Top 10 Apple Podcasts — Top Shows (US) — September 5, 2026
True crime continues to dominate American listening habits in the first week of September 2026, with three of the top ten most-listened podcasts on Apple Podcasts falling squarely into the genre — Crime Junkie at #2, COERCED at #5, and Morbid at #7. That kind of clustering doesn't happen by accident; it reflects a sustained, almost gravitational pull that serialized mystery and murder content holds over US commuters and late-night listeners. The Daily from The New York Times holds the #1 slot, a familiar position for Michael Barbaro's 20-minute news brief that has essentially become the morning radio of the podcast era. Sports and politics split the middle of the chart: Pardon My Take (#6) keeps Barstool's flagship humming for NFL season, while Pod Save America (#9) suggests Democratic-leaning audiences are tuning in during a political moment worth dissecting. Apple Podcasts ranks titles by a blend of recent plays, completion rates, and subscriber engagement from US listeners, which is why established franchises like Dateline NBC and The Joe Rogan Experience stay anchored near the top regardless of release cadence.
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Current Rankings
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The New York Times
The Daily from The New York Times claims the #1 spot on September 5, 2026, reinforcing its status as the default morning podcast for US listeners who want a 20-minute distillation of one major news story before work.
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Audiochuck
Crime Junkie holds the #2 position, with Audiochuck's flagship true crime series drawing US listeners back week after week thanks to its tight, single-case episode structure and Ashley Flowers' steady narration.
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Joe Rogan
The Joe Rogan Experience sits at #3, a near-permanent fixture in the top five whose three-to-four-hour episode length keeps it accumulating US listening hours faster than almost any competitor.
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NBC News
Dateline NBC ranks #4, proving that the televised true crime brand translates effectively to audio and continues to draw consistent US engagement with weekly podcast companions to its TV episodes.
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LUNASHARK®
COERCED: The Devotion & Death of Mica Francis Miller debuts at #5 on LUNASHARK, a striking result for an indie production that beat several mainstream competitors by capitalizing on a culturally charged case.
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Barstool Sports
Pardon My Take from Barstool Sports lands at #6, riding the NFL season kickoff as Big Cat and PFT Commenter deliver daily episodes tailored to US sports fans in early September.
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Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Morbid holds the #7 position, with Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart's conversational true crime approach continuing to pull US listeners who prefer banter-heavy commentary over straight narration.
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Mick Hunt
Mick Unplugged at #8 marks Mick Hunt as one of the few entrepreneur-and-business hosts consistently cracking the US top ten, an unusual feat for a category dominated by celebrity and true crime.
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Pod Save America
Pod Save America sits at #9, with Crooked Media's flagship political podcast drawing left-leaning US listeners who want a weekly debrief on the 2026 political cycle.
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iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts
Love Trapped rounds out the top ten as an iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts collaboration, signaling sustained US appetite for therapy-adjacent relationship content from established audio brands.
Trend Analysis
True crime is the clearest winner in this September 5, 2026 snapshot, claiming three of the ten slots and demonstrating that the genre's grip on US listeners has only deepened since its 2017 peak. News and current affairs hold their own at the top with The Daily at #1 and Dateline NBC at #4, signaling that short-format daily briefings remain essential audio infrastructure for American commuters. Comedy and long-form interview formats split the upper-middle, led by The Joe Rogan Experience at #3 and Pardon My Take at #6, both of which monetize loyal repeat audiences rather than novelty. The most surprising entry is COERCED at #5 — a LUNASHARK production that beat out multiple established networks, proving indie true crime can still break through when the subject matter hits a nerve. Mick Unplugged's appearance at #8 suggests business and entrepreneurship content is quietly building a US listenership, while Love Trapped at #10 shows iHeart's relationship-therapy vertical has staying power. If true crime keeps pulling three top-ten slots every week, expect more networks to greenlight serialized mystery content heading into 2027.
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