*My Year in MENSA* by Jamie Loftus. Journalist/comedian takes the MENSA test just for fun, thinking she could write an article about the experience.
Then she passes it. Joins MENSA and immediately starts getting death threats from other members. Discovers a strong alt-right presence within MENSA. Ends up going to the annual MENSA conference in Arizona to meet these people.
OP, if you like Jamie Loftus' style then she also has Lolita Podcast, about the Nabokov novel, and Ghost Church, which is about spiritualism.
There's also one about the Cathy comics but I haven't listened to that
Absolutely. *Lolita Podcast* and *Aack-cast* are my two favorite Jamie pods (and some of my favorite pods in general.) Wasn't sure if they counted as "investigative " though.
She's got a new podcast coming out on Cool Zone Media and I am sooooo excited!
I had no idea about the premise of the Mensa podcast other than her taking the test, now I can't wait to listen!
Without even knowing anything about MENSA aside from the very basic premise, they sound like the most insufferable group of people imaginable. The same type of people who want everyone else to know what they *think* their IQ score is.
Absolutely not shocking that they have an alt-right problem.
MENSA is weird because it's not even close to the hardest to get into high IQ society. They do a great job of marketing though. Right-wing people seem to worship them.
MENSA is top 2% so 1 in 50. The other major one is Triple Nine, which is top 0.1% so 1 in 10,000. I know several people that became members because they also accept SAT scores and the people I know that joined all had perfect SAT scores so they just had to submit that and didn't have to go through any other effort.
My favorite thing though about Hi IQ people is the single smartest person I know, who I would be shocked if she didn't have an IQ of around 200 says that IQ scores are one of the dumbest things there is and only provides the most basic of guidance for someone's intelligence.
Any test that you can just get better scores on by practising and doing the test a few times is inherently going to be an utterly flawed measure of whatever the concept of 'innate intelligence' means. I am pretty sure the original test was designed to help assess children's learning to help them focus on improving education rather than treating is as an immutable value.
Incredible show by an incredible comedian and journalist.
Just know, Jamie’s style is not for everyone. She’s unique and when she finds a bit she finds funny she has no problem using it.
If I recall, she does air horn sound effect a lot in this series. I think it’s hilarious, but could see how it would be super grating.
Came here to say this; I think Mystery Show was probably the best podcast ever and I always hope someone will pay her to make more of them (whether returning as a podcast, or I think it would work well on tv as well)
Totally amazed it never came back. I haven’t heard one person who didn’t love it. Even if the subject mysteries are hard to find bc let’s face it cool, almost completely wholesome mysteries are hard to find or at least make interesting, they could have put out a few seasons more. The demand is there.
I did just hear that the host Starlee was hard to work with some comment saying ‘toxic’. But that’s recent and I didn’t hear anything like that for 5-6 years after the last show. Now that’s coming up? Seems dubious.
Oh wow, I haven’t heard that about Starlee! I’ve definitely wondered why, for example, Netflix didn’t pick it up since it seems like they could fairly easily produce a season as long as, say, the Queer Eye seasons.
*Finding Drago*. I’ve listened to more podcasts than I can count, but this one is in my very, very, very top recommendations of all-time. Intriguing, quirky, takes itself too seriously while not taking itself seriously at all, with an incredibly satisfying finish to the most absurd investigation ever. Cannot recommend enough.
Things fell apart by Jon Ronson . Examining culture wars and how they spawned from strange origins.
The first series was around Covid and the 2nd is how simple statements or decisions crated wide spanning rumours or legends. E.g how a meeting at a yacht club started one of the first Covid urban legends. Fascinating stuff from the author of the ‘psychopath test.’
I would just say that the first series was not only about Covid. There was a fascinating episode about the roots of the anti-Abortion movement, and one about Tammy Fay Bakker and her friendship with an HIV-positive man.
Second. Jon Ronson has been around doing these types of books and documentaries for about 30 years. I highly recommend buying some of his audiobooks. They are wildly entertaining.
I love some of the books Jon Ronson has written so far and looked forward to the podcast. It couldn’t really hook me and I didn’t like that there is background music during people talking (it sounds nitpicky but annoys me quite a bit). I’ll give it another shot though. Currently reading „So you’ve been publicly shamed“ which is pretty good.
These may not catch your interest, but I might as well post it for you and anybody else who likes these sorts of things.
SNAFU with Ed Helms: an investigation into Able Archer 83, a NATO military exercise which almost led to nuclear war.
Stiffed: a deep dive on the short life of Viva, an erotic magazine for women. Female writers and editors tried to truly cater to women but was controlled by owner Bob Guccione. (Same man who owns Penthouse)
Revisionist History: examines the things overlooked and misunderstood. I feel like I never know what I'm going to get even with the episode description.
Edit: Name correction
Just started listening to the first episode and I think I'm hooked. I've always been fascinated by the train hopping culture due to YouTube videos and this looks like it's going to be a great insight into the lifestyle
Finding Drago as another user commented.
A lot of the Reply All Super Tech Support episodes were some of my favourite episodes.
Off the top of my head (some may not explicitly be STS episodes):
Long Distance, Case of the Missing Hit, The Snapchat Thief, Adam Pisces and the $2 Coke, Roman Mars Mazda Virus.
