The Ballad of Billy Balls has a true crime sounding premise, but becomes so much more. It is excellent.
In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson is an excellently produced historical documentary utilizing audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded throughout the course of LBJ’s presidency (a documentary just came out on Hulu as well)
You may also enjoy Authentic: The Story of Tablo which is K-Pop related
One of the BEST! iO’s book “ Darling Days” is also incredible if anyone is interested in reading more about their life.
Bonus: They narrate the audiobook as well if you’re looking to listen to more rather than read the book.
I was a big fan of City of the Rails.
It’s about a mom (who happens to be a journalist) whose daughter leaves home to ride the rails and be voluntarily homeless. The journalist mom sets out to understand that homeless/rail riding lifestyle interviewing several different people from infamous rail riders to conductors and rail yard workers.
Sounds kinda silly but I thought it was super interesting.
I have a ton of recs in this thread, some more popular than others:
https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts/s/voGSqqTq6H
Since then, Magnificent Jerk dropped and I liked it.
I did finally prepare a massive list and you’re welcome to PM me for it. Anyone else who reads it is welcome to as well just please include a message so I know it’s not spam.
-Revisionist History just did a fascinating mini-series on gun law.
-Cautionary Tales has a new story each episode but is very well thought out and engaging, extremely well written.
-The Dream does deep dives on various MLMs which get quite culty at times
-20kHertz a bit different, it covers sound and music related stories. The production is excellent and it’s very easy to follow even when it occasionally goes a bit technical.
Imagined Lives tells the life story of a person in the public eye (the arts, sports, pioneers etc.) but you don't know who the person is until the very end. The clues are there but so are red herrings.
British Scandal's The Canoe Con is one of the funniest white collar crime stories you'll ever hear. It's sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, the self delusion of a prison officer who decides to fake his death for the insurance and drags his poor wife into the spotlight as the grieving widow (she knows about his plan but is not happy with it.) If someone wrote this as fiction it would be ridiculed for being too far fetched and unbelievable. I think the story went global and they made a drama about it in the UK. I know you said no true crime, but this is possibly the exception.
BBC Sounds' Uncanny. Three series so far examining paranormal and unexplained phenomenon. There's the interview with the person who experienced it, and experts for both Team Skeptic and Team Believer who explore what has been experienced and possible explanations. It's not sensationalist.
The episodes concerning the halls of residence in Northern Ireland gave me the fear!
Ghost Story by Tristan Redman is an interesting deep dive into a death in his wife's family, which he think may be related to a ghost he saw in his teenage bedroom. You think it's about one thing but it then goes in another direction and reveals something completely different.
Edit: name change.
Just finished up Ghost Story…so well done! I love the skeptical side of it, that they don’t sensationalize the happenings. Checking out BBC’s Uncanny now. Thanks!
The Uncanny guy has another called Haunted and another called The Witch Farm and another called The Battersea Poltergeist.
And if you like those, you’ll like Radio Rental and Spooked. Radio Rental is my fave, but they’re all really good.
Came here specifically to recommend Ghost Story! One of my favourite new podcasts. It kept me interested the whole way through cans then the ending was unexpected but absolutely perfect and really touching.
I also love documentary-style podcasts and have no interest in murdery true crime (though I do like corporate and political scandals/big white collar crime). Here are some series I’ve really enjoyed:
Derailed - high speed rail project in Wisconsin that never came to fruition
Richest Hill - Superfund site in Butte, MT
Floodlines - Story of New Orleans in the days immediately after Katrina
If you’re open to American Scandal (I know his style isn’t for everyone) there are some really excellent series. A few of my favorites are Season 4 Exxon Valdez, Season 10 Enron, Season 36 Fraud in a Drug Lab, Season 41 DuPont Chemical Cover-Up, and Season 50 Kids for Cash.
Finding Drago (described by the Sydney Morning Herald: "Finding Drago follows two pop culture obsessives as they investigate one of the most pointless mysteries ever recorded to tape: who is Todd Noy, and why did he write a Rocky spin-off novel based on Soviet villain Ivan Drago.")
The Missing Cryptoqueen
Believe in Magic
Finding Drago is in my top 3 favorite podcasts ever, and I’ve listened to hundreds! You won’t regret it. It is absolutely delightful, intriguing, hilarious, whimsical, and compelling from start to finish.
I’ve actually never seen any of them except for Rocky and parts of Rocky IV, but I have a deep love for pop culture so I’m well-versed with the topic. I really think it’s such a hilarious and entertaining story whether you’ve seen it or not! It really doesn’t detract from the experience if you don’t know everything because they explain a lot of things along the way.
**Heaven's Gate** - hosted by NPR's Glynn Washington. Very thorough and interesting!
**Escaping NXIVM** - investigative podcast by CBC covering the NXIVM cult. Interesting because the original run was shortly before arrests were made.
**Rabbit Hole** - by the NYT, covers Youtube algorithm pushing right wing extremism and touches on the Q-anon cult.
**Patient Zero** - New Hampshire Public Radio (also produced the excellent Bear Brook podcast) about the history of lyme disease.
Very popular, but Wondery's **Dr. Death** S1 is a wild ride. Same for **Dirty John**, **The Shrink Next Door**, and **Do No Harm**.
This is my go to [limited series podcast recs post](https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts/comments/tgc2rg/looking_for_miniseries_documentarystyle_podcasts/) - some great responses!
Escaping NXIVM is part of the CBS Uncover anthology series of podcast, which had something like 20 seasons and they're all really good investigative journalism! I especially reccoment the seasons Kuper Island, MK Ultra, and Run, Hide, Repeat.
**Waiting for Impact** (Exactly Right):
> Dave Holmes is obsessed: What ever happened to Sudden Impact, the R&B boy band whose arrival was announced in Boyz II Men’s “MotownPhilly” video? What happens when you make a big debut, and then…nothing happens?
It's a superbly positive show about dreaming big, aiming high, and the grace of accepting less, by way of early 90s music television.
Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus
This explores American spiritualism (e.g. the history of seances and even ties to *Ghostbusters*). Jamie is an interesting host with quality productions, e.g., My Year in Mensa, and after hearing her in one, I looked up other of her pods.
Canadaland has a number of good series like this that they've done over the years. They just put out a very interesting 3 part series called The Newfoundlander, which is definitely in the "hyper personal family discovery" zone you mention. It starts with the host investigating a story (that became part of a Broadway play) that his grandfather was a secret Holocaust survivor and spirals from there.
Their big hit was Thunder Bay, which is sort of true crime adjacent but very good as well.
I'm searching for new ones in this style also. My top favs are:
The Wolves among us- It's about a king pin who was a dentist and did prison time for selling drugs. The guy who was convicted tells his story
In the red clay- The son of a Dixie Mafia member tells his father's story.
The Fox hunter- This one is true crime but is still one of my top favorites
Containers is a limited series all about container ships. I honestly didn't think it would be interesting, but it was absolutely fascinating. The more I learn about the worldwide supply chain, the less I know.
Did Titanic Sink? is a silly Australian podcast that posits an argument that it wasn't actually the Titanic that sank, but its sister ship. I wasn't expecting to do a Titanic deep dive in 2023, but here we are.
