I don’t know about you, but true crime podcasts and YouTube videos are one of my guilty pleasures. I occasionally sit down and binge these for hours on end. I find these even scarier than most of the dedicated horror channels on YouTube – probably because of the realistic nature of what’s depicted. Plus, there’s probably a lesson or two to be learned in there about keeping yourself safe.
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If you share my excitement for true crime documentaries and are curious about what channels I subscribe to, I’ve prepared a list of what I consider to be the best true crime YouTube channels at the moment.
- What Are the Best True Crime YouTube Channels Right Now?
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- Ian Alleyne Network
- Law & Crime Network
- Eleanor Neale
- True Crime Daily
- JCS – Criminal Psychology
- Dark Curiosities
- Criminally Listed
- Matt Orchard – Crime and Society
- That Chapter
- This Is MONSTERS
- The Missing Enigma
- Are All of These Stories Really True?
- Frequently Asked Questions
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- Q: I think I have an interesting lead for a true crime channel, how should I approach someone?
- Q: What other channels do you recommend for an exciting evening?
What Are the Best True Crime YouTube Channels Right Now?
Preparing this list wasn’t easy, because there are so many high-quality channels out there to consider, and it’s impossible to pack them all into one of these articles. I did try to make the list as varied as possible though, and included a little bit of everything.
Some of these channels are focused on specific types of incidents, like people who’ve gone missing or strange sightings. Others are more general and cover a little bit of everything.
Ian Alleyne Network
Ian Alleyne’s channel is not just about covering true crime. The man behind it is on an ongoing battle to fight the injustice in the world around him, and he regularly tries to raise awareness of certain issues related to the content of his videos.
Most of the channel’s videos are short-form, typically featuring a news-style report of a specific incident. Many of the situations covered by Ian Alleyne are relatively obscure and never made it to the major headlines, which is part of his motivation for covering them in the first place. You’ll see some raw footage here more than on other channels, including CCTV recordings and interviews with involved people.
What I really like about this channel is the down-to-earth approach behind most of his videos. If you want a more relaxed experience – while still learning about some horrible incidents that have occurred in recent years – this is a must-watch.
Law & Crime Network
If you are already a fan of true crime documentaries, you’re probably well familiar with Law & Crime Network. The channel has its roots in professional media, with its founder originally starting his career as a commentator on TV. An experienced attorney on top of that, Dan Abrams has a very unique presentation style and obviously enjoys his job.
What makes this channel stand out is that the people behind it have some serious connections with reporters, news channels, and other sources that allow them to make their content much more exciting and in-depth.
You can also enjoy some high-quality commentary that immediately makes the channel stand out. The production value of Law & Crime Network is well above many other similar channels, and it only takes one episode to make that very obvious.
Eleanor Neale
Eleanor Neale has a thing for creepy crimes, and she’s covered many notorious cases on her channel. Pretty much all of her content revolves around serial killers, including both recent cases as well as some historic classics. Eleanor does try to shed light on more obscure cases most of the time though, and she tries to compare them to higher-ranking ones that most people are already familiar with.
For example, she explores the story of a serial killer that she describes as “the more brutal Ted Bundy”, as well as incidents related to urban legends and related mysteries. If you’ve ever heard of the Truth or Dare Killer and want to dig deeper into his story, this channel is the place for you!
This is also the perfect channel for those binge sessions. All videos are around an hour long, some even longer than that, giving you plenty of time to take in everything presented by Eleanor. There’s no fluff in there though. Eleanor is great at utilizing every second of her time to provide you with something that will keep you glued to the screen.
True Crime Daily
True Crime Daily is one of the most popular true crime YouTube channels right now. With more than 5 million subscribers and a long-running history on the scene, this is one of the best channels for exploring popular cases as well as some less-known ones.
Some of the channel’s videos cover multiple cases in a compilation format, making it a great place to catch up on recent news from the criminal world. If you like following high-profile legal cases, this is a great channel to get your weekly summary of recent developments.
Most of the videos revolve around fresh news and there isn’t that much coverage of classic old cases. Still, it’s not like there’s any shortage of topics to cover on that front alone, sadly.
JCS – Criminal Psychology
JCS – Criminal Psychology is a channel that could really use more content. Even though the channel has only published a few dozen videos since it launched around five years ago, all of them are worth watching if you’re excited about true crime. Pretty much all videos focus on interrogations and professional investigations, with some in-depth commentary added on top.
Some of the videos are downright chilling despite having no graphic content, such as the one about Stephen McDaniel. The commentary on most videos is rather light as the channel focuses on the original footage itself, but you will hear various insightful comments sprinkled in.