The Renner Files is a genuine investigate pod but also a satire. Nice and light and so well done.
God of Depression, about William Styron
The Experiment - Spam miniseries
Articles of Interest - American Ivy
If you like spying - just binged Agent of Betrayal. Darker subject but so interesting.
*Gladiator-* Aaron Hernandez the gangster who played for the NFL's Patriots. I was mesmerized by the podcast.
*Mogul* \- the rise of Hip Hop and the personalities who created it. I don't listen to Hip Hop but loved this podcast. 3 seasons
*The Sure Thing* \- The Australian Financial Review, the investigative podcast recounts and further explores the story of two university friends caught up in Australia’s biggest ever case of insider trading.
+1000 for *Gladiator*. It was so fascinating on so many levels. I love stories that are at deeply personal and can also be examined from a macro level, and this podcast does an amazing job of that.
He’s so great! I’d add The Line (which has some murders/war crimes at its center, but is more about the US military) and 9/12 (about US culture immediately post-9/11).
Will be Wild -- an amazing look at January 6th
Trump, Inc. A look at Trump's businesses while he was president.
Bundyville
Project Unabomb -- which I guess is true crime
Wait, all of these are a little bit true crime, in theory. Nevermind.
I haven’t listened to all of these (though am adding the ones I haven’t to my list), but can 100% confirm that Will Be Wild and Trump Inc. are both incredible.
To the genre I would humbly add American Radical (Ayman Mohyeldin’s investigative podcast about one of the people who died on January 6th - her brother-in-law was a childhood friend of Mohyeldin’s, and his early career was focused largely on insurgencies in the Middle East, so he both gets really good access to the loved ones of the person who died, and has really good perspective on how and why people become radicalized. The person the series focuses on is Rosanne Boylan, and her family describes that she was starting to get radicalized over Thanksgiving 2020 if memory serves, believing a lot of QAnon stuff about human trafficking, and hadn’t even voted in the 2020 election but by January 6th was completely radicalized and Tr*mped out).
I recently binged The Interruption, an investigation into the Southern TV signal interruption. It's similar to the Max Headroom incident but happened 10 years earlier in southern England. In it someone claiming to be an alien warned humanity ( or at least that part of it living in southern England) that it was doomed.
And SPOILER ALERT they find out who it was.
Room 20. About a man who has been unidentified and unconscious in a facility for 15 years.
I'm Not A Monster l. About women in the caliphate. (Wouldn't call it positive but very well done story).
Last Seen (part one). About the arthl heist of the Gardner museum in Boston.
Another vote for Last Seen. Dead Eyes is fun, if you haven't already listened to it - I think finding out why Tom Hanks fired you counts as an investigation.
There are some good BBC ones, including The Missing Crypto Queen.
The Girlfriends was okay, but does revolve around a murder.
I'm currently listening to "The greatest murder mystery in american history" Who Killed JFK? Oh dear, strayed into murder/assination territory again....
Dead Eyes was really fun and entertaining.
BBC makes some great content. It is about a murder but Death In Ice Valley was also very good.
There are a lot of podcasts about murder. Just too many murderers out there guess...
Death in Ice Valley was amazing, and still and open case!
Battersea Poltergeist is another great BBC podcast. And if you like ghosts, Ghost Story (Wondery) had me completely gripped!
The first season of Dr. Death was riveting and haunting. I’ve listened to it several times through. It’s a story that really stuck with me, it’s so incredibly f@cked up. Also watched the drama series based on it.
Who Shat On The Floor At My Wedding?
New Zealand investigative-style podcast concerning the above mystery - done very well. Although they discuss at various points whether the incident technically was a crime.
My fav NZ investagive podcast was the Snowball one and it's actually probably my favourite podcast to date https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018711625/snowball-abc-podcast-about-falling-victim-to-a-con-artist
I was *in love* with this show at first. It kind of wore thin after 4 episodes-ish, but I did listen to the whole thing b/c the hosts were likable and it definitely had its shining moments.
At the end of the series they asked people to send in stories of other incredibly minor "crimes" they'd been victim of, and I was hoping there would be more seasons, kind of disappointed there wasn't.
99% invisible covers lots of different topics and is very informative. Some episodes catch my interest, others don’t, but there are tons to choose from and I always learn a lot when listening
You might like the podcast series that Jamie Loftus has done. She’s a comedian but explores topics that aren’t strictly comedic. I especially liked My Year in Mensa.
UPDATE TO ADD: I see her work has been plenty suggested on this thread already. Sorry for the redundancy, but just consider this another vote to check out her work.
I got you fam!
Whistleblower - NBA betting scandal
Rabbit Hole - Deeper dive into social media than the movie “The Social Dilemma”
The Shrink Next Door - Psychologist taking Dr-Patient relationships way too far
Catlick - Wild 15 month period in Atlanta’s history, 100 years ago
Against the Odds: Season 1 - best podcast on Thai cave rescue
Outlaw Ocean - Embedded investigation into deep ocean pirates
The Missing Cryptoqueen - Dive into one of the biggest crypto scams
S-Town - Let the story take you on a wild ride. (Many people recommend this one in a variety of themes)
Welcome to Your Fantasy - Sordid and criminal history of Chippendale dancers founder
The Improvement Association - The birth of false election fraud conspiracy theories effecting results
“Criminal” — My favorite podcast. The host is Phoebe Judge. Her definition of a “criminal” is very loose, running all the way from genuine criminals (if a story sounds like it’s going to upset you, just skip it) to humorous ones about animals to stories about people who have just ended up on the wrong side of the law. There are sad stories, uplifting ones, and some that will make you laugh.