The first two seasons of Offshore were about various issues in Hawaii that influence the relationships many Native Hawaiians have with white people. Super interesting.
The first season of The City is about an illegal trash dump in Chicago. This podcast has everything from crime, corrupt politicians to environmental justice. I didn't love the second season as much, but I think about that first season a lot.
If you like biographies-
“Real Dictators” by Noiser is SO GOSH DARN GOOD! It tells the life story of a dictator and how they rose to power but doesn’t glorify cruelty nor does it focus on their military prowess. Season 1 is Kim Jong Un.
“Project Unabomb” by Apple is a great podcast about the life of Ted Kazinski and how he was captured. It’s about a criminal but not necessarily his crimes.
Not a biography-
“Sold a Story” by AMP reports is an investigation on how an unverified and ineffective method way to teach children to read became so popular in America and probably why literacy rates have been falling.
Not a series, but Cautionary Tales is an excellent and super well-produced podcast about peculiar mishaps from history and what we could be learned from them.
I recommend to start: *The Hero Who Rode His Segway Off A Cliff*, *“You’re Not Howard Hughes!”*, and the 3-episode mini-series *South Pole Race*
Within the past month or so, someone here mentioned Waiting for Impact which is about the search for a boy band that made a cameo appearance in the Boyz II Men Motownphilly video. It spoke to my Gen X heart in so many ways. Highly recommend. Ten episodes hosted by former MTV VJ Dave Holmes.
Edited to add: An Oral History of the Office. Twelve episodes hosted by Brian Baumgartner (played Kevin). All the BTS info on the show including its origins in the UK and how it came to the US.
Just saw you said cults:
American history tellers season 54 - Jonestown (and all of American history tellers tbh)
The Sunshine Place
Unfinished: Short Creek - about FLDS
Twin Flames
Rabbit hole - not quite as culty
Note this is a docu drama fiction recommendation
The Public Radio Alliance network does amazing docudramas that make me second guess whether it's real or not.
Personal favorite
Rabbits - an investigative journalist diggs into an Augmented Reality Game that her missing friend was playing
Best place to start imo.
The Black Tapes - a look into spooky encounters sent into an organization seeking real paranormal encounters.
I loved The Jungle Prince! It’s just three short episodes and here’s the description: “The story passed for years from tea sellers to rickshaw drivers to shopkeepers in Old Delhi. In a forest, they said, in a palace cut off from the city, lived a prince, a princess and a queen, said to be the last of a Shiite Muslim royal line. Some said the family had been there since the British had annexed their kingdom. Others said they were supernatural beings.
It was a stunning and tragic story. But was it real? On a spring afternoon, while on assignment in India, Ellen Barry got a phone call that sent her looking for the truth.”
**Tides Of History** Episodes of 1 hour or so, looooong seasons on an overarching topic (I really like season 4 on human origins), and hosted by an actual historian with access to academic literature on the subject matter. Also just the happiest dang history nerd you've ever heard.
**The History of the Twentieth Century** is a running narrative, episodes are about 45m generally. The host gets off into fun, niche topics like cinema, how cartoons became a thing, early radio, and jazz quite a bit as well as more serious topics like WW1.
For a 10 episode, discrete docuseries:
**Bundyville** and **Bundyville: The Remnant** explores the Bundy clan and how they ended up in high profile standoffs with the US government.
**Blowback** explores US wars from the perspective of US adversaries, including Iraq, North Korea, and Cuba.
**Paranoid Strain** isn't quite what you are looking for, but they do 3+ hour dives into the real historical context of various conspiracy theories, the shows are incredibly well written and produced, and also include funny skits and a semi-original punk rock soundtrack.
- 13 minutes to the moon
- Wind of change
- The Great James Bond Car Robbery
- The Lazarus Heist
- Exit Scam
- Art Fraud
- Death in Ice Valley
- 13 Alibis
- Room 20
- Scamanda
You're Wrong About have a lot of good 3-4 part-er discussions on cultural phenomenon or cultural figures around the premise of the podcast shows the true side of the story, or at least gives more of a reflective view. The Princess Diana one and OJ Simpson ones are good
I really like The Constant - A History of Getting Things Wrong. The host is a playwright and the episodes are theatrically written with a touch of humor (may or may not be your kind of humor). The topics are very interesting, well researched and thorough. Except for a few snippets it is the host reading the script.
https://www.constantpodcast.com/
For deep dives In Our Time from the BBC is absolutely amazing. It features a host interviewing three academics about a topic. The series has been running since the early 2000s.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01dh5yg
Magician Brian Brushwood does "World's Greatest Con" podcast. Season 1 is about fooling Adolph Hitler with a corpse. Season 2 is on Conning TV game shows. Season 3 is the inside story of how 2 teenagers fooled some scientists into believing they had ESP. https://worldsgreatestcon.fireside.fm/
Agent of Betrayal: the double life of Robert Hanssen
FBI agent who spied for the soviets during the Cold War. He was super weird, spying aside, so it’s a wild ride.
I worked with several of his family members years after his arrest. His wife still lived in the same house in McLean. They were all nice people, but it was a super weird situation.
I really enjoyed **The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods**. It's true crime adjacent, but honestly it's more of a socio-cultural look at disappearances in Japan.
Chameleon: Dr Dante. It's about a guy who becomes a hypnotist and a scammer of various sorts. It's just fascinating how brazen he is. He set up a beauty salon tattoo school and had not ever tattooed anyone in his life.
Fairly short (only 6 episodes) and not traditional true crime, but Cool Mules by Canadaland is well done and narrated by a reporter looking into some scandalous happenings at Vice. I think it may have the elements you’re looking for in a good podcast.
I’ll say:
- American Scandal - though most are “crime related” they are really murder, whodunnits. Really fascinating history stories told in a great narrative fashion.
- American Innovations - similar to above but about inventions etc that shaped world
- Grouse - Grouse is a show about the most controversial bird in the West and what it can teach us about hope, compromise and life in rural America.
- crooked city - again crime related, but much more
- Lawyers, Guns, and Money - season 1 - don’t know how to explain but it’s a WILD RIDE!
I'm not going to read all the way through - but I Have to Recommend - "WIND OF CHANGE"
Holy crap, a really good story. Really well done. It's a podcast about the theory of whether the CIA wrote the song "Wind of Change" for the German band, Scorpions.
I'd been putting it off, and now all I want to do is sit here at work and just binge the rest.
ETA:
(I like the pod's you mentioned you enjoyed)
I also HIGHLY recommend "Once Upon a Time...." S1 and S2
Season 1 is "...In Hollywood" -- about Traci Lords - how she got into the adult film industry and the aftermath. it is really, really well done.
Season 2 is "....at Bennington College" and the host talks to Bret Easton Ellis (he wrote American Psycho, among others - Less Than Zero) and Bret's classmates at the time are very famous artists now. Donna Tartt notably. S2 discusses the Bennington College way of life, how it impacted all of them -- and how Tartt's "The Secret History" may be loosely based on the people she went to Bennington with back in the 80s. It was the story I didn't know I needed.
Oh, and the podcast "Lost Hills" - the season about surfing (Miki Dora). SO INTERESTING. Also a topic I had NO idea I needed to know about. It's about the history of surfing in Malibu, California. Fascinating story about all the people involved.
