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True crime has a makeup sub-genre
The makeup format
Many shows combine the two, and the format also covers general crazy stories told while the host gets ready. Part of the pull is company: for people working remotely, a get-ready-with-me show crosses the barrier of being alone at home. It feels like getting ready with a buddy.
The core audience
The genre underneath is one of the largest in podcasting. Its core audience is women 35 to 54, a demographic that buys the merch and goes to the live shows, and the demand is steady enough that networks look at it when deciding whether to launch another true crime show.
Falling asleep to it
Some listeners use it as company in the dark as well. A story told by someone else is enough to fall asleep to.
Why do get-ready-with-me videos feel like company?
In 1956, sociologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl described parasocial interaction, the one-sided bond audiences form with people they watch or hear through a screen or earphones. Viewers respond to a talking host much as they would to a friend in the room, even though the host cannot answer back. Direct address, a conversational tone, and everyday routines done in real time all strengthen the effect.
Why are women drawn to true crime stories?
Psychologists Amanda Vicary and Chris Fraley surveyed readers for a 2010 paper in Social Psychological and Personality Science. They found that women preferred true crime books that detailed the victim's experience and how the victim survived or could have survived. The authors proposed that the genre offers information about how threats unfold. Their paper was titled Captured by True Crime.
How did Serial launch true crime podcasting?
Serial, a 2014 spin-off from This American Life, followed a single investigation across weekly episodes. Apple reported that it reached five million downloads and streams faster than any podcast before it. Networks launched many true crime shows in the years that followed.
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