“Criminal” is a unique take on the true crime genre of podcasts. It’s not your typical serial killer or fifteen minute long this-happened-in-history podcast.

I’ve listened to dozens of podcasts across many genres. “Criminal” is an all-time favorite of mine. Excellent stories told through the excellent voice of host Phoebe Judge. I enjoy the podcast so much I’ve listened to nearly the entire backlog of episodes.

The podcast doesn’t try to do cheesy reenactments of the events. It doesn’t go over the top with its telling. Many podcasts do both of those things and they ruin their storytelling. I can’t stand to listen to that poorly produced garbage.

My four favorite episodes of the show are “A Bump in the Night”, “The Portrait”, “Bully” and “Angie”. These are my favorite episodes but every episode is great.

“The Portrait” is about a North Carolina family who take a family portrait and shortly thereafter nearly all of them wind up shot dead. The tale makes for fantastic folklore and a good mystery.

“A Bump in the Night” is such a creepy and intense tale that even thinking about it makes my spine shiver. The story is about a young woman who has a person living in their attic for six months and the little signs that indicate someone else is around.

    Philadelphia Homicide Detective Pat Mangold investigating the murder of an unidentified woman and a professional soccer play joins the case. “Angie” is a disturbing murder and an odd one.

“Bully” is about a small town man who harasses a small town, acting as the town bully for decades. This episode is a shining example of what “Criminal” does right. They cover all sorts of topics and go for the bizarre and strange.

With 79 episodes, a full backlog of awesome accounts awaits and makes for an excellent variety of stories.