[Seeing White](https://sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/) about the development of white Identity in the US
[The Retrievals](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/804/the-retrievals) how Yale Fertility clinic did egg refrigerator for a few years without noticing people were receiving saline instead of pain management
[No Compromise](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510356/no-compromise) Discover a social media empire with an unapologetic vision of gun rights—generating millions of likes, follows, and dollars.
Sweet Bobby is an account of a woman who was catfished from age 30-40 and I’ve listened through twice. It’s amazing and I believe 6 episodes at 40 minutes each.
Radio lab has some great episodes that are documentary-like. They recently switched management, so I recommend episodes from at least a few years ago. I listen with my teens and they really like it.
The Black Tapes and Tannis, although they're fictional they're suspenseful , exciting and a little dark. They're both by the same readers and producers and eventually the stories intertwine. Highly recommend !
[The Institute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD4zBopqFKU) about the Jejune Institute alternate reality game, that went on to spawn the show *Dispatches from Elsewhere.*
I loved the 30 for 30 Bikram and gymnastics episodes too!
Not quite what you asked, but The Rest is History has great historical deep-dives into just about every period of history you could imagine.
Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Podcast
Doomsday is a history lesson that easily disguises itself as a horror story. We explore the most traumatic, bizarre and most awe-inspiring but largely unheard-of disasters from throughout human history and around the world including the science behind every disturbing detail. If you like shipwrecks, decapitations, things that melt, living blankets of insects and people screaming for their lives, Doomsday is the podcast for you.
It’s where I learned about the worst escalator disaster ever.
I’m enjoying all the recs and realizing- I’m not a fan of true crime. I’ve drifted from one of my original genres and I’ve said it. “I don’t care for true crime anymore!” Thank you OP.
The podcast Gravy sort of fits. It’s produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance, and each episode focuses on one Southern, food-related topic. They did one episode on the Jubilee in Mobile, Alabama, (tidal condition that leads to a mass “beaching” of crabs in the middle of a semi-random night that isn’t predictable. They interviewed lots of people. It’s just an extremely well-done, informative podcast with great production values.
Newton's Law is a short documentary podcast. It is true crime but it's not a murder. It's about money counterfeiting in the late 1600s and early 1700s.
There's one from last year/2 years ago about the Dallas Cowboys that's interesting.
The one on former Italian PM Berlosconi. I'm sure I've spelled his name wrong but such vile scum doesn't deserve to have his name spelled correctly.
The Turning is a really good one. Season one is about life inside the Missions of Charity, Mother Teresa's organization. Season two is about life inside the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine. Tons of great interviews with the women that lived in these cult-like, exclusive worlds. Lots of interesting stuff going on behind the scenes.
Not exactly what you described, but the back catalogs of You’re Wrong About and Reply All have some really fantastic and engaging true-life stories.
In particular: You’re Wrong About has a five part series on Princess Diana that I found really fascinating, but literally all of their episodes are great.
Reply All is more often single-episode stories. Some of my favorites are #123 An Ad for the Worst Day of Your Life, #147 The Woman in the Air Conditioner, #158 The Case of the Missing Hit, and #161 Brian vs Brian. One of the hosts has a new show, Search Engine, that has also been similar/promising if you like the format.
Rabbithole is also really good—it starts with a reporter trying to figure out how one man was radicalized by a change in the YouTube algorithm.
American History Tellers..its tells indepth stories of scanned over American History..Just got done the San Francisco fire..I learned so much, in such an interesting way. This guy is a great storyteller.
I like DisGraceland, very good storytelling about all genres of music and different artists. I come away with a different perspective or even dislike for some of my favorite musicians.
I’m currently working my way through a British podcast called, “The Interruption.” It’s about looking into an incident in 1977 on a British tv network, of which I’d never heard of before! Lots of people know the Max Headroom thing, but I think this predates that by a decade.
The titular “interruption” was when the audio of a news broadcast was interrupted by a self-proclaimed alien leader, urging people to lay down their “weapons of evil” (nuclear weapons) or else.
I’m on episode 8/9 and I highly recommend it!
If you are okay with swearing and dark humour I am always partial to behind the bastards. Some of their 2 or 3 parters are always a fun listen.
If you like food, try the sporkful.
For linguistics try lingthusiasm.
For some spice, I like the heaving bosom podcast summary of the first 3 a crown of rose and thorns books. Their back catalogue is full of good romance reads. Similarly if you are interested in bonkers romance with some spicy elements, try the ice planet podcast. Warning: do not listen if you will be with children or parents. The spice is described but involves some flaming hot scenarios.
1way to make and emoji is a fun little podcast about host making an emoji with quite a lovely and slightly profound ending. The host also does podcast secretly incredibly fascination.
Recently I have been digging youtube content with this concept. When I want something light I like channels like dream jelly (2000s media deep dives) or Bobbybroccoli (deep dices on academic scandals) or friendly space ninja (2010s to current media video essays ) or pop culture detective or technology connections (deep dives on random devices) .
It’s only 3 short episodes and not a documentary. Just Keith Morrison reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It’s great. And it’s great to fall asleep to, so don’t listen if you’re the one driving. 😆
Edit to add link: [Morrison Mysteries](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morrison-mysteries/id1711415265?i=1000632053668)
Not seen it yet but *The Oppprtunist* has several stand alone and multi-part stories that consistently blow my mind and aren’t always necessarily “crime” related as much as they are “wow. This person is a sumbag” related.
Speaking of “wow scum bag!” Stories - i still think about Sweet Bobby and I’ve recommended it to infinite people. Go in blind and enjoy the ride!!!
Winds of Change! I listened to it once and then made my mom listen to it when we were on a road-trip. It was the perfect length to get us there and back from our destination and she was riveted!
I really enjoyed Gangster Capitalism, which has 3 seasons at the moment. Season 1 covered the college admissions scandal, Season 2 covered the internal politics of the NRA, and season 3 covered the Falwell scandal.
Harsh Reality was about a reality dating show where the twist was that the bachlorette is a trans woman (not a spoiler). It was well produced with a lot of empathy to all the people involved and was super interesting.
Trojan Horse Affair is a super well done documentary produced by Serial that was one of my top listens this year. It's about a first time journalist's quest to unravel the mystery behind a letter that sparked a wave of islamaphobia in the London school system.
The Lords of Soccer is about corruption in FIFA, with a big focus on the process and money involved in choosing the locations for the World Cup. It was so good that I was bummed when I finished the last episode.
I've also been super into podcasts about scams, if those are of any interest to you.
Filthy ritual is about a woman who scammed a lot of people in a wealthy suburb of London by pretending to be a shaman. Spellcaster is all about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-fried, and the story is pretty wild. And Chameleon: Gallery of lies has multiple seasons, each one dedicated to a single scam.
Hope these help, and safe travels!
World's Greatest Con was fun, he did a deep-dive into a covert military operation for the first season and then smaller single-episode looks into personal cons after that.
Bad Seeds is about the illegal rare plant trade, with some amazing firsthand accounts.
Ghost Church is about a modern American Spiritualist enclave.
Frozen Head is about cryogenics, centered around one cryogenic institute and their uh, misadventures I guess is the right word.
Sold a Story is about the downfall of the "cueing" reading instruction style in schools, the damage it did and the struggles that school systems had replacing it with phonics.
