Apple launches 'Hooked,' its first original true crime podcast

Apple Podcasts now includes a new original series called "Hooked," the first Apple-produced show that is not tied to an Apple TV+ series.

"Hooked" is nine-part true crime podcast series, with the first three editions now available. It follows the real-life story of Tony Hathaway, an OxyContin addict, a Boeing aerospace engineer, and a 30-time bank robber.

"Before Hathaway was a masterful bank robber— a shape-shifting professional who confounded multiple police departments and the FBI— he was a top design engineer at Boeing, one of America's most important companies," says Apple.

"Based on three years of conversations between Hathaway and journalist Josh Dean," continues Apple, "'Hooked' is a different kind of crime story that takes listeners on an exceptional and very personal tour of America's opioid epidemic."

The series is seemingly the first Apple Original podcast production that is not connected to any Apple TV+ show. However, it listed on Apple's Podcast app under the Apple TV+ section, and its show page links back to that.

"Hooked" episodes vary between 30 and 45 minutes, released weekly on Wednesdays, and are made for Apple by Campside Media.