The past year offered many variations on the themes within true crime. There was some great longform investigative reporting. There were thought-provoking profiles of unreliable narrators. And there were stories of average people in need of help who are dismissed by authorities who don’t believe them.
But what were the best things we listened to on “Crime Writers On” in 2025? Glad you asked, because here’s how we ranked them.
The Best True Crime Podcasts of 2025
Every December, we look forward to Crime Writers On dropping their “Best of” lists. It’s like the Oscars for podcast nerds, and this year’s Best Podcasts of 2025 episode did not disappoint. We’ve been binging, debating, and swapping notes, and we couldn’t wait to share the highlights with you.
Wisecrack (Tenderfoot TV)
We all agreed this one deserved the top spot. Imagine a standup routine that suddenly morphs into a true crime investigation. That’s what comedian Edd Hedges delivers when he recounts the night a man murdered his neighbors and then knocked on his door. A TV producer helps him fact‑check the story, and the result is unlike anything we’ve heard before. Honestly, we found ourselves sitting in driveways or taking the long way home just to finish an episode.
Spotlight: Snitch City (Boston Globe)
This one had us shaking our heads in disbelief. The Globe’s Dugan Arnett digs into how one police department abused confidential informant rules to sidestep constitutional protections. The biggest offender? The police chief of New Bedford, who retired after the exposé. It’s investigative journalism at its finest, and we couldn’t stop talking about it afterward.
Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County (Lava for Good)
We’ve been fans of Bone Valley since the beginning, and Season 3 took us down another rabbit hole. Host Maggie Freling revisits a sensational case from 2000, where a housewife was celebrated as a citizen sleuth. But the deeper story suggests she may have pointed police toward an innocent man to protect a family friend. It’s gripping, unsettling, and exactly the kind of storytelling that keeps us hooked.
The Rest of the Top Ten
We couldn’t stop at just three. Here are the other shows that made the cut:
• Not a Very Good Murderer (Audible Original, Ronan Farrow) - Ronan Farrow profiles a flamboyant socialite whose life is full of scandal and suspicion. The series asks whether she truly tried to kill two of her husbands or simply thrives on notoriety.
• Stakeknife (BBC Sounds) - This podcast investigates IRA double agent Freddie Scappaticci, known as “Stakeknife.” It explores how the British government may have allowed him to murder informants to protect his cover.
• The Retrievals, Season 2 (Serial Productions) - Susan Burton examines why so many women report their C‑section pain medication never worked. The series highlights how medical staff often dismiss women’s pain as anxiety or exaggeration.
• Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer (Audible Original, Leon Neyfakh) - Leon Neyfakh unpacks the complicated life of Jerry Springer, from politician to talk show lightning rod. It’s not traditional true crime, but it’s a fascinating look at media, morality, and spectacle.
• Breakdown: Three Days in May (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) - This season revisits a couple wrongly convicted of murdering their newborn. Medical evidence later revealed the baby’s death was caused by a condition, not foul play.
• Scam Factory (Wondery) - Workers are lured into a scam call center in Myanmar, only to be trapped by armed guards. The only way out is to recruit someone else to take their place.
• Liberty Lost (Wondery) - Liberty University’s “Godparent Home” promised pregnant teens care and support. Instead, many were coerced into giving up their babies to pre‑selected Christian couples.
Why We Care
True crime gets a bad rap for being lurid or sensational, but when we listen to these shows, we hear something else: serious investigative journalism, character studies, and nonfiction storytelling at its best. These podcasts aren’t just entertainment — they’re expensive, labor‑intensive projects that shine a light on injustice, history, and human behavior.
So if you’re looking for your next binge‑worthy listen, we’ve got you covered. These ten titles are the ones we’ll be talking about well into 2026.