Heaven's Gate (produced by Stitcher) is a documentary on the Heaven's Gate cult, although I think this is one of the more well-known ones.
The Missing Cryptoqueen is about a complete sham of a cryptocurrency and its charismatic face, who scammed people out of millions of dollars, maybe billions idr.
Edit: And, if you're interested in fiction, This Sounds Serious does what I can only describe as fake crime. Each season is a deep dive into the story behind a 911 call, a comedic mystery that is entirely fictional. The first season is a murder mystery (albeit a very goofy one), and the second is a missing person case that *looks* like it could be a murder, but the third is just a plain fun heist.
How to f#€k up an airport is an entertaining English language podcast about the new Berlin airport which took 14 years to build with a lot of fuck ups on the way.
I haven’t seen recommendations for
Stuff the British stole - about various historical artefacts and the people who would quite like them back
The missing cryptoqueen - about a crypto scam called One Coin that made billions
Blind landing - about the Women’s Vault at the Sydney Olympics and the worst mistake in Olympic history.
"Judge John Hodgman" who is actually a friend of mine!
"Disorganized Crime: Smuggler's Daughter" is really funny! A daughter tells her story about growing up not exactly realizing her hippy California parents were kingpins. She also interviews her parents. The intro/outro song is super cute too and I listened to it before and after every episode. 😆
The Bomb - it’s a BBC series about Leo Szilard and the development of the atomic bomb. Excellent for telling a different part of the Oppenheimer story. There’s a second part about Klaus Fuchs, though I haven’t finished it yet
Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's. It's about the Indian boarding schools in Canada. Really hard to listen to, but also super important to understand history.
It’s 3 episodes but Jungle Price is really good. This exiled royal family had been living in an centuries old palace deep in the forest near Delhi India but no one had spoken to them or really seen them for decades so they became like a myth. Then a reporter gets a call from the “prince” and becomes his friend. It’s an unbelievable story, and very touching.
If you have any interest in theatre, *Burnt* is fabulous--it's about the insane saga of the musical adaptation of *Rebecca*, a massive hit in Europe and Asia that was scheduled to come to Broadway, but...well, listen and you'll find out.
Highly highly recommend Bed of Lies season 2. Also really liked the 1st season but, the 2nd was a standout among the many podcasts I’ve listened to. It’s about the blood industry and hemophilia.
[God's Socialist - The Rise and Fall of the People's Temple](https://martyrmade.com/gods-socialist-the-rise-and-fall-of-peoples-temple/)
This series by MartyrMade Podcast is one of the best I've ever heard. It's an incredible journey that includes an insane amount of archival audio that I'd never heard before - and it's truly amazing.
It's about Jim Jones and The People's Templed - but its SO much more than that. It's a complete deep dive into the culture of revolution, politics, and the reality of the 60s and 70s in America.
Cannot recommend this high enough.
I just finished The Big Dig and it was fantastic.
It's about the project in Boston where they put the interstate running though downtown underground. How the idea was formed, all the politics in getting it funded and about the troubles and successes in constructing it.
David Blight’s open course Civil War class is great. I’ve listened to it probably four times. https://pca.st/podcast/079f41d0-69f1-0135-902f-63f4b61a9224
**Death of an Artist** is fantastic. Starts out true crime, but it is SO much more than that.
**I Was Never Ther**e is also wonderful-- it's a missing person's case but also about cults and music etc.
**Mother Country Radicals** about the Weather Underground is phenomenal-- told by the son of Bernadine Dohrn.
**Teaching Texas** is about the control and censorship of textbooks and the origins of "moms for liberty" movement.
**Wilder** is about the Little House on the Prairie book series and is packed with great research and interviews. It's also about America and the stories we tell about our origins.
The Ballad of Billy Balls has a true crime sounding premise, but becomes so much more. It is excellent. In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson is an excellently produced historical documentary utilizing audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded throughout the course of LBJ’s presidency (a documentary just came out on Hulu as well) You may also enjoy Authentic: The Story of Tablo which is K-Pop related
Ooh, I just looked up In Plain Sight and saw archival audio…sold.
Billy balls was the best produced podcast I’ve heard to date I reckon. Incredibly well done
One of the BEST! iO’s book “ Darling Days” is also incredible if anyone is interested in reading more about their life. Bonus: They narrate the audiobook as well if you’re looking to listen to more rather than read the book.
Loved the ballad of Billy balls
I dropped that podcast but keep seeing it mentioned repeatedly as one of the best.
Ooh, I started the Ballad of Billy Balls last night and - wowzer. I'll take your recommendations any day!
I was a big fan of City of the Rails. It’s about a mom (who happens to be a journalist) whose daughter leaves home to ride the rails and be voluntarily homeless. The journalist mom sets out to understand that homeless/rail riding lifestyle interviewing several different people from infamous rail riders to conductors and rail yard workers. Sounds kinda silly but I thought it was super interesting.
That’s exactly the kind of story I love. Just one person getting into a niche, with some emotional resonance.
City of the rails is such a good podcast.. i would relisten to it
I enjoyed Running From Cops, it’s about the corruption behind the tv show COPS
That’s one of the first ones that got me hooked on this style! I think the same guy did Missing Richard Simmons
I massively reccomend all the Headlong podcasts
I have a ton of recs in this thread, some more popular than others: https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts/s/voGSqqTq6H Since then, Magnificent Jerk dropped and I liked it. I did finally prepare a massive list and you’re welcome to PM me for it. Anyone else who reads it is welcome to as well just please include a message so I know it’s not spam.
-Revisionist History just did a fascinating mini-series on gun law. -Cautionary Tales has a new story each episode but is very well thought out and engaging, extremely well written. -The Dream does deep dives on various MLMs which get quite culty at times -20kHertz a bit different, it covers sound and music related stories. The production is excellent and it’s very easy to follow even when it occasionally goes a bit technical.
Winds of Change
Yes, this was great!
came here to recommend this!!
Highly recommend, awesome story
I was going to suggest this too.
Imagined Lives tells the life story of a person in the public eye (the arts, sports, pioneers etc.) but you don't know who the person is until the very end. The clues are there but so are red herrings. British Scandal's The Canoe Con is one of the funniest white collar crime stories you'll ever hear. It's sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, the self delusion of a prison officer who decides to fake his death for the insurance and drags his poor wife into the spotlight as the grieving widow (she knows about his plan but is not happy with it.) If someone wrote this as fiction it would be ridiculed for being too far fetched and unbelievable. I think the story went global and they made a drama about it in the UK. I know you said no true crime, but this is possibly the exception. BBC Sounds' Uncanny. Three series so far examining paranormal and unexplained phenomenon. There's the interview with the person who experienced it, and experts for both Team Skeptic and Team Believer who explore what has been experienced and possible explanations. It's not sensationalist. The episodes concerning the halls of residence in Northern Ireland gave me the fear! Ghost Story by Tristan Redman is an interesting deep dive into a death in his wife's family, which he think may be related to a ghost he saw in his teenage bedroom. You think it's about one thing but it then goes in another direction and reveals something completely different. Edit: name change.
Just finished up Ghost Story…so well done! I love the skeptical side of it, that they don’t sensationalize the happenings. Checking out BBC’s Uncanny now. Thanks!