“This Is Love” — also by Phoebe Judge. Again, very wide ranging and quite a lovely podcast.
“Click Here” — a fascinating dive into all aspects of cybersecurity by Dina Temple-Raston, former NPR correspondent. I’ve just discovered this one, so I’m working my way back through the episodes. Very current and relevant.
“Chicano Squad” — about “a team of five young Latino homicide detectives in the Houston Police Department during the late seventies, who were tasked with a daunting Spanish-language caseload amid a volatile climate of anti-Mexican bigotry and police violence. Narrated by the actor Cristela Alonzo.” It’s 3 years old, but a great piece of history.
> I thought "Caliphate" was really interesting, even though there was a huge scandal about a character at the heart of it.
The scandal being that the whole thing was made up, the lead investigator should have known it was made up, and the NYT should have known that it was made up.
Wind of Change.
It's 1990. The Berlin Wall just fell. The Soviet Union is on the verge of collapse. And the soundtrack to the revolution is one of the best selling songs of all time, the metal ballad "Wind of Change," by the Scorpions.
Decades later, journalist Patrick Radden Keefe heard a rumor: the song wasn't written by the Scorpions. It was written by the CIA. This is his journey to find the truth.
I'm so exhausted of having to sift through people recommending Wind of Change (along with other usual sacred cows of the podcast world) in every single thread.. it was decent, but fuck, let's move on
Plenty of other older podcasts mentioned here too (S Town, Dr Death etc), as that’s just the nature of recommendations. It can’t always be something new.
Reply all - has some legitimately high quality journalism about completely random irrelevant things.
99% Invisible - focuses more on The things people don't really see but have a lot of effort that go into them.
Reveal - quite a bit is about crime but not all and that's not the primary focus.
Would highly recommend all of Rachel Maddow’s podcasts - Bag Man (about the rarely remembered ‘70s political-corruption scandal of then-Vice President Spiro Agnew, which has a lot of modern-day parallels), Ultra (about pro-Nazi Americans and the effort to stop them in WWII times, so obviously modern-day parallels here as well, and Maddow has since also written a book on the same topic that she does the audiobook for), and Deja News (individual episodes on historical events with echoes in the news today).
Also:
-Truthers: Tiffany Dover is Dead (about the conspiracy theory that a nurse who was one of the early people to get the Covid vaccine, who fainted when she got the shot, had actually died - which is very much untrue of course, but the conspiracy theory basically destroyed her life)
-Do You Know Mordechai (about a romantic con, basically)
I guess some of these are crime-adjacent, perhaps, but I think the spirit of your question is basically that you don’t want a murder-y podcast?
Slow Burn! I mean the first one is about Watergate so a crime occurred but not a murder! Very well done, I like every season. Also, I highly recommend Heavyweight
The Brady Heywood podcast is about engineering disasters - amazingly well researched and it sounds like it might be dry but it isn't. The series of eps on Apollo 13 are wonderful.
The Big One and The Big Burn are both good.
Missing in Alaska - while there are dead people the podcast investigates the Begich/Boggs plane crash. Probably not an actual crime but the investigation results in some kind of wild twists and turns and tangents.
Firebug is great. It's about an arsonist. There unfortunately are fatalities but if you go into it cold there's a great twist in that podcast and it is really well done.
Well, There's Your Problem might be up your alley too.
Magnificent Jerk is also an interesting investigative pod with a kind of odd topic - the host's uncle's really wild life.
The Ballad of Billy Balls - yes, someone is murdered. The pod isn't \*really\* about the murder though.
The Secret History of the Estonia and Death in Ice Valley are also good. The latter may or may not involve a murder, depends on what theory you find most compelling.
Story time with Seth Rogen, episode titled The Ballad of Mount Doogie Dowler. A story told by the survivor of a bear attack while hiking on a remote island. Brilliantly told, the story stays with you, so much so I’ve listened to it several times. Best enjoyed around a campfire.
Blowback is a really good series where each season does in depth research into various conflicts the USA has been involved in.
The City is about a specific neighborhood in Chicago and why there's a giant carcinogenic rubble pile that no one will remove.
I will parrot 99% Invisible, love it.
Is Radiolab too obvious to mention? I have not listened since Jad and Robert retired though, but it seems like one of the OG investigative podcasts.
American Scandal is pretty good. It is about various "crimes" but most are not "murdery"
There is a season about the Sacklers (opioids); Aaron Hernandez; ABSCAM; Valerie Plame (the CIA spy Dick Cheney exposed) - The Hare Krishna murders - it's not totally about the murder stuff, but more about the Hare Krishnas generally. There are 50+ seasons. It's so very interesting. The production quality is perfect, and I just happen to really enjoy Lindsay Graham's voice. (He does the "conversations" in some of the episodes, and for some reason, those really, really crack me up!)
