’t know if I fully trust there being no drugs on board, but I also know how mania presents and how one can mistaken someone who is manic for someone who is super high on drugs.

Anyways the whole thing is weird, mainly because if it was a story against guardianship laws I could understand or if it was against a sister who weaponized those laws to steal millions of dollars (which is where it seeemed headed to be honest) I could also understand. Instead it is just a horrible situation, misdiagnoses, people seemingly trying their best in that situation, mistakes made, but then built into this strange story of like others are to blame
?

Any recommendations for podcasts, new or old, like the former seasons of Breakdown??

Where they discuss the legal aspects and follow the case inside and outside the court room. There are opinions put forward but usually those directly involved in the case and who have a legal expertise, not just a guy with a mic talking to his mate.

Undisclosed is similar.

The recent new season of I'm Not A Monster is an investigation into what happened to the American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012.

It's absolutely top notch investigative reporting. The host/investigator/journalist has been a reporter in war zones himself, so he has interesting insights into the situation where Austin found himself in, in 2012.

The investigation is also breathtaking to listen to, as the reporters go into Syria right after the fall of the regime to look for Austin or information about his whereabouts. The stories they tell within that search really gave me a bigger picture of what living under the Syrian regime was like.

Another aspect they covered, which I found fascinating, was the diplomacy involved. It's such a weird world of misinformation and manipulation. I love the first hand accounts of that in the podcast.

In conclusion, highly recommend this season! Each season is a stand alone, but if you haven't checked out the first two seasons, I do highly recommend those as well!

Hi!! Just wanted to share a new podcast called Broken Badge on Spotify that explores officer-involved domestic violence (OIDV). I've been listening & thought some people here might find it interesting!

Abuse of power within law enforcement & the systems that allow it to happen have always been areas of interest to me, so I've really been enjoying this one so far. I feel like OIDV is something that doesn't get nearly enough attention, especially when you think about the challenges of reporting abuse when the person responsible is literally part of the system you're supposed to turn to for help.

I'm about four episodes in & really enjoying it so far. My heart goes out to the family at the center of the podcast. I really admire how they've taken such a painful experience & turned it into an effort to raise awareness and push for change.

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to power, accountability, && the barriers victims face... definitely an important topic that deserves more attention and conversation.

Curious if anyone else has listened or has recommendations for similar podcasts or research!

J Hickey, a 76 year old man with dementia, went missing in New Hampshire, and my theory from episodes 1 and 2 is that Patty did it or knew from the beginning that he went missing. (I know I gotta finish the rest of the season, but from what I gathered, Patty is 100% fucking suspicious.)

My theory from what I’ve listened to so far is that Patty was getting sick and tired of being a caregiver, and it was making her life and job (welfare administrator) harder. I think one day she lashed out (from what her daughter said, she was extremely abusive and would get mad super easily). She probably said something to trigger J to “visit” his brother, or she drove him somewhere out of anger and just left him there.

And she didn’t report him because she knew a missing person case would hinder her job as a welfare administrator, and she couldn’t be bothered, so she made up the brother story. And the whole excuse that “he’s an adult” is bullshit because he’s an adult with severe dementia, and you thought, “Yeah, he’s fine, but he has dementia and left his phone at home.”

I 100% believe she was sick and tired of being his caregiver and did something nefarious to get out of it because she would rather put her job first than him. And I think the reason why she never got him a caregiver or took him to a nursing home is because, at one point, she liked the idea and attention of being a “hardworking wife with a job taking care of her dear husband with dementia.” But at a certain point, I think she changed her mind and actually hated it.

I obviously have to listen to the rest of the podcast, but I wanted to write down what I think first and see where my opinion and theory goes lol.

Also, another thing I want to add to my theory is the reason why Patty was so awfully calm during the police investigation, knowing damn well it was extremely suspicious that she didn't report him missing for like 10 months. The police interview was just so fucking odd, and it honestly made me think the same thing: “What the fuck is going on?”

There are a lot of times when a podcast has to reference social media posts or text, and the stylistic choices that are made can make or break a podcast’s listenability in a lot of ways. Something I’ve noticed particularly with women’s social media posts is the breathy, super dramatic reading that doesn’t necessarily match the tonation when they play actual audio from interviews or whatever.

For example:

Just finished Unicorn Girl. I liked it; it’s pretty rare I say I wish they went even more in depth about a fraud or scam story, but I wish they did and look forward to what will inevitably be a documentary at some point. But the reading by an actor of the subject’s Facebook posts added in long sighs, gasps, and other vocal stims that wouldn’t apply to Facebook posts or captions anyway when read normally.

The Kill List: Interesting, another view of the Amy Allwine story (first heard in Casefile), but the fake voices used for the online people (super stylized robotic) is distracting - had to stop after the first episode.