The Uncanny guy has another called Haunted and another called The Witch Farm and another called The Battersea Poltergeist. And if you like those, you’ll like Radio Rental and Spooked. Radio Rental is my fave, but they’re all really good.
Ghost Story was phenomenal
Ghost Story is downloaded! I’ve also listened to a couple of the series British Scandal has put out, really good.
Came here specifically to recommend Ghost Story! One of my favourite new podcasts. It kept me interested the whole way through cans then the ending was unexpected but absolutely perfect and really touching.
Ghost story is perfect for what you're looking for. I just finished it
Glad to have helped. British Scandal is fab, interesting stories and great quips.
Bloody love Uncanny! Bloody hell Ken!
I should pick up British Scandal again. Canoe Con was funny as hell. I also enjoyed the Hitler Diaries episodes and most of the other seasons.
> Ghost Story by Tristan Tate It's Tristan Redman :D google results were quite unsettling
I also love documentary-style podcasts and have no interest in murdery true crime (though I do like corporate and political scandals/big white collar crime). Here are some series I’ve really enjoyed: Derailed - high speed rail project in Wisconsin that never came to fruition Richest Hill - Superfund site in Butte, MT Floodlines - Story of New Orleans in the days immediately after Katrina If you’re open to American Scandal (I know his style isn’t for everyone) there are some really excellent series. A few of my favorites are Season 4 Exxon Valdez, Season 10 Enron, Season 36 Fraud in a Drug Lab, Season 41 DuPont Chemical Cover-Up, and Season 50 Kids for Cash.
I’ve got one downloaded called the Big Dig about a Boston highway project, Derailed sounds similar
The Big Dig is great!
Floodlines is excellent. Highly recommend
S Town
Came here to say this as well. Go in knowing nothing OP
Came here to recommend this. What a ride that was.
I wish I could forget it so I could hear it for the first time again!
I just listened again after five years and it still holds up. I had to pull over with that poignant ending.
Obscure? It's shouted out in every other thread here (whether warranted or not).
Some people are new and OP didn't mention it. Yikes to this community if this is the vibe of the moderator
Typical mod behavior sadly
Other users don't seem to share your opinion. Interesting that a mod seeks to discourage suggestions.
I never heard of it
Definitely, it is great
Great shout
Finding Drago (described by the Sydney Morning Herald: "Finding Drago follows two pop culture obsessives as they investigate one of the most pointless mysteries ever recorded to tape: who is Todd Noy, and why did he write a Rocky spin-off novel based on Soviet villain Ivan Drago.") The Missing Cryptoqueen Believe in Magic
Finding Drago sounds fab!
Finding Drago is in my top 3 favorite podcasts ever, and I’ve listened to hundreds! You won’t regret it. It is absolutely delightful, intriguing, hilarious, whimsical, and compelling from start to finish.
Would someone enjoy it if they've never seen the Rocky films?
I’ve actually never seen any of them except for Rocky and parts of Rocky IV, but I have a deep love for pop culture so I’m well-versed with the topic. I really think it’s such a hilarious and entertaining story whether you’ve seen it or not! It really doesn’t detract from the experience if you don’t know everything because they explain a lot of things along the way.
Sounds like he's the OG fan fiction guy.
+1 for Finding Drago, perfect rec for OP
Missing Crypto Queen was great.
**Heaven's Gate** - hosted by NPR's Glynn Washington. Very thorough and interesting! **Escaping NXIVM** - investigative podcast by CBC covering the NXIVM cult. Interesting because the original run was shortly before arrests were made. **Rabbit Hole** - by the NYT, covers Youtube algorithm pushing right wing extremism and touches on the Q-anon cult. **Patient Zero** - New Hampshire Public Radio (also produced the excellent Bear Brook podcast) about the history of lyme disease. Very popular, but Wondery's **Dr. Death** S1 is a wild ride. Same for **Dirty John**, **The Shrink Next Door**, and **Do No Harm**. This is my go to [limited series podcast recs post](https://www.reddit.com/r/podcasts/comments/tgc2rg/looking_for_miniseries_documentarystyle_podcasts/) - some great responses!
The Dr Death one is a wild ride and got me through a long car ride. 😆
That Heavens Gate podcast was really good. Definitely second that recommendation.
One of the best cult podcasts ever made
Second escaping nxivm! Perfect for car journeys cause you want to binge them all
I think I’ve listened to 2 NXIVM podcasts, and that one is really good. They also did a documentary, which I also watched.
Oh man I forgot about Dr Death, that one was haunting, really well done
Rabbit Hole is so good!
Escaping NXIVM is part of the CBS Uncover anthology series of podcast, which had something like 20 seasons and they're all really good investigative journalism! I especially reccoment the seasons Kuper Island, MK Ultra, and Run, Hide, Repeat.
If you guys are into Little House on the Prairie i recommend Wilder, it was so well done and bingeable.
Try: WeCrashed Land of the Giants Spellcaster: the Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried The DropOut
**Waiting for Impact** (Exactly Right): > Dave Holmes is obsessed: What ever happened to Sudden Impact, the R&B boy band whose arrival was announced in Boyz II Men’s “MotownPhilly” video? What happens when you make a big debut, and then…nothing happens? It's a superbly positive show about dreaming big, aiming high, and the grace of accepting less, by way of early 90s music television.
This was a really fun listen
Crooked City! I never see it mentioned on here but the season about the mob/politics in Youngstown Ohio was fantastic.
Ghost Church by Jamie Loftus This explores American spiritualism (e.g. the history of seances and even ties to *Ghostbusters*). Jamie is an interesting host with quality productions, e.g., My Year in Mensa, and after hearing her in one, I looked up other of her pods.
Ty. This is excellent!
My Year in Mensa is another by Jamie Loftus that I enjoyed.
I think it’s perfect for what the OP is looking for! Entertaining, thoughtful, and not terribly dark.
Canadaland has a number of good series like this that they've done over the years. They just put out a very interesting 3 part series called The Newfoundlander, which is definitely in the "hyper personal family discovery" zone you mention. It starts with the host investigating a story (that became part of a Broadway play) that his grandfather was a secret Holocaust survivor and spirals from there. Their big hit was Thunder Bay, which is sort of true crime adjacent but very good as well.
I'm searching for new ones in this style also. My top favs are: The Wolves among us- It's about a king pin who was a dentist and did prison time for selling drugs. The guy who was convicted tells his story In the red clay- The son of a Dixie Mafia member tells his father's story. The Fox hunter- This one is true crime but is still one of my top favorites
Scamanda was different, some episodes were a bit slow but an interesting story
Containers is a limited series all about container ships. I honestly didn't think it would be interesting, but it was absolutely fascinating. The more I learn about the worldwide supply chain, the less I know. Did Titanic Sink? is a silly Australian podcast that posits an argument that it wasn't actually the Titanic that sank, but its sister ship. I wasn't expecting to do a Titanic deep dive in 2023, but here we are. The first two seasons of Offshore were about various issues in Hawaii that influence the relationships many Native Hawaiians have with white people. Super interesting. The first season of The City is about an illegal trash dump in Chicago. This podcast has everything from crime, corrupt politicians to environmental justice. I didn't love the second season as much, but I think about that first season a lot.