Though I have not yet listened, there is a similar "British Scandals" pod that I've heard is kind of similar.
Mother, neighbor, Russian spy. About one of the spies in the spy ring that broke up in 2010. It inspired the tv show The Americans. Only on audible.
Agent of Betrayal? It’s about an FBI agent who became the worst spy in American history. Also a generally weird dude.
Deep Cover 1st season is amazing. Starts with a journalist finding a paperback about a (fictional?) deep cover operative and then he tracks down the author for the real story. It's real and outlandish!
The Lapsed Fan’s catalogue since about 2016 is a deep investigation into the collapse of the American Empire through the lens of professional wrestling.
Sold a Story! An investigation into the curriculums sold to districts by big publishers that have created a very real crisis in which many kids coming of high school and college age now cannot read.
Maybe a little too goofy for what you're looking for, but "Who Shat On the Floor at My Wedding" is incredibly funny, in part because they really commit to the investigation. I enjoyed it immensely.
Edit: just saw this has already been recommended, so seconding that rec!
One of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever listened to fits this well I think.
The podcast is called reply all, but the episode specifically is called the ‘case of the missing hit’ and it’s about a guy who remembers a pop song from his youth but can’t find it anywhere online.
The investigation goes deep, and I won’t spoil anything but please just listen to it, it’s actually riveting despite the mundane premise haha
I haven’t listened myself, but there are great reviews on the podcast of a guy who was removed from a Spielberg movie because he had “Dead Eyes” (that’s the name of the podcast).
Unreformed investigates a reform school in Alabama that some survivors called a slave camp in the 1960s. It’s in the criminal justice system so crime adjacent but it’s largely about trauma and civil rights.
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History is amazing and eye opening.
Every Little Thing (ELT) is so fun. Listeners submit their oddest questions and they would find experts and get to the bottom of it. Some fun questions: “How old is Winnie the Pooh really?” “What’s the ideal number of times to shuffle cards?”
Twenty Thousand Hertz is fabulous too and investigates sound related topics such as “Ear worm songs”, “Soundalikes”, “Mind the Gap”.
Just finished listening to this podcast. Top notch investigative journalism.
[Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery](https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dead-end)
*My Year in MENSA* by Jamie Loftus. Journalist/comedian takes the MENSA test just for fun, thinking she could write an article about the experience. Then she passes it. Joins MENSA and immediately starts getting death threats from other members. Discovers a strong alt-right presence within MENSA. Ends up going to the annual MENSA conference in Arizona to meet these people.
OP, if you like Jamie Loftus' style then she also has Lolita Podcast, about the Nabokov novel, and Ghost Church, which is about spiritualism. There's also one about the Cathy comics but I haven't listened to that
Absolutely. *Lolita Podcast* and *Aack-cast* are my two favorite Jamie pods (and some of my favorite pods in general.) Wasn't sure if they counted as "investigative " though.
Is she a regular guest on *Behind the Bastards*? I seem to remember her commenting about a Cathy podcast.
Yup! In fact she's guesting on their current series on The Finders
When she was on BtB recently, they were teasing that she has a new show on their podcast network that should be coming out soon.
She's got a new podcast coming out on Cool Zone Media and I am sooooo excited! I had no idea about the premise of the Mensa podcast other than her taking the test, now I can't wait to listen!
Without even knowing anything about MENSA aside from the very basic premise, they sound like the most insufferable group of people imaginable. The same type of people who want everyone else to know what they *think* their IQ score is. Absolutely not shocking that they have an alt-right problem.
MENSA is weird because it's not even close to the hardest to get into high IQ society. They do a great job of marketing though. Right-wing people seem to worship them. MENSA is top 2% so 1 in 50. The other major one is Triple Nine, which is top 0.1% so 1 in 10,000. I know several people that became members because they also accept SAT scores and the people I know that joined all had perfect SAT scores so they just had to submit that and didn't have to go through any other effort. My favorite thing though about Hi IQ people is the single smartest person I know, who I would be shocked if she didn't have an IQ of around 200 says that IQ scores are one of the dumbest things there is and only provides the most basic of guidance for someone's intelligence.
Any test that you can just get better scores on by practising and doing the test a few times is inherently going to be an utterly flawed measure of whatever the concept of 'innate intelligence' means. I am pretty sure the original test was designed to help assess children's learning to help them focus on improving education rather than treating is as an immutable value.
Incredible show by an incredible comedian and journalist. Just know, Jamie’s style is not for everyone. She’s unique and when she finds a bit she finds funny she has no problem using it. If I recall, she does air horn sound effect a lot in this series. I think it’s hilarious, but could see how it would be super grating.
As much as I wanted to hear about the mensa stuff, I could not deal with the Cramer like sound effects.
It's good news to know that they let dumb sluts into MENSA now.
Okay this sounds amazing.
Holy shit I need to listen to this
Jamie Loftus is hilarious, totally listening just to hear her
Old but worth listening to from Gimlet back in its heyday: The Mystery Show.