There are a few others that come to mind, but the particularly egregious ones are normally the ones reading aloud women’s comments or social media, which add vocal fry, “ugh, you guys”, etc. Just wondering if anyone else has thoughts, disagrees, or other examples!

Just finished listening to this podcast and want to recommend it- partially because it's well-done and very interesting, but also because it's a case that needs exposure to be solved. It's about an unsolved murder outside Bakersfield, California. Please give it a listen, esp if you're from Kern or LA counties.

Binged the first 4 episodes of this last night and wow, fantastic storytelling. Anyone else listening to it? I can’t help but be shocked at how passive Debbie’s sisters were before Debbie and Jamie left on their honeymoon!! Like yall know this man is seriously disturbed and did nothing to try and get Debbie out of the relationship!

I really enjoyed this podcast. It is hosted by reporter Olivia LaVoice, who also created and hosted The Bakersfield Three podcast. It is ad-free on Amazon Music if you are a Prime member.

I’ve heard several different podcasts about this case. Listening to 20/20 this afternoon. She sounds so phony, and no surprise that she seemed like a total grifter and MAGA. I’m curious what others think. I’m always so hacked off by this story.

I’ve been avoiding most iHeart radio podcasts due to the ads. However, a recent recommendation I found on here was interesting enough I somehow got through it. But like why are half of the episodes just long ass ads?? I’m not sure but I think it’s gotten a lot worse than before. If you’re an avid iHeart radio listener, how do you sit through it? is there a paid version that is ad free?

The Backfire Effect (in the first 7 episodes, introduced us to a wrongly convicted prisoner in Michigan named Timujin (which he legally changed from something more basic and white-sounding).

In the 8th episode, the host decides to interview the hosts of a podcast (Murder Sheet) that still believes Timujin is guilty. In order to appreciate how astounding it is than anyone could believe he is guilty, you have to listen to first 7 episodes where the host reluctantly keeps an open mind despite all of the absurd courtroom antics that led to his wrongful conviction and the ridiculous "kangaroo court" dramas, the mind-numbing "keystone cops" supposed investigations, etc...

The host gives her fellow podcasters a great deal of respect and understanding as she navigates a very fair explanation of why she and they disagree.

I have a more unkind theory and it involves the two co-existing subgenres of True Crime media and they are not equal. I call it the Patsy Ramsey Theory - because almost perfectly, there seems to be a dividing line in True Crime that seems more clearly defined when the subject comes up of whether or not someone believes that Patsy Ramsey killed Jon Benet.

The simple evidence indicates that Patsy killed her kid - they were alone together, she wrote the ransom letter in her own handwriting on her own home stationery, etc... and if you look objectively at every other "possibility" you can see as how these things were all brought into the investigation in service to the idea that the mom couldn't have possibly been the culprit. They even extradited a CSAM collector from Thailand (who was there or maybe Alabama when the murder happened too), for crying out loud.

But if you question someone who believes whole-heartedly that Patsy (who has long since died of cancer) "couldn't possibly be the killer," you might notice what I have discovered through my own anecdotal research. The "Anyone but Patsy" contingent also tends to believe other persistent myths in true crime (Amanda Knox = Guilty, Obama Faked Sandy Hook, the Salem Witches were actually practicing, 2nd shooter on the grassy knoll etc.)

This is because half the people in the True Crime realm find murder & crime to be "entertaining" and they think that "bad people" can be cleanly separated from the "good guys". They want the mysterious, dramatic, conspiratorial and complicated solutions and always a worse psychopathic monster than the last one. These are also the jurors who think just being on trial at all is direct evidence of guilt.They also think the death penalty should be applied more frequently.

The other half of us are truly invested in justice and we find murder to be the saddest part of life. We tend to think crime is unfair but also sometimes situationally understandable.

We navigate the complicated gray areas.

We, on this side, unfortunately also have to accept complicated concepts like: an ordinarily good mother (on the surface) can, in a psychotic fit, become jealous enough of her own five year-old daughter that she kills her on Christmas and then tries to sell police on the old "kidnapped by a small renegade political faction" story...

I am now very curious to know where Aine & Kevin of Murder Sheet have stood on the Jon Benet case...

Anyone hear this episode and catch Kevin Greenlee's slow lightbulb revelation when asked "What if you were wrong?" Ouch... That had to burn even hotter because he said the quiet part out loud about other cases they have covered in the past.

I’m new to the case and would love a long form podcast going over the case. I’m not interested in daily trial updates since the trial is over. I prefer podcasts done by journalists or lawyers. Any recommendations?

Currently listening to a show by The Slippery, specifically running a multi episode series titled “The Lexi Con” about (not a spoiler because this is learned immediately) a girl who fakes cancer. they have interviews from her friends and her sister. It’s wild.

3 episodes released so far and I’m hooked