Best Podcasts of 2023

This year brought us podcasts that examined interesting characters - from the super famous to the terribly infamous. There were the meticulously investigated stories of people caught in a system stacked against them. And it provided us with many series told by hosts with very personal connections to the crimes they covered. 

But which titles truly stood out? All four crime writers present their top 10 podcasts for 2023.

In Crime of the Week: A lot of nerve swerve.

Lara's Top Ten

1. Earwitness

2. Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark

3. The Retrievals  

4. Blind Plea  

5. Ghost Story  

6. The Kids of Rutherford County  

7. Fiasco: Vigilante

8. Verified: Full Disclosure  

9. Overlooked

10. Admissible Sheds of Evidence 

Toby's Top Ten

1. Fiasco: Vigilante

2. You Didn’t See Nothin’

3. Blind Plea

4. Earwitness

5. I’m Not a Monster season 2

6. Alabama Astronaut

7. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

8. Ghost Story

9. Chameleon: Dr. Dante

10. The Retrievals

Kevin's Top Ten

1. You Didn't See Nothin

2. Earwitness

3. I Am Not a Monster season 2

4. Fiasco: Vigilante

5. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

6. City of Tents: Veterans Row

7. Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark

8. Blind Plea

9. The Retrievals

10. Overlooked

Rebecca's Top Ten

1. You Didn't See Nothin

2. Earwitness

3. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

4. The Retrievals

5. Think Twice: Michael Jackson

6. Fiasco: Vigilante

7. Ghost Story

8. Blind Plea

9. Dear Alana,

10. The Dream season 3

Great Photo, Lovely Life

International photojournalist Amanda Mustard returns home to pursue an open family secret. As her grandfather Bill Flickinger nears the end of his life, Amanda investigates the decades of sexual abuse he inflicted on his young chiropractic patients. Mustard looks at how Flickinger avoided accountability for decades and reaches out to her grandfather’s many victims. They include her mother and sister, but the effort to find forgiveness between them threatens to tear the family apart.

In the raw HBO Original “Great Photo, Lovely Life,”  Mustard chronicles her family’s story, seeks to empower survivors, and confronts the fallout that facing family trauma head-on can bring. Viewers are presented with home movies, boxes of mementos, and intimate conversations aimed at disrupting a cycle of abuse, blame, and anger.

OUR-SPOILER FREE REVIEWS OF "GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Gooned

The Troubled Teen Industry comprises the wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and group programs desperate parents turn to when their kids are struggling with mental health, substance misuse, and behavioral issues - whether real or perceived. Often, kids are escorted to these programs by so-called Goons - transport agencies hired to take kids away from home, often against their will in the dark hours before dawn. But are these Goons a last-resort tactic for families at the end of their rope or a high-ticket, legal kidnapping operation?

In the podcast “Gooned,” journalist Emma Lehman details many facets of the Troubled Teen Industry, interviewing survivors, former employees, and even impersonating the parent of a teen in crisis in order to dig up dirt on what she asserts is ground zero for the emotional, physical, and psychological abuse that leads to lasting trauma for those the industry is claiming to help.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GOONED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: ghost in the machine.

Gay Girl Gone

Amina Arraf grew a following for her blog recounting her life as an openly gay woman in Syria, a nation where homosexuality is illegal. She was revered by the queer community internationally, started an online romance, and drew attention from journalists covering the Arab Spring. Her legions of fans were shocked when Amina was arrested by the government and disappeared. But Amina’s descriptions of life under the Syrian regime didn't ring true to those in the small gay community of Damascus. As international efforts to locate and rescue Amina were underway, cracks in her story appeared.

From the CBC comes the podcast “Gay Girl Gone.” Journalist Samira Mohyeddin investigates what happened to the famed blogger. The show also explores the impact on the people and political causes damaged by the whole affair.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GAY GIRL GONE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God

In 2021, police in Oregon discovered the mummified corpse of Amy Carlson. Her body had been transported and adorned by the members of her small cult “Love Has Won.” The woman they called Mother God had been emaciated and her skin had turned blue. Her followers believed Carlson was the reincarnation of Joan of Arc and Marilyn Monroe, and communed with a group of Galactics led by dead celebrities like Robin Williams and John Lennon. The cult sustained itself through online donations and selling miracle cures as new leaders annointed by Mother God sewed internal strife. Was it her very practices and beliefs that led to her failing health and eventual death?

