This venerated series has grown only more impressive with time
A different, contained universe within each episode … unfurling stranger-than-fiction plotlines.
Always more about the people than the crime.
An unexpected and critical look at true crime that often leaves you questioning the criminal legal system and always shows there is more to the story.
It’s exceptional, it’s right up my alley.
“A true crime series which takes a subtle, cerebral approach.” – The New York Times
Criminal is an award-winning podcast about true crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.
Criminal launched January of 2014, and new episodes come out weekly on Fridays.
Criminal is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, and was named one of the Best Podcasts of 2023 by The New York Times. The show has also been featured in “Best of” lists in Time, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Wired, and more.
We travel around the country to interview people, and sometimes take the show on the road to tell stories live.
The Team
Phoebe Judge
Co-creator & Host
Previously, Phoebe was a host at WUNC North Carolina Public Radio, a producer for The Story with Dick Gordon, and a reporter based in the gulf coast of Mississippi. She covered the BP oil spill and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for Mississippi Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio. Phoebe’s work has won multiple Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards. She attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Lauren Spohrer
Co-creator & Creative Director
Before starting Criminal, Lauren was a producer at NPR, APM, and WUNC North Carolina Public Radio. She’s taught at Columbia University and Duke University, and runs an irregular literary magazine called Two Serious Ladies.
Nadia Wilson
Senior Producer
Before joining Criminal, Nadia was a producer for NPR’s How To Do Everything and Planet Money. Before that she helped make things at Radiolab, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atavist, among others. She attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Susannah Roberson
Producer
Before joining Criminal, Susannah produced Voices of Duke Health, a podcast for the Duke Department of Medicine. She has also worked for PRI’s The World, WUNC, and Ways & Means podcast.
Katie Bishop
Supervising Producer
Katie spent more than a decade at WNYC, where she was the executive producer of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and a producer for the daily music show Soundcheck. Katie started her career in radio as an intern at North Carolina Public Radio, and is now based in Brooklyn.
Jackie Sojico
Producer
Jackie joined the team in 2022. She was previously a producer at The Longest Shortest Time, KALW, and Nebraska Public Radio. She spent a year traveling the country and recording interviews for StoryCorps. She was a New Voice Scholar in 2012 and attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.
Lene Sillesen
Producer
Before joining the Criminal team, Lene worked as an independent audio producer and editor, creating shows for a range of collaborators including Consumer Reports, USC Shoah Foundation, Dotdash Meredith, and The Guggenheim Museum.
She has created and produced audio documentaries for US and international outlets KCRW, CBC, BBC, Sundance Institute and others. Lene is based in Brooklyn.
Megan Cunnane
Producer
Megan is a senior producer with the Vox Media Podcast Network. She led the production of Nice Try!, a design podcast recommended by The New Yorker and The New York Times, and has produced, reported, and edited episodes of Land of the Giants. She got her start in audio at WNYC and is based in Brooklyn.
Veronica Simonetti
Senior Audio Engineer
Veronica previously worked as a freelance audio engineer for podcasts at The Washington Post, Earwolf, and MarketWatch, among others. Before focusing on podcasts, she recorded and mixed all genres of music as well as managed a recording studio, worked on many audiobooks, and was an audio preservationist.
Julienne Alexander
Illustrator
Julienne is an illustrator and designer in Durham. Her work can be seen at www.yssrs.com.
Press
Best Podcasts of 2023
“This venerated series has grown only more impressive with time. ”
The 10 Best True-Crime Podcasts of All Time
“One of the genre's first true hits.”
The Best Podcasts
“Explores the world of lawbreaking and wrongdoing from all sorts of unexpected angles.”
Best Podcasts
“Perhaps the most straightforward and successful of all crime podcasts... slickly produced, deeply sourced.”
The 50 Best Podcasts Right Now
“Perfect for: People who wish true crime shows had more rigorous journalistic standards.”
The 50 Best Podcasts
“Criminal’s ethos sets the true-crime bar high.”
Beyond 'Serial': 10 True Crime Podcasts You Need to Follow
“Using expert original reporting – interviews with perpetrators, victims and onlookers – Criminal delves into what it means to make bad decisions – and why we all do it.”
The Best of the Criminal Podcast
“I dare you to find a more entrancing voice out in the podsphere than that of Phoebe Judge.”
‘Just Tell a Story’: Behind the scenes at Criminal
“The thinking person’s true crime podcast.”
Contact
Got a story idea, question, or comment? Get in touch here.
Or send an email. Want us to work on your project? Learn more here.
How To Listen
We created this guide to help people who are new to podcasts get started. If you get stuck, email us. We’re happy to help. One way to listen is right here on our website. Click an episode’s play icon to play the episode. This option works best if you’re sitting at a computer. If you’d prefer to listen on your phone, many people use the apps that are pre-loaded onto the iPhone and Android.
iPhone or iPad
Open the podcast app.
It’s a pre-loaded app called “Podcasts” with a purple icon. (If you’re reading this on your iPhone or iPad right now, just click this link.)Search for Criminal.
Tap on the “search” magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen, type in “Criminal” and select it from the list of results.Subscribe.
Once on the show’s page, tap the “subscribe” button to have new episodes sent to your phone for free. You can adjust your notifications to receive a message when a new episode arrives.Or try before subscribing.
If you would rather try out an episode or two before deciding whether to subscribe, tap on any episode title from the list on the show page. If you have an internet connection, you’ll be able to listen to the episodes.
Android or Tablet
Open the podcast app.
It’s a pre-loaded app called “Play Music” with an orange-and- yellow icon. (If you’re reading this on your phone or tablet right now, just click this link.)Search for Criminal.
Click on the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen, search for “Criminal,” and select it from the list of results. You may have to scroll down to find the “Podcasts” search results.Subscribe.
Once on the show’s page, tap “subscribe” to have new episodes sent to your phone free.Or try before subscribing.
If you would rather listen to an episode or two before deciding whether to subscribe, click on the episode title from the list on the show page. If you have an internet connection, you’ll be able to listen to the episodes.