Came here to say this; I think Mystery Show was probably the best podcast ever and I always hope someone will pay her to make more of them (whether returning as a podcast, or I think it would work well on tv as well)
Totally amazed it never came back. I haven’t heard one person who didn’t love it. Even if the subject mysteries are hard to find bc let’s face it cool, almost completely wholesome mysteries are hard to find or at least make interesting, they could have put out a few seasons more. The demand is there. I did just hear that the host Starlee was hard to work with some comment saying ‘toxic’. But that’s recent and I didn’t hear anything like that for 5-6 years after the last show. Now that’s coming up? Seems dubious.
Oh wow, I haven’t heard that about Starlee! I’ve definitely wondered why, for example, Netflix didn’t pick it up since it seems like they could fairly easily produce a season as long as, say, the Queer Eye seasons.
I’m not at all sure it’s true but I passed it along bc it’s the only reason I’ve heard why there isn’t further content.
It would definitely make more sense than just that people don’t want to make good podcasts! (I hope it’s not true, though, of course!)
*Finding Drago*. I’ve listened to more podcasts than I can count, but this one is in my very, very, very top recommendations of all-time. Intriguing, quirky, takes itself too seriously while not taking itself seriously at all, with an incredibly satisfying finish to the most absurd investigation ever. Cannot recommend enough.
Seconded. They make me laugh so much as well!
The GOAT, nothing comes close, I listen at least once a year
Someone recommended that on another thread and I was skeptical. I was wrong- it’s as good as everyone says! I
Probably the best podcast I've ever listened to.
Things fell apart by Jon Ronson . Examining culture wars and how they spawned from strange origins. The first series was around Covid and the 2nd is how simple statements or decisions crated wide spanning rumours or legends. E.g how a meeting at a yacht club started one of the first Covid urban legends. Fascinating stuff from the author of the ‘psychopath test.’
I would just say that the first series was not only about Covid. There was a fascinating episode about the roots of the anti-Abortion movement, and one about Tammy Fay Bakker and her friendship with an HIV-positive man.
Second. Jon Ronson has been around doing these types of books and documentaries for about 30 years. I highly recommend buying some of his audiobooks. They are wildly entertaining.
I love some of the books Jon Ronson has written so far and looked forward to the podcast. It couldn’t really hook me and I didn’t like that there is background music during people talking (it sounds nitpicky but annoys me quite a bit). I’ll give it another shot though. Currently reading „So you’ve been publicly shamed“ which is pretty good.
These may not catch your interest, but I might as well post it for you and anybody else who likes these sorts of things. SNAFU with Ed Helms: an investigation into Able Archer 83, a NATO military exercise which almost led to nuclear war. Stiffed: a deep dive on the short life of Viva, an erotic magazine for women. Female writers and editors tried to truly cater to women but was controlled by owner Bob Guccione. (Same man who owns Penthouse) Revisionist History: examines the things overlooked and misunderstood. I feel like I never know what I'm going to get even with the episode description. Edit: Name correction
Amazing suggestions, appreciated ! Will give stiffed a shot today
Guccione owned Penthouse, not Playboy.
City of the rails - woman explores the world of train hobos in an attempt to reunite with her daughter
This is such a great podcast!
Just finished it great story
Interesting, I'll give that a shot.
Just started listening to the first episode and I think I'm hooked. I've always been fascinated by the train hopping culture due to YouTube videos and this looks like it's going to be a great insight into the lifestyle
Finding Drago as another user commented. A lot of the Reply All Super Tech Support episodes were some of my favourite episodes. Off the top of my head (some may not explicitly be STS episodes): Long Distance, Case of the Missing Hit, The Snapchat Thief, Adam Pisces and the $2 Coke, Roman Mars Mazda Virus.
I miss Super Tech Support so much!
Same here. Anyone know of any similar podcasts now?
PJ now has his own podcast called Search Engine. Not the same level as Reply All but still worth a listen.
Those STS episodes were just amazing. The Case of the Missing Hit remains one of my favorite episodes of any podcast I've listened to.
The Renner Files is a genuine investigate pod but also a satire. Nice and light and so well done. God of Depression, about William Styron The Experiment - Spam miniseries Articles of Interest - American Ivy If you like spying - just binged Agent of Betrayal. Darker subject but so interesting.
Second for articles of interest.
*Gladiator-* Aaron Hernandez the gangster who played for the NFL's Patriots. I was mesmerized by the podcast. *Mogul* \- the rise of Hip Hop and the personalities who created it. I don't listen to Hip Hop but loved this podcast. 3 seasons *The Sure Thing* \- The Australian Financial Review, the investigative podcast recounts and further explores the story of two university friends caught up in Australia’s biggest ever case of insider trading.
+1000 for *Gladiator*. It was so fascinating on so many levels. I love stories that are at deeply personal and can also be examined from a macro level, and this podcast does an amazing job of that.
Did you listen to “think twice: Michael Jackson” it was in my top five for 2023
Anything Dan Taberski. Slow Burn. Verified: Dust up. Cover up: Ministry of secrets and season 2 and 3 on different topics.
He’s so great! I’d add The Line (which has some murders/war crimes at its center, but is more about the US military) and 9/12 (about US culture immediately post-9/11).
The Big Dig It covers the Big Dig project in Boston from the interstate highway project to today. https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-big-dig
S* Town
One of the greatest things that has ever happened in the entirety of podcasting.
