The true-crime podcast universe is ever expanding. We’re here to make it a bit smaller and a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows, and each has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the noteworthy and the exceptional. Each week, our crack team of podcast enthusiasts and specialists will pick their favorites.
The Dating Game Killer, “Tali” and “Rehabilitated”
Chances are you’ve heard of the so-called Dating Game Killer — a violent predator who appeared on the popular game show during the height of his killing spree in the late 1970s — but you probably don’t know the full extent of his depravity. This new six-part series on serial killer Rodney Alcala sheds light on some of those awful details — and it isn’t easy listening. Behind his shaggy hair and cool smile lay a monster who preyed on young women and girls, often using his work as a photographer to lull his victims into a false sense of security. Alcala’s first victim, Tali Shapiro — who is the subject of the first episode — was just 8 years old when he raped her and left her for dead. (She survived.) He pleaded to the lesser charge of assault and was paroled after just 17 months. This was the beginning of a troubling pattern for Alcala: He would assault someone, serve very little time, feign that he was a changed man, and return to society to strike again. To this day, the authorities don’t know how many victims he claimed — they are still trying to identify subjects in an enormous cache of photos Alcala left behind when he went to prison. The only happy ending here is that Alcala is now behind bars and should be there for the rest of his life. —Amy Wilkinson
Conviction: American Panic, ” Believe the Children”
I have vague memories of the Satanic Panic — magazine covers, whispered conversations between adults, segments on the nightly news. Despite having very little information, I was fascinated by the idea of the Devil potentially being summoned by my neighbors. I didn’t know the whole story — the part that included children being sexually abused by Satanic cults that might have even involved their own parents. Conviction: An American Panic is a merciless and thorough examination of the Satanic Panic, in particular, how the crooked nature of memory can be manipulated, and how that lead to innocent people being convicted. In episode three, host Sharon Shattuck continues her examination of the story of Scott and Brenda Kniffen, accused of the child sexual abuse (and more) of their two sons. There’s actual recordings of the boys being questioned, and even if you’re not obsessed with interrogation techniques, you’ll know something is very wrong. In addition to suspicious medical and psychological assessments, there was the fear and paranoia that rose rapidly and relentlessly, and the people who profited from it all. This podcast covers it all. —Chanel Dubofsky
American Scandal, “The Lenny Bruce Obscenity Trial — The Obscenity Circus”
I’ll be honest: My only real frame of reference for comedian Lenny Bruce is the version of him we see on the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, so this season of American Scandal is a real eye-opener for me on how narrowly the First Amendment was once interpreted. A popular comedian in the 1950s and ’60s, Bruce was well-known for his frank stand-up routines that often focused on taboo topics such as politics, religion, and sex. In 1961, Bruce was arrested in San Francisco on obscenity charges, which kicked off a series of arrests across the country after he performed in venues in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. And that’s essentially where the first episode ends. I wish the podcast would provide a bit more context for the arrests by actually revealing the offensive terms and phrases he used (of course, you could always check Wikipedia), but otherwise, this is an intriguing look at a landmark freedom of speech case — and just how far (and, honestly, not so far) we’ve come over the past 50 years. —Amy Wilkinson
Murder in Pilot Mountain, “Who was Ronda Blaylock?”
On August 26, 1980, 14-year-old Ronda Blaylock disappeared after school in Rural Hall, North Carolina. Her body was found three days later, 17 miles away in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. Forty years later, FOX8 WGHP-TV in Greensboro is taking another look at Ronda’s case. In episode two, host Chad Tucker recounts the formation of the Ronda Blaylock Task Force, formed in 2015, in which detectives tackle the case again, re-interviewing available witnesses, and presenting a perspective we don’t often hear: that while time passing at the beginning of an investigation is the enemy, eventually, it’s might even be an asset. A flyer, a reward, and some fresh eyes make all the difference in solving this small town murder, so tune in for an immaculately delivered cliffhanger. —Chanel Dubofsky