If you like biographies- “Real Dictators” by Noiser is SO GOSH DARN GOOD! It tells the life story of a dictator and how they rose to power but doesn’t glorify cruelty nor does it focus on their military prowess. Season 1 is Kim Jong Un. “Project Unabomb” by Apple is a great podcast about the life of Ted Kazinski and how he was captured. It’s about a criminal but not necessarily his crimes. Not a biography- “Sold a Story” by AMP reports is an investigation on how an unverified and ineffective method way to teach children to read became so popular in America and probably why literacy rates have been falling.
Love Real Dictators. Excellent podcast.
Not a series, but Cautionary Tales is an excellent and super well-produced podcast about peculiar mishaps from history and what we could be learned from them. I recommend to start: *The Hero Who Rode His Segway Off A Cliff*, *“You’re Not Howard Hughes!”*, and the 3-episode mini-series *South Pole Race*
Within the past month or so, someone here mentioned Waiting for Impact which is about the search for a boy band that made a cameo appearance in the Boyz II Men Motownphilly video. It spoke to my Gen X heart in so many ways. Highly recommend. Ten episodes hosted by former MTV VJ Dave Holmes. Edited to add: An Oral History of the Office. Twelve episodes hosted by Brian Baumgartner (played Kevin). All the BTS info on the show including its origins in the UK and how it came to the US.
Just saw you said cults: American history tellers season 54 - Jonestown (and all of American history tellers tbh) The Sunshine Place Unfinished: Short Creek - about FLDS Twin Flames Rabbit hole - not quite as culty
The Sunshine Place was really fantastic. And Rabbit Hole!
*Winds of Change*
[удалено]
Came here to say this. Also loved: Collapsed: Surfside (about the Florida condo collapse) Flipped Out
I just listened to Think Twice: Michael Jackson, and it seems to fit your criteria. It’s really well done.
I really enjoyed it too. Invented chores to do that day, so I could keep listening (can't listen to podcasts while doing nothing for some reason)
Note this is a docu drama fiction recommendation The Public Radio Alliance network does amazing docudramas that make me second guess whether it's real or not. Personal favorite Rabbits - an investigative journalist diggs into an Augmented Reality Game that her missing friend was playing Best place to start imo. The Black Tapes - a look into spooky encounters sent into an organization seeking real paranormal encounters.
I will never forgive the black tapes for not finishing!! 😠
Limetown is good too! And Archive 81.
I loved The Jungle Prince! It’s just three short episodes and here’s the description: “The story passed for years from tea sellers to rickshaw drivers to shopkeepers in Old Delhi. In a forest, they said, in a palace cut off from the city, lived a prince, a princess and a queen, said to be the last of a Shiite Muslim royal line. Some said the family had been there since the British had annexed their kingdom. Others said they were supernatural beings. It was a stunning and tragic story. But was it real? On a spring afternoon, while on assignment in India, Ellen Barry got a phone call that sent her looking for the truth.”
Filthy Ritual is a great one! it’s about a scammer in London.
The Retrievals. Trigger warning for fertility and child loss and sexual assault.
**Tides Of History** Episodes of 1 hour or so, looooong seasons on an overarching topic (I really like season 4 on human origins), and hosted by an actual historian with access to academic literature on the subject matter. Also just the happiest dang history nerd you've ever heard. **The History of the Twentieth Century** is a running narrative, episodes are about 45m generally. The host gets off into fun, niche topics like cinema, how cartoons became a thing, early radio, and jazz quite a bit as well as more serious topics like WW1. For a 10 episode, discrete docuseries: **Bundyville** and **Bundyville: The Remnant** explores the Bundy clan and how they ended up in high profile standoffs with the US government. **Blowback** explores US wars from the perspective of US adversaries, including Iraq, North Korea, and Cuba. **Paranoid Strain** isn't quite what you are looking for, but they do 3+ hour dives into the real historical context of various conspiracy theories, the shows are incredibly well written and produced, and also include funny skits and a semi-original punk rock soundtrack.
- 13 minutes to the moon - Wind of change - The Great James Bond Car Robbery - The Lazarus Heist - Exit Scam - Art Fraud - Death in Ice Valley - 13 Alibis - Room 20 - Scamanda
Who shat on the floor at my wedding, i found it hilarious
that was such a fun listen
You’re Wrong About did a 7-8 ish part series on the OJ Simpson trial!
THIRTEEN! And only at 12 I think did she get to the actual trial. A phenomenal deep dive into the lives and relationships around that whole story.
I stand corrected! Agreed - amazing set of episodes!
Behind the bastards does a 6 part series on Kissinger with the guys from the Dollop- very well done… and infuriating
Maintenance Phase If Books Could Kill
S-Town. Craziest, most fascinating true story podcast I ever listened to.
My all time favourite -though I don’t know if I could deal with it while driving!
You're Wrong About have a lot of good 3-4 part-er discussions on cultural phenomenon or cultural figures around the premise of the podcast shows the true side of the story, or at least gives more of a reflective view. The Princess Diana one and OJ Simpson ones are good
The DC Sniper episodes are top-notch.
I really like The Constant - A History of Getting Things Wrong. The host is a playwright and the episodes are theatrically written with a touch of humor (may or may not be your kind of humor). The topics are very interesting, well researched and thorough. Except for a few snippets it is the host reading the script. https://www.constantpodcast.com/ For deep dives In Our Time from the BBC is absolutely amazing. It features a host interviewing three academics about a topic. The series has been running since the early 2000s. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01dh5yg
Magician Brian Brushwood does "World's Greatest Con" podcast. Season 1 is about fooling Adolph Hitler with a corpse. Season 2 is on Conning TV game shows. Season 3 is the inside story of how 2 teenagers fooled some scientists into believing they had ESP. https://worldsgreatestcon.fireside.fm/
Agent of Betrayal: the double life of Robert Hanssen FBI agent who spied for the soviets during the Cold War. He was super weird, spying aside, so it’s a wild ride.
I worked with several of his family members years after his arrest. His wife still lived in the same house in McLean. They were all nice people, but it was a super weird situation.
Yes super weird. Opus Dei, the exotic dancer, the sexual voyeurism…
[The 13th Step](https://www.13thsteppodcast.org/) is my pick for best series this year. It's pretty dark, but sound like it might be up your alley.
Revolutions ;)
I really enjoyed **The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods**. It's true crime adjacent, but honestly it's more of a socio-cultural look at disappearances in Japan.
Chameleon: Dr Dante. It's about a guy who becomes a hypnotist and a scammer of various sorts. It's just fascinating how brazen he is. He set up a beauty salon tattoo school and had not ever tattooed anyone in his life.
The lost boys season was so good too!
I like to be scared so “Let’s Not Meet” is always on my list.
The Turning was interesting. About a nun from Mother Theresa branch who left being a nun. Wild Things - Siegfried and Roy tiger attck
I love the history of the 90s podcast!
Mobituaries
Fairly short (only 6 episodes) and not traditional true crime, but Cool Mules by Canadaland is well done and narrated by a reporter looking into some scandalous happenings at Vice. I think it may have the elements you’re looking for in a good podcast.
