Multi-episode investigative podcasts
November 19, 2022 7:23 AM Subscribe
I have a long drive coming up and I want to binge a podcast, ideally one of those investigative-style ones that unfold over a series of episodes.
I find a lot of true crime podcasts a little over the top tone- wise, but I don't mind well done true crime. Love podcasts about cults or cult-like elements. Political intrigue okay but not my top preference.
Past favorites:
Serial, of course
The Dream (about MLMs)
The Turning (about Mother Theresa's sect of nuns)
Wind of Change (about CIA influence during cold War)
Wild, Wild Country, if it were a podcast and not a Netflix series
Planning to check out Bad Blood about Theranos.
I find a lot of true crime podcasts a little over the top tone- wise, but I don't mind well done true crime. Love podcasts about cults or cult-like elements. Political intrigue okay but not my top preference.
Past favorites:
Serial, of course
The Dream (about MLMs)
The Turning (about Mother Theresa's sect of nuns)
Wind of Change (about CIA influence during cold War)
Wild, Wild Country, if it were a podcast and not a Netflix series
Planning to check out Bad Blood about Theranos.
Love heavyweight.
Season Three of Chameleon, Wild Boys is one guy's investigation into the true story of two boys who appeared out of nowhere in his small British Columbia town when he was a teen. They were said to have been raised in the woods with no contact with society. Very captivating.
posted by stray at 7:33 AM on November 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
Season Three of Chameleon, Wild Boys is one guy's investigation into the true story of two boys who appeared out of nowhere in his small British Columbia town when he was a teen. They were said to have been raised in the woods with no contact with society. Very captivating.
posted by stray at 7:33 AM on November 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
Last Seen, about the Isabella Stuart Gardner heist.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:50 AM on November 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 7:50 AM on November 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Salmon People about salmon farming. Focuses on a researcher, Alex Morton, and her quest to demonstrate the impact of fish farms on wild salmon stock and hold
Fish farmers accountable. More dramatic than you’d think.
posted by shock muppet at 7:53 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Fish farmers accountable. More dramatic than you’d think.
posted by shock muppet at 7:53 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Floodlines, about Katrina - didn’t think I needed more info about Katrina but it’s very good
Trojan Horse Affair - the story isn’t neatly packaged but it’s very interesting and the storytelling is good
We Were Three goes very deep, about family loss and Covid
Stolen is moving, but be forewarned that it’s about sexual abuse of children at residential schools
544 Days is about an American who is imprisoned in Iran. I found it pretty compelling
posted by vunder at 7:58 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Trojan Horse Affair - the story isn’t neatly packaged but it’s very interesting and the storytelling is good
We Were Three goes very deep, about family loss and Covid
Stolen is moving, but be forewarned that it’s about sexual abuse of children at residential schools
544 Days is about an American who is imprisoned in Iran. I found it pretty compelling
posted by vunder at 7:58 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Heaven's Gate is a deep dive into the cult of the same name. Produced by Glen Washington host/creator of Snap Judgement, which is another great podcast.
posted by brookeb at 7:59 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by brookeb at 7:59 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
I thought Collapse: Disaster in Surfside , about the condo collapse in Surfside, FL was really compelling. It's not about the investigation, per se, since that is ongoing and probably won't be done for years. But it looks at the history of the building, the circumstances leading up to the collapse, and a close look at how the event unfolded and affected various residents. Includes interviews with engineering experts weighing in on potential causes. Totally fascinating and terrifying, TBH.
posted by Jemstar at 8:15 AM on November 19, 2022
posted by Jemstar at 8:15 AM on November 19, 2022
Gangster Capitalism, three seasons about the Ivy League admissions scandal, the NRA, and Jerry Falwell Jr./Liberty University
Slow Burn is mostly political intrigue (Watergate, Clinton/Lewinsky, Roe, etc.), but season 3, about Biggie and Tupac, and season 6, about the 1991 LA riots, are both good
posted by box at 8:41 AM on November 19, 2022
Slow Burn is mostly political intrigue (Watergate, Clinton/Lewinsky, Roe, etc.), but season 3, about Biggie and Tupac, and season 6, about the 1991 LA riots, are both good
posted by box at 8:41 AM on November 19, 2022
S-Town is both murder mystery and deep dive into the life and mind of a tortured genius in small town Alabama.
