If you’re like me, the first season of Serial and the story of Hae Min Lee’s murder grabbed hold of you and didn’t let go. And unfortunately, subsequent seasons just haven’t measured up. (Not that the tale of Bowe Bergdahl and a deep dive into the Cleveland justice system were by any means bad, they just didn’t have the same oomph.) 

Well friends, fear not! I’ve got four current podcasts for you that will scratch that Serial itch. (Get them wherever you find your podcasts.)

Root of Evil: The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia 

This podcast goes back to the most infamous unsolved murder in Los Angeles history—the murder of Elizabeth Short, also known as the Black Dahlia. 

This podcast comes from the angle of members of the Hodel family who believe (with compelling evidence) that the since-deceased patriarch of the family, George Hodel, was the murderer. Steeped with intrigue, family drama, and a lot of graphic and wild family stories, this podcast won’t fail to launch your own investigation into the murder. 

Get the book, watch the TNT drama, but above all, LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST. Oh, also, possible trigger warning.

New episodes come out Wednesdays, making that my favorite commute day. 

To Live and Die in LA

In February 2018, 25-year-old aspiring actress and model Adea Shabani went missing. She was last seen leaving her apartment near Hollywood & Wilcox. 

Shortly after her disappearance, her family hired a private investigator, who in turn called up Neil Strauss from Rolling Stone magazine. With his journalist-sense tingling, Neil Strauss decided Adea’s disappearance would make for a good article, book, or possibly a podcast. 

Boy was Neil right. 

What followed is To Live and Die in LA, a podcast investigation that was recorded in realtime, unfolding for Neil. This podcast has you living the moment, as Neil makes his way through each twist and turn of Adea’s case. This podcast will make you scramble to read anything and everything in the media about this still-open investigation.

New episodes are on Thursdays.

Monster: Season 2 – Zodiac

This podcast is about one of the most notorious killers of all: the Zodiac. Even if you’ve seen David Fincher’s movie or read Robert Graysmith’s book, this podcast will teach you crazy things that you’ve never heard about Zodiac, and it’ll show you where to find the evidence. Turns out there’s an insane number of die-hard ‘Zodiologists’ online, and hearing about them is worth the price of admission to this podcast. (Like every podcast, it’s free.)

This podcast doesn’t come from any particular angle, and tries to give all of the facts and all of the theories their chance in the sun. 

New episodes arrive Mondays. (Although sadly this coming Monday will be the 15th and final episode of the season.) 

Flawed Justice: The Kimberly Long Story 

This story feels the most like season one of Serial, in that it is a reporter digging into a murder case from years ago that might be more than it seems. Los Angeles local CBS reporter Randy Paige explores the story of Kimberly Long who was convicted for the 2003 murder of her boyfriend Ozzy Conde, only to later have the conviction overturned. 

Randy Paige takes you on a thorough exploration of this case, talking with police, investigators, members of the jury, and Kimberly herself.

As Randy Paige says in the first episode, whether Kimberly is guilty or not doesn’t really matter right now. 

New episodes come as new updates come. There was a new episode late last month after Governor Gavin Newsom visited the area, and Randy went and spoke with him.