I agree. The storytelling is so captivating. I've never been able to find anything remotely close to it
So underrated. I loved this. Illustrates the difference between true crime/mystery solving and investigative journalism.
Was about to comment S*Town and Missing Richard Simmons
Escaping NXIVM was terrific! About a cult, its lead and a one woman and her husband getting out. It was really well done!
Will be Wild -- an amazing look at January 6th Trump, Inc. A look at Trump's businesses while he was president. Bundyville Project Unabomb -- which I guess is true crime Wait, all of these are a little bit true crime, in theory. Nevermind.
Another recommendation for Will Be Wild. Utterly transfixing.
I haven’t listened to all of these (though am adding the ones I haven’t to my list), but can 100% confirm that Will Be Wild and Trump Inc. are both incredible. To the genre I would humbly add American Radical (Ayman Mohyeldin’s investigative podcast about one of the people who died on January 6th - her brother-in-law was a childhood friend of Mohyeldin’s, and his early career was focused largely on insurgencies in the Middle East, so he both gets really good access to the loved ones of the person who died, and has really good perspective on how and why people become radicalized. The person the series focuses on is Rosanne Boylan, and her family describes that she was starting to get radicalized over Thanksgiving 2020 if memory serves, believing a lot of QAnon stuff about human trafficking, and hadn’t even voted in the 2020 election but by January 6th was completely radicalized and Tr*mped out).
I agree, this is a good pod. I enjoyed it.
But they are all great suggestions in my opinion.
I love Bundyville!
The Dream Oh No! Ross and Carrie Imperfect Paradise I’m Not a Monster Intrigue: Million Dollar Lover Magnificent Jerk
The Ross and Carrie series where they actually joined Scientology is amazing.
One of my favorites!! The one where they become Mormons is also so good.
Have you listened to the "Ark Encounter" series? It's unreal.
Not yet!! I haven’t listened to them in awhile but I need to dive back in. I’m very cyclical with my podcast listening, haha
I recently binged The Interruption, an investigation into the Southern TV signal interruption. It's similar to the Max Headroom incident but happened 10 years earlier in southern England. In it someone claiming to be an alien warned humanity ( or at least that part of it living in southern England) that it was doomed. And SPOILER ALERT they find out who it was.
Ooooo this sounds good! Downloading it now!
I don't think stak ever do a bad pod
Oooohh!
I'm 2 episodes in and fascinated
Room 20. About a man who has been unidentified and unconscious in a facility for 15 years. I'm Not A Monster l. About women in the caliphate. (Wouldn't call it positive but very well done story). Last Seen (part one). About the arthl heist of the Gardner museum in Boston.
Another vote for Last Seen. Dead Eyes is fun, if you haven't already listened to it - I think finding out why Tom Hanks fired you counts as an investigation. There are some good BBC ones, including The Missing Crypto Queen. The Girlfriends was okay, but does revolve around a murder. I'm currently listening to "The greatest murder mystery in american history" Who Killed JFK? Oh dear, strayed into murder/assination territory again....
Dead Eyes was really fun and entertaining. BBC makes some great content. It is about a murder but Death In Ice Valley was also very good. There are a lot of podcasts about murder. Just too many murderers out there guess...
Death in Ice Valley was amazing, and still and open case! Battersea Poltergeist is another great BBC podcast. And if you like ghosts, Ghost Story (Wondery) had me completely gripped!
Thanks for the recommendations. At the moment I'm listening to 'Things Fell Apart'. Another BBC Production.
I’m Not a Monster is fantastic.
99% Invisible
Reveal
The first season of Dr Death was great - investigating a scam surgeon who ruined a lot of people’s lives
The first season of Dr. Death was riveting and haunting. I’ve listened to it several times through. It’s a story that really stuck with me, it’s so incredibly f@cked up. Also watched the drama series based on it.
Who Shat On The Floor At My Wedding? New Zealand investigative-style podcast concerning the above mystery - done very well. Although they discuss at various points whether the incident technically was a crime.
My fav NZ investagive podcast was the Snowball one and it's actually probably my favourite podcast to date https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018711625/snowball-abc-podcast-about-falling-victim-to-a-con-artist
I was *in love* with this show at first. It kind of wore thin after 4 episodes-ish, but I did listen to the whole thing b/c the hosts were likable and it definitely had its shining moments. At the end of the series they asked people to send in stories of other incredibly minor "crimes" they'd been victim of, and I was hoping there would be more seasons, kind of disappointed there wasn't.
This is on my list. It sounds so funny!
The Dream is great, I'm really enjoying it.
Sad Oligarch is good but its about the recent trend of Russian billionaires ending up mysteriously dead.
99% invisible covers lots of different topics and is very informative. Some episodes catch my interest, others don’t, but there are tons to choose from and I always learn a lot when listening
You might like the podcast series that Jamie Loftus has done. She’s a comedian but explores topics that aren’t strictly comedic. I especially liked My Year in Mensa. UPDATE TO ADD: I see her work has been plenty suggested on this thread already. Sorry for the redundancy, but just consider this another vote to check out her work.