posted by scrubjay at 9:24 AM on November 19, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by scrubjay at 9:24 AM on November 19, 2022 [7 favorites]
Bear Brook! A second season is just starting
I couldn’t stop listening to this one. True crime, spooky, forensic science.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Brook_(podcast)
posted by forkisbetter at 9:26 AM on November 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
I couldn’t stop listening to this one. True crime, spooky, forensic science.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Brook_(podcast)
posted by forkisbetter at 9:26 AM on November 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
Chameleon: Scam Likely about tracking a massive scam enterprise.
Something Was Wrong, about the discovery of shocking life events and relationships.
The Coming Storm: a deep dive into QAnon and the plot to break reality.
Mommy Doomsday (Dateline), about the Lori Vallow case.
Murder in Illinois, a fascinating investigation into the killing of Chris Vaughn's wife and 3 children.
Sweet Bobby, a true story about a woman who was catfished for 10 years.
Father Wants Us Dead, about the famous John List murders.
All seasons of Dr. Death are excellent, about doctors who do harm.
Fed Up, about a scammer who peddles high-fiber diet products.
Betrayal, a woman's story about being married to a teacher who sexually abused his students.
Queen of the Con, 2 seasons, one about a woman pretending to be an Irish heiress who swindles her best friend, and the 2nd about a woman who acted as a CPA in order to bilk her clients.
American Hostage, about the hostage of a banker by Tony Kiritsus in a 63 hour standoff.
Who the Hell is Hamish? - chasing down a serial conman.
Chasing Charlie, about a serial romance scammer.
Conviction, 3 seasons, the first of which is about a family caught up in the Satanic Panic.
The Sunshine Place - (from the copy): The Sunshine Place tells the mind-blowing, true-story of Synanon - one of America’s most cutting edge social experiments, turned into one of its most dangerous and violent cults.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:26 AM on November 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
Something Was Wrong, about the discovery of shocking life events and relationships.
The Coming Storm: a deep dive into QAnon and the plot to break reality.
Mommy Doomsday (Dateline), about the Lori Vallow case.
Murder in Illinois, a fascinating investigation into the killing of Chris Vaughn's wife and 3 children.
Sweet Bobby, a true story about a woman who was catfished for 10 years.
Father Wants Us Dead, about the famous John List murders.
All seasons of Dr. Death are excellent, about doctors who do harm.
Fed Up, about a scammer who peddles high-fiber diet products.
Betrayal, a woman's story about being married to a teacher who sexually abused his students.
Queen of the Con, 2 seasons, one about a woman pretending to be an Irish heiress who swindles her best friend, and the 2nd about a woman who acted as a CPA in order to bilk her clients.
American Hostage, about the hostage of a banker by Tony Kiritsus in a 63 hour standoff.
Who the Hell is Hamish? - chasing down a serial conman.
Chasing Charlie, about a serial romance scammer.
Conviction, 3 seasons, the first of which is about a family caught up in the Satanic Panic.
The Sunshine Place - (from the copy): The Sunshine Place tells the mind-blowing, true-story of Synanon - one of America’s most cutting edge social experiments, turned into one of its most dangerous and violent cults.
posted by mezzanayne at 9:26 AM on November 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
I have downloaded but not listened to Bone Valley after Starlee Kine had enthused about it.
posted by stevil at 9:33 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by stevil at 9:33 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Really seconding Wild Boys.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:35 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:35 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Motive Seasons 1 and 4
Mother Country Radicals
Project Unabom
Deep Cover: Mob Land Season 2
In the Dark Season 2
(Nothing against the seasons I didn’t list for shows above. I just never listened to them.)
posted by Xalf at 10:24 AM on November 19, 2022
Mother Country Radicals
Project Unabom
Deep Cover: Mob Land Season 2
In the Dark Season 2
(Nothing against the seasons I didn’t list for shows above. I just never listened to them.)
