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Investigating Our Obsession With True Crime Podcasts : 1A "There is no question that true crime and the genre have helped move cases forward. But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there were times when I just cringe," says Bill Thomas, co-host of "Mind Over Murder."

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Investigating Our Obsession With True Crime Podcasts

Investigating Our Obsession With True Crime Podcasts

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True crime podcasts are incredibly popular. What's behind the obsession? Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

True crime podcasts are incredibly popular. What's behind the obsession?

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

It's been six years since the first season of Serial became a podcast sensation. It didn't just help the podcast industry, it also propelled a torrent of true crime audio shows.

Some of the biggest podcast hits — Serial, Dr. Death, S-Town, and Dirty John — are all about real crimes. And if you look at the top podcast charts today, half of the top ten podcasts are focused on true crime.

The genre is far from new. But it seems that podcasts and our fascination with crime and murder are made for each each other.

How should podcasters cover true crime? And what's behind the popularity of true crime podcasts?

Jonquilyn Hill, Amanda Vicary and Bill Thomas joined us for today's conversation.

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