From HBO Documentary Films, the series “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God” examines Carlson’s rise as spiritual guru and her conspiracy-laced convictions. It features interviews with her followers in the immediate days after her death, still enthralled with her dogma.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOVE HAS WON: THE CULT OF MOTHER GOD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: A Santa Claus bites the dust.

Ghost Story

Journalist Tristan Redman had no idea his wife's great-grandmother Naomi Dancy had been shot in the eyes by her brother in a 1937 murder-suicide that happened in the house next door. He wondered if it was connected to the spooky incidents in his bedroom or claims from the new owners that it was haunted by a ghost with no face. 

Naomi’s husband had narrowly escaped a bullet during the crime, but modern researchers questioned whether it was he who might have killed his wife and brother-in-law. Redman wondered if the apparition was Naomi asking him to prove John “Feyther” Dancy was the real killer…an inquiry that wouldn’t sit well with Redman's in-laws.

In the podcast “Ghost Story” from Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, Redman explores the life of the accomplished-yet-problematic patriarch while managing his in-laws’ misgivings. He employs historians, cold case detectives, and spiritual mediums to determine whether his long-dead neighbor was killed by her troubled war veteran brother or her braggadocious husband.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GHOST STORY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen

Mommy-influencer Katie Sorensen went viral with a story of a couple who attempted to kidnap her kids in a craft store. When Sadie and Eddie Martinez saw their photos in the news, they knew they’d been racially profiled and falsely accused in the latest so-called “Karen” incident.

As it became clear Katie had exaggerated the event, police charged her with filing false reports. The criminal case turned into a litmus test on the online phenomenon of white women accusing people of color of criminal behavior for innocuous things. Did she make up the story to get clicks, or did other factors contribute to her allegation?

In a short series from LAist Studios, “Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen” looks into the backlash against one white woman’s incrimination and the people who fought back against the racism and social media shaming. Reporter Emily Guerin also examines other things in the zeitgeist that may have led to her thinking her children were at risk.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "IMPERFECT PARADISE: PEOPLE VS. KAREN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Airing of the Grievances.

Witnessed: Fade to Black

Screenwriter Gary DeVore vanished in 1997 driving through the Mojave Desert. He’d been writing an action film with input from CIA agent Chase Brandon. His wife Wendy wondered whether Gary's disappearance and his missing script were linked to the CIA and whether authorities were trying to scuttle the case. And even when his body and SUV were discovered a year later in the California Aqueduct, she still was convinced things didn’t add up.

The newest season of “Witnessed: Fade to Black” looks into the conspiracy theories around the famous case and explores the CIA’s very real Hollywood influence efforts. Host Josh Dean tries to pull apart fact from fiction, with new reporting on whether Gary’s death was a high-stakes assassination or a simple accident.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: FADE TO BLACK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: flying horses couldn't drag me away.

The Kids of Rutherford County

A fight among children caught on video led to the arrest of eleven Black students, charged for not stopping the fight. Kids as young as 8 were cuffed and booked into jail, even though Tennessee law says juveniles can’t be detained for minor infractions. Two attorneys were shocked to learn that over a decade officials in Rutherford County arrested hundreds of children for small violations and left them in jail cells for days. The police, the prosecutors, and the detention center all ignored the case law for one reason: the juvenile court judge told them to.

From Serial Productions and The New York Times comes “The Kids of Rutherford County.” Host Meribah Knight looks at a massive civil rights violation, reveals how it came to be, and follows the two juvenile delinquents-turned-lawyers who try to do something about it.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE KIDS OF RUTHERFORD COUNTY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: faked Alaska.

Unrestorable

In 2014, Catherine Hoggle returned home without her three- and two-year old children. Though their bodies have never been recovered, Hoggle was placed in a psychiatric facility to treat her mental illness and restore her competency for trial. But Maryland law states if a defendant is still deemed incompetent after five years, their charges will be dropped. With the deadline approaching, both prosecutors and the children’s father accuse Hoggle of faking it, trying to run out the clock and avoid prison.