posted by Xalf at 10:24 AM on November 19, 2022
Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders , 8 episodes long, two investigative journalists looking into the Tylenol that was laced with cyanide and killed people in the early 80s. Intriguing, lots of heavy Chicago accents.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 10:30 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Sparky Buttons at 10:30 AM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
I’ll add Tom Brown’s Body by Texas Monthly’s Skip Hollandsworth, which felt a bit like Serial in terms of a journalist visiting a town and trying to find answers to an unsolved case by talking to the people involved.
posted by Kronios at 11:43 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Kronios at 11:43 AM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
It’s no longer producing new episodes, but for my money the two existing seasons of In the Dark are the very best investigative journalism podcasting in the business.
posted by CtrlAltDelete at 12:30 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by CtrlAltDelete at 12:30 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Crimetown
I can vouch for Season 1 on Buddy Cianci's life and times in Providence, RI. As a former Providence resident, who didn't overlap with his time at Mayor, but saw his face on billboards advertising his radio show, it does a good job of capturing the city and his weird charm.
posted by chiefthe at 1:48 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
I can vouch for Season 1 on Buddy Cianci's life and times in Providence, RI. As a former Providence resident, who didn't overlap with his time at Mayor, but saw his face on billboards advertising his radio show, it does a good job of capturing the city and his weird charm.
posted by chiefthe at 1:48 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Shrink Next Door is one of my all-time favorites.
Hooked
Bad Batch
Sympathy Pains
Tiffany Dover Is Dead
There are a bunch from Dateline... unfortunately I have a low tolerance for Keith Morrison’s delivery but made it through The Thing About Pam and Mommy Doomsday which was mentioned above.
You mentioned the Bad Blood podcast, but the audiobook of the original book is great too.
And a couple where the original podcasts I enjoyed have apparently been expanded or rebranded after having inspired docudramas: WeCrashed (now a “Director’s Cut” and a followup series) and Joe Exotic: Tiger King (now “Joe Vs. Carole” and intertwined with the marketing of the Netflix series).
posted by staggernation at 8:40 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hooked
Bad Batch
Sympathy Pains
Tiffany Dover Is Dead
There are a bunch from Dateline... unfortunately I have a low tolerance for Keith Morrison’s delivery but made it through The Thing About Pam and Mommy Doomsday which was mentioned above.
You mentioned the Bad Blood podcast, but the audiobook of the original book is great too.
And a couple where the original podcasts I enjoyed have apparently been expanded or rebranded after having inspired docudramas: WeCrashed (now a “Director’s Cut” and a followup series) and Joe Exotic: Tiger King (now “Joe Vs. Carole” and intertwined with the marketing of the Netflix series).
posted by staggernation at 8:40 PM on November 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, forgot The Last Days of August from Jon Ronson (also The Butterfly Effect and really everything he’s done, but TLDoA seems closest to your criteria)
posted by staggernation at 8:52 PM on November 19, 2022
posted by staggernation at 8:52 PM on November 19, 2022
Escaping Nxivm, about the creepy sex cult
posted by O9scar at 12:20 AM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by O9scar at 12:20 AM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
The White Saviors is a podcast about fraud at one of Canada's largest charities, WE Charity, and the true cost of voluntourism in Africa.
Tagline: "The story of a charity that did well when it was supposed to be doing good."
Really compelling reporting.
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 6:34 PM on November 20, 2022
Tagline: "The story of a charity that did well when it was supposed to be doing good."
Really compelling reporting.
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 6:34 PM on November 20, 2022
Starlee Kine is how I heard about Bone Valley as well. Just finished the 9 part series. Really well-done story-telling.
posted by BeBoth at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2022
posted by BeBoth at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
You may also enjoy Heavyweight, where a silly man helps people "solve" personal mysteries and relationship issues. Maudlin and delicious. Not a season-long affair, though.
posted by rebent at 7:27 AM on November 19, 2022 [3 favorites]