How we tag

Every tag on The Crime Filter follows a written rule, and every rule is on this page. If a tag ever looks wrong to you, the rules below are what we check it against.

Where tags come from

Each tag shows its source next to it:

• The show’s own warning: the makers wrote it in the episode notes.
• Transcript: we read a full transcript of the episode.
• Listener report: a listener told us, and we checked it before publishing.

Show tags (tone, format, style, graphic detail, case types) are set from the show’s own description plus at least three episodes from different years. If a show mixes, the tag follows what most of the checked episodes do, and the show page says that it varies.

We never call an episode “safe”

Every episode is in one of three states:

• Warnings found: the list of topics, each with its source.
• No warnings found: always with the source that was checked.
• Not checked yet: nobody has reviewed this episode.

Warnings are covered on the show pages until you choose to see them, so you can decide whether you want to read them at all.

The rules for every tag

Tone

One tone per show.

• Comedy: The hosts joke about the case or the people in it as a regular part of the show, or the show calls itself comedy.
• Casual: Chatty hosts, but jokes stay outside the case itself (intro, chat between segments). The case is told seriously.
• Serious: No joking. Narrated or journalistic.

Format

One format per show.

• One case per episode: Each episode covers a different case.
• Multi-part cases: Cases are often split over 2 or more episodes.
• One case per season: A whole season follows one case.
• Mixed: The show uses more than one of these formats.
• Several cases per episode: Most episodes cover two or more different cases (for example one story per host).

Style

One style per show.

• Original reporting: The makers do their own interviews, document requests or on-site research.
• Retelling: The story is told from published sources (news, books, court records).
• Both: The show does both.

Graphic detail

The typical level of the show.

• Low: Violence is mentioned, but injuries and acts are not described.
• Medium: Some description of injuries or acts.
• High: Detailed description of injuries, acts, torture or autopsy findings.

Case types

Several can apply to one show.

• Murder
• Serial killers
• Missing persons
• Cold cases
• Kidnapping
• Cults
• Fraud and scams
• White-collar and corporate crime
• Heists and theft
• Organized crime
• Wrongful convictions
• Medical crime
• Historical: Crime before 1950.
• Not crime: Paranormal or mystery episodes, flagged so filters can hide them.

Content warnings (per episode)

Each warning is marked "Central" (a main part of the episode) or "Mentioned" (comes up briefly). Brief mentions count, because people who avoid a topic usually want to avoid even short parts.

• Child victim: Anyone under 18 harmed.
• Death of a child
• Child sexual abuse
• Sexual violence
• Domestic violence
• Suicide or self-harm
• Animal cruelty or death
• Torture
• Graphic injury or autopsy detail
• Mass casualty attack
• Kidnapping or captivity
• Hate crime
• Violence against a pregnant person
• Real audio: 911 calls, recorded interrogations, victims' voices.

Case outcome

Hidden behind a click, because it is a spoiler. Always shown with the date it was checked.

• Solved: someone was convicted, or the authorities officially named a perpetrator who died before trial.
• Unsolved
• Disputed: the conviction is contested (appeal, exoneration, or serious doubt raised by officials or courts).
• Not a single case

Show facts

• Episode counts, typical length (the median of all episodes) and dates come from the show’s public feed.
• Explicit language is the label the makers set themselves in their feed. It is about language, not about violence.
• Still releasing means a new episode in the last 90 days. Paused means no new episode for 90 days or more without an announced end. Ended means the makers announced the end.
• Own warnings in X episodes counts episodes whose notes contain warning wording such as “content warning” or “listener discretion is advised”. Shows can use other words, so this is a minimum.

How we write

• Warnings name the topic. They never describe what happened.
• Nobody is called guilty unless a court convicted them. We write “convicted of”, “charged with” or “accused of”.
• Victims are only named as they appear in the episode title.
• All text on this site is our own. We do not copy show notes.

Found a mistake? See About and corrections.