In the podcast “Unrestorable,” journalists Sarah Treleaven and Beth Karas examine the balance between a father’s quest for justice and the rights of the mentally ill in the justice system. Meanwhile, one key question that overshadows this case: Can you really fake being incompetent and get away with murder? 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNRESTORABLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTE OF THE EPISODE. 

Earwitness

In 1995, Deputy Sheriff William Hardy was shot while moonlighting at a Birmingham hotel. An informant told police the shooter was Toforest Johnson. Even though ten people saw him in a nightclub at the time of the crime, detectives believed they had their man. But after Yolanda Chambers’s statements were discredited, prosecutors turned to Violet Ellison who said she overheard Johnson confess on a three-way phone call. Years later, even the prosecutor has doubts about the so-called “earwitness” and whether Johnson should be on Alabama’s death row.

From the producers of “Bone Valley” comes “Earwitness.” Host Beth Shelburne picks apart the original investigation, police conduct, and the credibility of the key witness. What does it say when even the people who put an innocent man on death row can’t get the justice system to right a wrong?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EARWITNESS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: It's a small turd after all.

Murder in Apartment 12

In 2005, Kevin Jones discovered his girlfriend bludgeoned to death in her Russellville, Arkansas apartment. Police zeroed in on Jones, thinking the murder of former beauty queen Nona Dirksmeyer was an open-and-shut case. Despite a strong alibi and critical evidence pointing to an unknown assailant, prosecutors would not alter their theory of the case. And years after a jury would decide Jones’s fate - and DNA from the scene was linked to Nona’s violent neighbor - many would not change their minds about what happened in apartment 12.

From Dateline NBC comes their latest podcast, “Murder in Apartment 12.” Host Keith Morrison looks back at his two decades of covering the case. While still employing his famous droll delivery style, this Dateline mystery does not get wrapped up in a bow at the end.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN APARTMENT 12" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Navajo Police: Class 57

The Navajo Nation is the only tribe that runs its own police academy, training officers for an understaffed force patrolling the largest reservation in the US. The latest class of about two dozen Navajo recruits must go through a rigorous 28 week boot camp to prepare them for the rigors of the job.

But Class 57 begins to dwindle, with recruits dropping out or being dismissed for misconduct. Yet those who graduate find themselves unprepared for the emotional reality of patrolling a reservation filled with poverty, addiction, and violence which mirrors their own experiences growing up Navajo.  

The HBO Original documentary series “Navajo Police: Class 57” takes us inside the academy of a police force desperately trying to fill its ranks and into the complicated lives of those seeking to wear the uniform. It reveals how the NPD is a microcosm of the Navajo Nation itself…revealing its history, uncertain future, and its resiliency.  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "NAVAJO POLICE: CLASS 57" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Plus, the Crime Writers read a statement regarding toxicity in podcasting.

In Crime of the Week: Mamas boys.

Big Vape

Grad students James Monsees and Adam Bowen envisioned a new technology, one that would give smokers like them the hit of nicotine they craved without the carcinogens of a combustible cigarette. After a decade of refining vape products, they finally achieved commercial success with Juul. But instead of reaching smokers wanting to quit, Juul’s biggest customer base were young people attracted by their fruity flavors and extra pack of nicotine. Instead of being an alternative to Big Tobacco, the company had its own problems with regulators, parents, and public health officials.

With users, experts, and former employees, Netflix’s “Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul” chronicles the history of the controversial tobacco product. Did Juul’s mission backfire, making the public health crisis it tried to mitigate only worse? Or did its financial success blind its creators to the inevitable outcomes of perfecting smokeless tobacco?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BIG VAPE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: gummin' bears.

Magnificent Jerk

When Maya Lin Sugarman was cleaning out her grandmother’s home, she discovered some screenplays written by her late uncle. Galen Yuen was in a Chinese street gang before becoming a small-time actor. Maya had no idea the script about his life story was made into the 1997 movie “Crazy Six.” By the time Hollywood was finished with the semi-biographical thriller about an Asian crack addict looking to rip off some Oakland drug dealers, it featured Rob Lowe trying to steal plutonium from Eastern European gangsters. The screenplays send Maya on a quest to uncover her uncle’s true life story, find the real people who inspired the characters, and learn how his movie got whitewashed in the first place.

