New season of acclaimed podcast Spectacle explores our cultural fascination with true crime

The third season of the critically acclaimed podcast, Spectacle from Neon Hum, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment’s Global Podcast Division, has been launched.

Spectacle: True Crime is an examination of the true crime genre and our society’s incredible fascination with murder, serial killers and more.

Hosted by pop culture journalist Mariah Smith, the 12-part series explores our cultural obsession with true crime, from Ted Bundy and the Menendez Brothers to falling asleep to Dateline and “prestige true crime.”

The new season delves into the history of true crime, why we love it and what that fascination says about us.

In the first episode, Spectacle puts two true crime icons side by side: In Cold Blood and Serial. Both changed the true crime game, elevating it beyond tabloids and cable TV and exposing it to all new “highbrow” audiences. The episodes also dissect the successful true crime trope of getting close to the killer.

“True crime has become one of the most popular entertainment genres around the world,” said host Mariah Smith. “I’m excited to explore how and why true crime has taken hold of the cultural imagination and have fascinating conversations about the rise of social media sleuths, the celebritization of serial killers, ‘missing white woman syndrome,’ and more.”

Spectacle: True Crime is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.