# The 10 Best True Crime Podcasts

> ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, asked 5 times each, rank In the Dark (Season 2) as the #1 of the best true crime podcasts, followed by Serial (Season 1) and Criminal. In the Dark (Season 2). ChatGPT and Gemini put it first; the combined vote across all 15 answers made it #1.

Source: https://clankerlists.com/lists/best-true-crime-podcasts · Collected 2026-10-10 · Podcasts

| Rank | Pick | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [In the Dark (Season 2)](https://clankerlists.com/items/in-the-dark-podcast) | #1 | #2 | #1 |
| 2 | [Serial (Season 1)](https://clankerlists.com/items/serial-podcast) | #2 | #1 | #2 |
| 3 | [Criminal](https://clankerlists.com/items/criminal-podcast) (Phoebe Judge) | #5 | #4 | #5 |
| 4 | [Bear Brook](https://clankerlists.com/items/bear-brook-podcast) (Season 1) | #3 | #11 | #3 |
| 5 | [Your Own Backyard](https://clankerlists.com/items/your-own-backyard) (Chris Lambert) | #4 | — | #4 |
| 6 | [Casefile](https://clankerlists.com/items/casefile) (Australian-based) | #7 | #3 | #8 |
| 7 | [Dr. Death](https://clankerlists.com/items/dr-death-podcast) (Season 1) | #9 | #6 | #9 |
| 8 | [Crime Junkie](https://clankerlists.com/items/crime-junkie) (Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat) | — | #5 | — |
| 9 | [Cold (Season 1)](https://clankerlists.com/items/cold-season-1) | #8 | — | #7 |
| 10 | [Hunting Warhead](https://clankerlists.com/items/hunting-warhead) (CBC Podcasts / VG, hosted by Daemon Fairless) | #12 | — | #6 |

## 1. In the Dark (Season 2)

Madeleine Baran and APM Reports dig into the six trials of Curtis Flowers in Mississippi. It's investigative journalism that helped change the case itself. ChatGPT and Gemini both had it as their #1.

## 2. Serial (Season 1)

Sarah Koenig's 2014 deep dive into the murder of Hae Min Lee and the conviction of Adnan Syed made podcasts mainstream. Claude had it as its #1, and its influence is hard to overstate.

## 3. Criminal

Phoebe Judge's calm, elegant storytelling turns strange crimes and the people around them into compact, humane episodes. It's the one that sits near the top everywhere, and it's still unmistakably itself.

## 4. Bear Brook

New Hampshire Public Radio unravels the barrels found in Allenstown and the decades-old mystery behind them. It's a patient, twisty, reported series that moves from cold case to genetic genealogy. ChatGPT and Gemini both rated it highly.

## 5. Your Own Backyard

Chris Lambert goes deep on a killing close to home in a slow-burn, personal investigation. ChatGPT and Gemini both rank it highly, while Claude never mentioned it. Cult favorite energy.

## 6. Casefile

An anonymous Australian narrator delivers meticulous, no-frills case summaries from around the world. It's a reliable heavyweight, and Claude put it well up its list. The facts do the talking.

## 7. Dr. Death

Wondery's story of Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch is a medical horror story with real victims. It's compulsively listenable and made every engine's top 10. Hard to hear without wincing.

## 8. Crime Junkie

Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat built a true crime empire on conversational, weekly case retellings. Claude loved it, while ChatGPT and Gemini left it off entirely. It's the most divisive pick here.

## 9. Cold (Season 1)

Dave Cawley's first season follows the disappearance of Susan Powell in Utah, and its twists and reporting are gripping. Gemini and ChatGPT rated it well, while Claude skipped it.

## 10. Hunting Warhead

CBC and VG follow host Daemon Fairless as he investigates the dark-web child abuse network known as Warhead. It's harrowing, important reporting, and Gemini kept it in its top 10 consistently.

## Lone wolves

- Someone Knows Something: only ChatGPT
- Crime Junkie: only Claude
- Up and Vanished: only Claude
- Morbid: only Claude
- Suspect: only Claude

## Questions

**What true crime podcast should I listen to right now?**

Start with In the Dark, from Season 1 (the AIs rate Season 2 highest). Already heard it? Try Serial (Season 1) or, for something less obvious, Crime Junkie (only Claude picked it).

**According to AI, what is #1 of the best true crime podcasts?**

In the Dark (Season 2). ChatGPT and Gemini put it first; the combined vote across all 15 answers made it #1.

**Do ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini agree on the best true crime podcasts?**

Partly. 6 of the 10 picks made all 3 AIs' lists. The biggest split was Your Own Backyard: ChatGPT #4, Claude didn't list it, Gemini #4.

**Which best true crime podcasts did only one AI pick?**

Someone Knows Something (only ChatGPT); Crime Junkie (only Claude); Up and Vanished (only Claude); Morbid (only Claude); Suspect (only Claude).

**How was this ranking of the best true crime podcasts made?**

We asked ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini "What are the 10 best true crime podcasts? Rank them from 1 to 10, best first." 5 times each, every time in a fresh chat with web search on, in 2026-10. A #1 earns 10 points and a #10 earns 1; each AI's points are averaged over its runs and each AI gets an equal say.