The Apple Original podcast “Magnificent Jerk,” produced by Pineapple Street Studios, is the true story of the fake story of a real life. The host takes a journey into the colorful past of the uncle she thought she knew and finds a tale about identity, ambition, and family.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MAGNIFICENT JERK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Paying your debt to society.

The Shell Lake Massacre

While his wife and eight of his children lay sleeping, James Peterson awoke to a stranger at his farmhouse door. Within a matter of minutes, all but one family member would be shot to death in Canada’s worst random murder spree. The scope of the 1967 crime shook Saskatchewan, leaving locals in fear for their lives. Mounties would later interrogate a neighbor who’d been recently released from a hospital and had been hallucinating about the devil.

Rawlco Radio presents the six-part podcast “The Shell Lake Massacre.” Host Brittany Caffet recounts one of Canada’s most gruesome slayings. She also introduces us to Kathy Hill, the only surviving member of the Peterson family, as they both return to the scene of the crime.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE SHELL LAKE MASSACRE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Savior Complex

In 2009, nineteen-year-old Renee Bach said the Lord called her to go to Uganda and establish a charity to feed the hungry. But the Serving His Children clinic morphed into an intensive care unit for gravely malnourished babies and toddlers. Her work attracted Christian donors and filled her social media feed. But Bach became the target of Ugandan activists opposed to white missionaries using African children as props for their own agendas. And observers noted why starving babies continued to die at her clinic: Bach was personally directing the children’s care even though she had no medical training.

“Savior Complex” from HBO Documentaries uses video of the clinic shot by Bach to tell a story of white privilege and religious hubris. It also follows local activists drumming up opposition to Bach and other Westerners more interested in grabbing the spotlight than providing humanitarian relief.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SAVIOR COMPLEX" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: stick 'em up.

The Dream season 3

People are spending thousands of dollars to get the guidance of life coaches, so-called experts who promise to motivate clients, provide clarity to their problems, and set them on the path to financial reward. But often these gurus recruit new coaches, ensnaring them and their downstream clients in a multi-level marketing cycle. But who gets to say they’re an expert in giving life advice or promising prosperity to clients for the right fee? And why do people think these self-styled gurus can change their emotional and financial situations in the first place? 

In season three of “The Dream,” host Jane Marie explores the life coaching industry, and whether followers can transform themselves by altering mindsets or tapping into the universe. Jane makes the journey personal by discussing her feelings of dread and depression, and employing her own life coach to improve her outlook.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE DREAM" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Who Killed Jill Dando?

In 1999, Great Britain was shaken when popular BBC news presenter Jill Dando was gunned down at her front door. In their search for the shooter, police examined loved ones, fans, assassins, political extremists, and connections to her popular TV show “Crimewatch.” After months of false leads, a neighbor caught the attention of authorities. Would a single particle of gunpowder be enough to convict a suspect of killing the nation’s most beloved television star…or put the wrong man in jail?

The Netflix series “Who Killed Jill Dando?” explores the 1999 slaying of the journalist and the many twists and turns of the investigation. Why does her death continue to grip experts and the public all these years later?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WHO KILLED JILL DANDO" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: hard rock.

Only Murders in the Building season 3

When last we saw our heroes, temperamental actor Ben Gilroy had died on stage at the premier of Oliver’s new Broadway show. But a very-much alive Ben returns from the hospital, only to plummet to his death in the Arconia’s elevator shaft. Who among the cast and crew would want Ben dead? Oliver fears the show will tank if it’s a cast member - like the alluring Loretta Durkin whom he’s crushing on. Charles is struggling with both his love life and the musical’s patter song. Meanwhile Mabel is leaving the Arconia and feels disconnected from the guys. As she moves forward on the podcast without them, can this trio solve the latest murder in the building?

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez return in season three of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd round out the cast. The show turns its focus away from true crime podcasts to musical theater, while providing another group of odd-ball suspects to investigate.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.