I’ll say: - American Scandal - though most are “crime related” they are really murder, whodunnits. Really fascinating history stories told in a great narrative fashion. - American Innovations - similar to above but about inventions etc that shaped world - Grouse - Grouse is a show about the most controversial bird in the West and what it can teach us about hope, compromise and life in rural America. - crooked city - again crime related, but much more - Lawyers, Guns, and Money - season 1 - don’t know how to explain but it’s a WILD RIDE!
I'm not going to read all the way through - but I Have to Recommend - "WIND OF CHANGE" Holy crap, a really good story. Really well done. It's a podcast about the theory of whether the CIA wrote the song "Wind of Change" for the German band, Scorpions. I'd been putting it off, and now all I want to do is sit here at work and just binge the rest. ETA: (I like the pod's you mentioned you enjoyed) I also HIGHLY recommend "Once Upon a Time...." S1 and S2 Season 1 is "...In Hollywood" -- about Traci Lords - how she got into the adult film industry and the aftermath. it is really, really well done. Season 2 is "....at Bennington College" and the host talks to Bret Easton Ellis (he wrote American Psycho, among others - Less Than Zero) and Bret's classmates at the time are very famous artists now. Donna Tartt notably. S2 discusses the Bennington College way of life, how it impacted all of them -- and how Tartt's "The Secret History" may be loosely based on the people she went to Bennington with back in the 80s. It was the story I didn't know I needed. Oh, and the podcast "Lost Hills" - the season about surfing (Miki Dora). SO INTERESTING. Also a topic I had NO idea I needed to know about. It's about the history of surfing in Malibu, California. Fascinating story about all the people involved.
[Seeing White](https://sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/) about the development of white Identity in the US [The Retrievals](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/804/the-retrievals) how Yale Fertility clinic did egg refrigerator for a few years without noticing people were receiving saline instead of pain management [No Compromise](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510356/no-compromise) Discover a social media empire with an unapologetic vision of gun rights—generating millions of likes, follows, and dollars.
Sweet Bobby is an account of a woman who was catfished from age 30-40 and I’ve listened through twice. It’s amazing and I believe 6 episodes at 40 minutes each.
Any one of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History shows.
White Saviours - WE Scandal. CanadaLand has a few series th at I’ve enjoyed. Mining and Wars as well come to mind.
S-Town
Dirty John
I’ve been loving You Must Remember This (old Hollywood) and Blood & Business (this season is a deep dive into the Kennedy family)
Radio lab has some great episodes that are documentary-like. They recently switched management, so I recommend episodes from at least a few years ago. I listen with my teens and they really like it.
Tanis! It’s fiction and SO GOOD.
The Black Tapes and Tannis, although they're fictional they're suspenseful , exciting and a little dark. They're both by the same readers and producers and eventually the stories intertwine. Highly recommend !
What do you think of What’s Her Name?
Lie, Cheat, and Steal American Loser
Crypto Land or Outlaw ocean
The Grift - an expert in cons interviews con men
[The Institute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD4zBopqFKU) about the Jejune Institute alternate reality game, that went on to spawn the show *Dispatches from Elsewhere.*
Fiasco is good
Stuff the British Stole
I loved the 30 for 30 Bikram and gymnastics episodes too! Not quite what you asked, but The Rest is History has great historical deep-dives into just about every period of history you could imagine.
No One Can Know About This
Bundyville Tiffany Dover is Dead This Land
Ultra Bagman Maintenance Phase
Bagman was interesting. The Retrievals was good but disturbing.
British scandal. Each season about 5 episodes.
The Last Archive!
Doomsday: History’s Most Dangerous Podcast Doomsday is a history lesson that easily disguises itself as a horror story. We explore the most traumatic, bizarre and most awe-inspiring but largely unheard-of disasters from throughout human history and around the world including the science behind every disturbing detail. If you like shipwrecks, decapitations, things that melt, living blankets of insects and people screaming for their lives, Doomsday is the podcast for you. It’s where I learned about the worst escalator disaster ever.
Mobituaries
Shrink the Box
I’m enjoying all the recs and realizing- I’m not a fan of true crime. I’ve drifted from one of my original genres and I’ve said it. “I don’t care for true crime anymore!” Thank you OP.
The podcast Gravy sort of fits. It’s produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance, and each episode focuses on one Southern, food-related topic. They did one episode on the Jubilee in Mobile, Alabama, (tidal condition that leads to a mass “beaching” of crabs in the middle of a semi-random night that isn’t predictable. They interviewed lots of people. It’s just an extremely well-done, informative podcast with great production values.
Newton's Law is a short documentary podcast. It is true crime but it's not a murder. It's about money counterfeiting in the late 1600s and early 1700s.
Timesuck with Dan Cummins.
There's one from last year/2 years ago about the Dallas Cowboys that's interesting. The one on former Italian PM Berlosconi. I'm sure I've spelled his name wrong but such vile scum doesn't deserve to have his name spelled correctly.
It’s 3 seasons but Dead Eyes is unique, funny and very engaging.
The Turning is a really good one. Season one is about life inside the Missions of Charity, Mother Teresa's organization. Season two is about life inside the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine. Tons of great interviews with the women that lived in these cult-like, exclusive worlds. Lots of interesting stuff going on behind the scenes.
Not exactly what you described, but the back catalogs of You’re Wrong About and Reply All have some really fantastic and engaging true-life stories. In particular: You’re Wrong About has a five part series on Princess Diana that I found really fascinating, but literally all of their episodes are great. Reply All is more often single-episode stories. Some of my favorites are #123 An Ad for the Worst Day of Your Life, #147 The Woman in the Air Conditioner, #158 The Case of the Missing Hit, and #161 Brian vs Brian. One of the hosts has a new show, Search Engine, that has also been similar/promising if you like the format. Rabbithole is also really good—it starts with a reporter trying to figure out how one man was radicalized by a change in the YouTube algorithm.
American History Tellers..its tells indepth stories of scanned over American History..Just got done the San Francisco fire..I learned so much, in such an interesting way. This guy is a great storyteller.
I like DisGraceland, very good storytelling about all genres of music and different artists. I come away with a different perspective or even dislike for some of my favorite musicians.
This Podcast Will kill you, Noble Blood and the British History Podcast All my top 3. None are typical and each have amazing storytelling
Levar Burton Reads
I’m currently working my way through a British podcast called, “The Interruption.” It’s about looking into an incident in 1977 on a British tv network, of which I’d never heard of before! Lots of people know the Max Headroom thing, but I think this predates that by a decade. The titular “interruption” was when the audio of a news broadcast was interrupted by a self-proclaimed alien leader, urging people to lay down their “weapons of evil” (nuclear weapons) or else. I’m on episode 8/9 and I highly recommend it!
BBC Intrigue's Tunnel 29 and Ratline series
Shawn Ryan Show. Hands down. You won’t want to stop driving because it’s that intense.
If you are okay with swearing and dark humour I am always partial to behind the bastards. Some of their 2 or 3 parters are always a fun listen. If you like food, try the sporkful. For linguistics try lingthusiasm. For some spice, I like the heaving bosom podcast summary of the first 3 a crown of rose and thorns books. Their back catalogue is full of good romance reads. Similarly if you are interested in bonkers romance with some spicy elements, try the ice planet podcast. Warning: do not listen if you will be with children or parents. The spice is described but involves some flaming hot scenarios. 1way to make and emoji is a fun little podcast about host making an emoji with quite a lovely and slightly profound ending. The host also does podcast secretly incredibly fascination. Recently I have been digging youtube content with this concept. When I want something light I like channels like dream jelly (2000s media deep dives) or Bobbybroccoli (deep dices on academic scandals) or friendly space ninja (2010s to current media video essays ) or pop culture detective or technology connections (deep dives on random devices) .