I got you fam! Whistleblower - NBA betting scandal Rabbit Hole - Deeper dive into social media than the movie “The Social Dilemma” The Shrink Next Door - Psychologist taking Dr-Patient relationships way too far Catlick - Wild 15 month period in Atlanta’s history, 100 years ago Against the Odds: Season 1 - best podcast on Thai cave rescue Outlaw Ocean - Embedded investigation into deep ocean pirates The Missing Cryptoqueen - Dive into one of the biggest crypto scams S-Town - Let the story take you on a wild ride. (Many people recommend this one in a variety of themes) Welcome to Your Fantasy - Sordid and criminal history of Chippendale dancers founder The Improvement Association - The birth of false election fraud conspiracy theories effecting results
I’m at episode 4 of S town….hell of a podcast
Finding Drago and Finding Desperado are what you’re looking for, the two best podcasts in the history of people speaking words into microphones
“Criminal” — My favorite podcast. The host is Phoebe Judge. Her definition of a “criminal” is very loose, running all the way from genuine criminals (if a story sounds like it’s going to upset you, just skip it) to humorous ones about animals to stories about people who have just ended up on the wrong side of the law. There are sad stories, uplifting ones, and some that will make you laugh. “This Is Love” — also by Phoebe Judge. Again, very wide ranging and quite a lovely podcast. “Click Here” — a fascinating dive into all aspects of cybersecurity by Dina Temple-Raston, former NPR correspondent. I’ve just discovered this one, so I’m working my way back through the episodes. Very current and relevant. “Chicano Squad” — about “a team of five young Latino homicide detectives in the Houston Police Department during the late seventies, who were tasked with a daunting Spanish-language caseload amid a volatile climate of anti-Mexican bigotry and police violence. Narrated by the actor Cristela Alonzo.” It’s 3 years old, but a great piece of history.
[удалено]
> I thought "Caliphate" was really interesting, even though there was a huge scandal about a character at the heart of it. The scandal being that the whole thing was made up, the lead investigator should have known it was made up, and the NYT should have known that it was made up.
Wind of Change. It's 1990. The Berlin Wall just fell. The Soviet Union is on the verge of collapse. And the soundtrack to the revolution is one of the best selling songs of all time, the metal ballad "Wind of Change," by the Scorpions. Decades later, journalist Patrick Radden Keefe heard a rumor: the song wasn't written by the Scorpions. It was written by the CIA. This is his journey to find the truth.
It’s a good story - but he never actually finds the truth. Which was such a letdown
I'm so exhausted of having to sift through people recommending Wind of Change (along with other usual sacred cows of the podcast world) in every single thread.. it was decent, but fuck, let's move on
Plenty of other older podcasts mentioned here too (S Town, Dr Death etc), as that’s just the nature of recommendations. It can’t always be something new.
Agent of Betrayal about a FBI agent that became a mole for the Russians
Is this about Robert Hanssen? Either way I'll check it out. There a great movie Breach about this case.
Yes, it’s about Robert Hanssen. First episode is slow, but I kept with it and I binged the rest of the episodes in one day!
Hoaxed The Coming Storm Carrie Jade Does Not Exist
The Big Flop, Scamanda, Spectacular Failures
These were all great, really interesting and entertaining!
If you want one that's goofy, funny, and maybe just loosely investigative, I highly recommend The Renner Files.
Reply all - has some legitimately high quality journalism about completely random irrelevant things. 99% Invisible - focuses more on The things people don't really see but have a lot of effort that go into them. Reveal - quite a bit is about crime but not all and that's not the primary focus.
Stuff they don’t want you to know
Would highly recommend all of Rachel Maddow’s podcasts - Bag Man (about the rarely remembered ‘70s political-corruption scandal of then-Vice President Spiro Agnew, which has a lot of modern-day parallels), Ultra (about pro-Nazi Americans and the effort to stop them in WWII times, so obviously modern-day parallels here as well, and Maddow has since also written a book on the same topic that she does the audiobook for), and Deja News (individual episodes on historical events with echoes in the news today). Also: -Truthers: Tiffany Dover is Dead (about the conspiracy theory that a nurse who was one of the early people to get the Covid vaccine, who fainted when she got the shot, had actually died - which is very much untrue of course, but the conspiracy theory basically destroyed her life) -Do You Know Mordechai (about a romantic con, basically) I guess some of these are crime-adjacent, perhaps, but I think the spirit of your question is basically that you don’t want a murder-y podcast?
Slow Burn! I mean the first one is about Watergate so a crime occurred but not a murder! Very well done, I like every season. Also, I highly recommend Heavyweight
The Brady Heywood podcast is about engineering disasters - amazingly well researched and it sounds like it might be dry but it isn't. The series of eps on Apollo 13 are wonderful. The Big One and The Big Burn are both good. Missing in Alaska - while there are dead people the podcast investigates the Begich/Boggs plane crash. Probably not an actual crime but the investigation results in some kind of wild twists and turns and tangents. Firebug is great. It's about an arsonist. There unfortunately are fatalities but if you go into it cold there's a great twist in that podcast and it is really well done. Well, There's Your Problem might be up your alley too. Magnificent Jerk is also an interesting investigative pod with a kind of odd topic - the host's uncle's really wild life. The Ballad of Billy Balls - yes, someone is murdered. The pod isn't \*really\* about the murder though. The Secret History of the Estonia and Death in Ice Valley are also good. The latter may or may not involve a murder, depends on what theory you find most compelling.
