Waiting for Thursday’s newest installment of Serialis like waiting for the UPS dude to show up with that parcel you’ve been anxiously hoping would arrive. Though there was the recent announcement that there’ll be a Season Two of Serial, there’s also the depressing reality that there are only three episodes of Season One left.
The thought of not being able to disappear into this world of true crime caused me to panic. I interrogated friends to whom this genre of storytelling is nothing new. I scoured Reddit for suggestions of new criminal content to devour. I listened to some of these recommended podcasts and was pleased to find some worthy of your investment.
Here’s what I found:
Sword and Scale
A podcast covering the dark crime syndicate and the criminal justice system’s response to it. The stories are of murder, kidnapping, rape, and even more bizarre forms of crime. Redditors have said this is a “good hold over between Serial episodes.”
Criminal
My favorite of the alternative podcasts, and the one I found to be most like Serial; no tidy endings, just documentarian type reporting. The episodes are released monthly, though, so you may have to find another hobby to pass the time between them.
True Murder
Another twist on the podcast approach, True Murder host Dan Zupansky speaks with authors of true crime novels. The production quality is less than impressive, but he is a good interviewer and the stories are hair raising. This podcast has a slight This American Life feel to it. Only with lots of murder.
Here Be Monsters
Jeff Emtman takes on true stories that deal with the gruesome, eccentric, or just plain strange. It’s impeccably produced, with subjects like “Do Crows Mourn Their Death” or “The Roman Slug Death Orgy.” Jeff is a great storyteller, and I found myself unable to switch off the podcast, no matter how weird the subject matter may be.
Not sold? Still loyal to Serial and don’t want any other meals? Here are two podcasts allowing you to get your Adnan on 24/7:
Slate's Serial Spoiler Specials
I listened to these recordings reluctantly, but upon hearing their reexamining of Sarah Koenig's work, I was impressed. The reporting here is done professionally and raises a lot of questions about other possibilities/scenarios that Serial couldn’t fit into its episodes.
Serial Serial
The A.V. Club puts out this podcast on Fridays after the latest Serial episode has aired. The Onion staffers basically sit around the water cooler and hash out their opinions on “the deal with Jay” and the weight of 15-year old memories. The podcast, which is funny at times, is created by people clearly as obsessed with Serial as we are.
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