'Truth Be Told' takes a hard look at America’s obsession with true crime podcasts: Here are 5 of the most gripping podcasts out there
Apple TV+ has a lot of interesting new shows coming up. One of them is ‘Truth Be Told’, a limited drama series that follows podcaster Poppy Parnell (Octavia Spencer) as she is compelled to reopen the murder case that made her a national sensation.
In the process, she comes face-to-face with Warren Cave (Aaron Paul), the man she may have mistakenly helped put behind bars. The show is based on a novel by Kathleen Barber, and according to Apple TV+, it “provides a unique glimpse into America’s obsession with true crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.”
It is true. America is obsessed with true crime podcasts -- the sheer number of them out there ought to give us a clue. So let us look at the five best and most gripping podcasts right now:
Serial
Considered to be the "Holy Grail" of all true crime podcasts, 'Serial' is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, narrating a nonfiction story over multiple episodes. 'Serial' has won every major award for broadcasting, including the DuPont-Columbia, Scripps Howard, Edward R. Murrow, and the first-ever Peabody awarded to a podcast.
Season 1 of the podcast investigated the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore. The second season followed Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, an American Army soldier who was held for five years by the Taliban and then charged with desertion.
The third season of the podcast took a different turn. Set inside a Cleaveland court, it took a hard look at America's broken criminal justice system. True-crime author and podcaster Billy Jensen best described the podcast and said, “'Serial' is the most important, because it went viral, got into the zeitgeist, introduced many people to podcasts, and got them hooked.”