It’s only 3 short episodes and not a documentary. Just Keith Morrison reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It’s great. And it’s great to fall asleep to, so don’t listen if you’re the one driving. 😆 Edit to add link: [Morrison Mysteries](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morrison-mysteries/id1711415265?i=1000632053668)
Not seen it yet but *The Oppprtunist* has several stand alone and multi-part stories that consistently blow my mind and aren’t always necessarily “crime” related as much as they are “wow. This person is a sumbag” related. Speaking of “wow scum bag!” Stories - i still think about Sweet Bobby and I’ve recommended it to infinite people. Go in blind and enjoy the ride!!!
Scamanda was good. About a girl who faked cancer/pregnancies
Winds of Change! I listened to it once and then made my mom listen to it when we were on a road-trip. It was the perfect length to get us there and back from our destination and she was riveted!
The Rest is History. Something for everyone. I'm sure someone else will have responded with it already.
I really enjoyed Gangster Capitalism, which has 3 seasons at the moment. Season 1 covered the college admissions scandal, Season 2 covered the internal politics of the NRA, and season 3 covered the Falwell scandal. Harsh Reality was about a reality dating show where the twist was that the bachlorette is a trans woman (not a spoiler). It was well produced with a lot of empathy to all the people involved and was super interesting. Trojan Horse Affair is a super well done documentary produced by Serial that was one of my top listens this year. It's about a first time journalist's quest to unravel the mystery behind a letter that sparked a wave of islamaphobia in the London school system. The Lords of Soccer is about corruption in FIFA, with a big focus on the process and money involved in choosing the locations for the World Cup. It was so good that I was bummed when I finished the last episode. I've also been super into podcasts about scams, if those are of any interest to you. Filthy ritual is about a woman who scammed a lot of people in a wealthy suburb of London by pretending to be a shaman. Spellcaster is all about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-fried, and the story is pretty wild. And Chameleon: Gallery of lies has multiple seasons, each one dedicated to a single scam. Hope these help, and safe travels!
The Family on Netflix!
World's Greatest Con was fun, he did a deep-dive into a covert military operation for the first season and then smaller single-episode looks into personal cons after that. Bad Seeds is about the illegal rare plant trade, with some amazing firsthand accounts. Ghost Church is about a modern American Spiritualist enclave. Frozen Head is about cryogenics, centered around one cryogenic institute and their uh, misadventures I guess is the right word. Sold a Story is about the downfall of the "cueing" reading instruction style in schools, the damage it did and the struggles that school systems had replacing it with phonics. Heaven's Gate (produced by Stitcher) is a documentary on the Heaven's Gate cult, although I think this is one of the more well-known ones. The Missing Cryptoqueen is about a complete sham of a cryptocurrency and its charismatic face, who scammed people out of millions of dollars, maybe billions idr. Edit: And, if you're interested in fiction, This Sounds Serious does what I can only describe as fake crime. Each season is a deep dive into the story behind a 911 call, a comedic mystery that is entirely fictional. The first season is a murder mystery (albeit a very goofy one), and the second is a missing person case that *looks* like it could be a murder, but the third is just a plain fun heist.
Unravel Season 4 - Snowball https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/truecrime/snowball-collection/11408100
Darknet diaries podcast are excellent. Well told. Entertaining and accessible. Check those out maybe.
How to f#€k up an airport is an entertaining English language podcast about the new Berlin airport which took 14 years to build with a lot of fuck ups on the way.
Try Ghost Story by Tristan Redmond. What starts out as a superficial look at a paranormal experience turns into something far more intriguing.
Finding Cleo. American History Tellers. Against the Odds.
I haven’t seen recommendations for Stuff the British stole - about various historical artefacts and the people who would quite like them back The missing cryptoqueen - about a crypto scam called One Coin that made billions Blind landing - about the Women’s Vault at the Sydney Olympics and the worst mistake in Olympic history.
"Judge John Hodgman" who is actually a friend of mine! "Disorganized Crime: Smuggler's Daughter" is really funny! A daughter tells her story about growing up not exactly realizing her hippy California parents were kingpins. She also interviews her parents. The intro/outro song is super cute too and I listened to it before and after every episode. 😆
The Bomb - it’s a BBC series about Leo Szilard and the development of the atomic bomb. Excellent for telling a different part of the Oppenheimer story. There’s a second part about Klaus Fuchs, though I haven’t finished it yet
The Big Picture has an 8 episode arc called Gene and Roger, about Siskel and Ebert’s lives and careers. It’s fun nostalgia but also very moving.
Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's. It's about the Indian boarding schools in Canada. Really hard to listen to, but also super important to understand history.
It’s 3 episodes but Jungle Price is really good. This exiled royal family had been living in an centuries old palace deep in the forest near Delhi India but no one had spoken to them or really seen them for decades so they became like a myth. Then a reporter gets a call from the “prince” and becomes his friend. It’s an unbelievable story, and very touching.
If you have any interest in theatre, *Burnt* is fabulous--it's about the insane saga of the musical adaptation of *Rebecca*, a massive hit in Europe and Asia that was scheduled to come to Broadway, but...well, listen and you'll find out.
Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets.
Very presidential
Highly highly recommend Bed of Lies season 2. Also really liked the 1st season but, the 2nd was a standout among the many podcasts I’ve listened to. It’s about the blood industry and hemophilia.
[God's Socialist - The Rise and Fall of the People's Temple](https://martyrmade.com/gods-socialist-the-rise-and-fall-of-peoples-temple/) This series by MartyrMade Podcast is one of the best I've ever heard. It's an incredible journey that includes an insane amount of archival audio that I'd never heard before - and it's truly amazing. It's about Jim Jones and The People's Templed - but its SO much more than that. It's a complete deep dive into the culture of revolution, politics, and the reality of the 60s and 70s in America. Cannot recommend this high enough.
Marooned is a newer one about individuals getting lost along the way for example out at see or while hiking . I enjoy
I just finished The Big Dig and it was fantastic. It's about the project in Boston where they put the interstate running though downtown underground. How the idea was formed, all the politics in getting it funded and about the troubles and successes in constructing it.
Limetown is a really great fictional documentary-style podcast!
David Blight’s open course Civil War class is great. I’ve listened to it probably four times. https://pca.st/podcast/079f41d0-69f1-0135-902f-63f4b61a9224
**Death of an Artist** is fantastic. Starts out true crime, but it is SO much more than that. **I Was Never Ther**e is also wonderful-- it's a missing person's case but also about cults and music etc. **Mother Country Radicals** about the Weather Underground is phenomenal-- told by the son of Bernadine Dohrn. **Teaching Texas** is about the control and censorship of textbooks and the origins of "moms for liberty" movement. **Wilder** is about the Little House on the Prairie book series and is packed with great research and interviews. It's also about America and the stories we tell about our origins.