Not everyone might enjoy the rather slow presentation style of this channel, but for me, that makes it perfect for late-night watching and falling asleep to. You might find yourself tempted to skip certain parts of some videos, but I encourage you to go through them completely.
Dark Curiosities
A general documentary-style channel that covers a variety of cases, Dark Curiosities is a great mixed bag for those who aren’t sure what exactly they want to watch. The channel covers many murders and missing person cases, always trying to reference new developments that could potentially paint some of these incidents in a different light.
Some of the cases are relatively old, while others are more recent. The cases vary in the amount of coverage they’ve received by professional media, with some having been more or less completely overlooked. Some of the videos look back on the authors’ favorite cases, including compilations that are perfect for long watching. Some of those are almost two hours long!
Other than those videos though, most of the channel’s content is relatively short, with almost all videos being between 10 to 15 minutes long.
Criminally Listed
Criminally Listed specifically focuses on more obscure cases and unsolved mysteries. The channel goes beyond the investigative work of many other similar ones, exploring topics like serial killers that have gone mostly unnoticed, kidnapping victims who were eventually found alive, as well as recent updates to old cases that were considered cold a long time ago.
Many of the videos revolve around a certain theme – such as wedding murders, honeymoon murders, kidnappings, and even more niche cases like murders specifically related to the Super Bowl.
The channel is very active at releasing new content, with new videos coming out several times a month. In fact, Carter Ensign, the main person behind the channel, seems to have ramped up his production efforts in the last year, releasing more content than ever before.
Matt Orchard – Crime and Society
While Matt Orchard eventually delves into topics unrelated to true crime, that’s pretty rare and an exception to his style. His channel focuses on various true crime stories, especially more recent incidents that have received a lot of media coverage. He also touches on some topics that many people have been curious about – such as the true effectiveness of the polygraph.
Unfortunately, this is one of the slower channels out there in terms of releasing new videos. He’s released fewer than 30 videos so far, which some of you might go through pretty quickly. On the bright side, at least the videos are pretty long. Many of them are over an hour in length, so there should be plenty of content to go through if you like to occasionally sit down for one or two videos.
That Chapter
That Chapter is a peculiar channel with a unique presentation style. Many of the crimes covered here fall on the unusual side of things, and That Chapter fully leans into that style in all of his videos. He occasionally takes things less seriously, with some jokes inserted here in there for good measure.
Don’t be put off by the initial presentation. While most of the channel’s thumbnails look like outdated clickbait from a decade ago, the quality of the videos themselves is superb. I quickly got addicted to the way information is presented here, and the style of condensing useful facts into bite-sized chunks is right up my alley.
This is a great channel for those who’ve grown bored of seeing the same topics discussed over and over again by other true crime channels and want a break with something fresh and unusual. Even if you’re an avid fan of the genre, there’s a good chance many of these cases will be unknown to you.
This Is MONSTERS
This Is MONSTERS is styled like a traditional documentary, down to having separate seasons. The channel is currently several videos into its 10th season, and the quality of the content remains as stellar as ever. This is one of the best channels for fans of long-form videos. Just this season alone, we’ve received several three-hour videos covering an interrogation session in detail.
The main theme of the channel is exploring the monstrous nature of some humans out there, and the seasons are roughly organized thematically to focus on specific issues. The current one seems to deal primarily with interrogations, so if you’re into watching full recordings of someone making a confession, you should definitely check that one out.
The Missing Enigma
Last but definitely not least, we have The Missing Enigma, a personal favorite of mine. This channel focuses on missing person cases and presents them in a unique style that makes it great for binging. Some people seem to be split over the channel’s aesthetic, specifically the black-and-white format. But for me, it’s perfect for light watching and those late night sessions when you don’t want to commit to something more serious.
The investigative work behind some of these videos is simply stunning, and it’s part of what keeps me coming back to this channel over and over again. While it’s relatively recent on the scene, it’s already managed to establish an impressive following, and I can certainly see myself continuing to enjoy it for many years.
Are All of These Stories Really True?
While all of these channels are focused on true crime stories, they might occasionally release some slightly less serious videos as a joke. That’s not common though, and when it does happen, they usually make it very obvious. That said, if you’re into scaring yourself but want something a bit less on the realistic side, you can try my selection of horror YouTube channels as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I think I have an interesting lead for a true crime channel, how should I approach someone?
A: Most of these channels are open to viewer submissions, and some even actively encourage it. If you think you’ve got an interesting lead, definitely reach out to some of them through their contact forms. Keep in mind that many of these channels tend to have their schedules prepared for weeks and even months in advance, so it’s possible that they already know of your story but were keeping it for a later video.
Q: What other channels do you recommend for an exciting evening?
A: As I mentioned above, I’ve also compiled a list of my favorite horror channels if you want something scary but not based on reality.
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