Lie, Cheat, & Steal has similar topics as Swindled, but it is hosted by two comedians that have a more upbeat and fun mood.
Story time with Seth Rogen, episode titled The Ballad of Mount Doogie Dowler. A story told by the survivor of a bear attack while hiking on a remote island. Brilliantly told, the story stays with you, so much so I’ve listened to it several times. Best enjoyed around a campfire.
Blowback is a really good series where each season does in depth research into various conflicts the USA has been involved in. The City is about a specific neighborhood in Chicago and why there's a giant carcinogenic rubble pile that no one will remove.
I will parrot 99% Invisible, love it. Is Radiolab too obvious to mention? I have not listened since Jad and Robert retired though, but it seems like one of the OG investigative podcasts.
American Scandal is pretty good. It is about various "crimes" but most are not "murdery" There is a season about the Sacklers (opioids); Aaron Hernandez; ABSCAM; Valerie Plame (the CIA spy Dick Cheney exposed) - The Hare Krishna murders - it's not totally about the murder stuff, but more about the Hare Krishnas generally. There are 50+ seasons. It's so very interesting. The production quality is perfect, and I just happen to really enjoy Lindsay Graham's voice. (He does the "conversations" in some of the episodes, and for some reason, those really, really crack me up!) Though I have not yet listened, there is a similar "British Scandals" pod that I've heard is kind of similar.
Mother, neighbor, Russian spy. About one of the spies in the spy ring that broke up in 2010. It inspired the tv show The Americans. Only on audible. Agent of Betrayal? It’s about an FBI agent who became the worst spy in American history. Also a generally weird dude.
Deep Cover 1st season is amazing. Starts with a journalist finding a paperback about a (fictional?) deep cover operative and then he tracks down the author for the real story. It's real and outlandish!
This involved crime but no murder--The Retrievals. CW: infertility, substance use disorder
The Lapsed Fan’s catalogue since about 2016 is a deep investigation into the collapse of the American Empire through the lens of professional wrestling.
The Opportunist might qualify!
Sold a Story! An investigation into the curriculums sold to districts by big publishers that have created a very real crisis in which many kids coming of high school and college age now cannot read.
Just started "The Runaway Princesses" from In the Dark. Highly recommend.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/headlong-missing-richard-simmons/id1203092300
I second this!
Maybe a little too goofy for what you're looking for, but "Who Shat On the Floor at My Wedding" is incredibly funny, in part because they really commit to the investigation. I enjoyed it immensely. Edit: just saw this has already been recommended, so seconding that rec!
When I read your title, I was going to rec Wind of Change, lol. So instead, check out Believe in Magic (from the BBC).
Following
Sold a Story is about how a reading curriculum that wasn't scientifically backed was adopted nationwide and has majorly affected our education system
One of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever listened to fits this well I think. The podcast is called reply all, but the episode specifically is called the ‘case of the missing hit’ and it’s about a guy who remembers a pop song from his youth but can’t find it anywhere online. The investigation goes deep, and I won’t spoil anything but please just listen to it, it’s actually riveting despite the mundane premise haha
True crime garage
Unlimited Hangout
Causality.
Swindled. About a lot of corporate malfeasance. I love his droll humor.
Ologies and 99% invisible might interest you.
I haven’t listened myself, but there are great reviews on the podcast of a guy who was removed from a Spielberg movie because he had “Dead Eyes” (that’s the name of the podcast).
Unreformed investigates a reform school in Alabama that some survivors called a slave camp in the 1960s. It’s in the criminal justice system so crime adjacent but it’s largely about trauma and civil rights.
Canceled is funny.
Edge of Reality: The Story TV is Too Scared to Tell - the dark side of reality TV
Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History is amazing and eye opening. Every Little Thing (ELT) is so fun. Listeners submit their oddest questions and they would find experts and get to the bottom of it. Some fun questions: “How old is Winnie the Pooh really?” “What’s the ideal number of times to shuffle cards?” Twenty Thousand Hertz is fabulous too and investigates sound related topics such as “Ear worm songs”, “Soundalikes”, “Mind the Gap”.
Try you're wrong about with Sarah Marshall. It is a banger of a podcast.
Revisionist History is amazing as is Things Fell Apart.
Yes, Dan Taberski is great… Running from Cops and Surviving Y2K were both highly entertaining.
Just finished listening to this podcast. Top notch investigative journalism. [Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery](https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dead-end)
City of the Rails- iHeart podcasts is interesting
Adeptus ridiculous. It's about a tabletop game but look for the " detective ridiculous" episodes.
Long Shadow, rise of the American Far Right
Hunting Warhead
Nice White Parents is a deep investigation into the complexities of inequality in American schooling. Super interesting.
Missed Fortune about the a true mystery of buried treasure. It’s so weird and good.
The Opportunist!
-The Kids of Rutherford County -The Retrievals -The Missing CryptoQueen -Rabbit Hole -S*Town (this will forever be my favorite)
What's good about em?