Apple’s new true-crime podcast Heart, hosted by Karen Kilgariff, released all eight episodes on October 19, 2026 on Apple Podcasts for Apple TV subscribers. According to Apple, nonsubscribers could hear the first three episodes free that day, with one new episode released weekly through the finale on November 23, 2026.
Content note: Heart deals with suicide throughout. If you or someone you know is struggling, in the US you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Outside the US, contact your local emergency number or a local crisis service.
What Heart is about
Apple describes Heart as “the extraordinary true story of two men linked by a single heart.” Sonny Graham receives a lifesaving heart transplant and falls in love with his donor’s widow. Sonny later dies the same way as his heart donor, Terry Cottle. In both cases, Apple says, the official conclusion is suicide.
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The series draws on three years of reporting and follows the families’ search for answers through court filings, public records and personal accounts. Some friends and family question whether the heart Sonny received could have carried traces of the donor’s trauma. The episode synopses note that mainstream science and the families dismiss that theory.
Heart is an Apple Original Podcast from Plan B and Blanchard House. We covered the announcement in our launch post for Heart.
Heart episode list
The titles below come from Apple TV Press. All eight carry an October 19, 2026 release date for subscribers.
| Episode | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Lion |
| 2 | Suspicion |
| 3 | A Good Heart |
| 4 | Amazing Grace |
| 5 | Metamorphosis |
| 6 | A Love Story Unlike Any Told |
| 7 | Last Wishes |
| 8 | Grand Love |
Episode 1: The Lion
The opener introduces Sonny Graham, whom Apple calls the charismatic “lion” of Hilton Head Island. A transplant saves his life, but after he seeks out the widow of his heart donor, his world shifts. His death leaves loved ones with questions, and it bears what Apple calls uncanny similarities to the fate of his donor.
Episode 2: Suspicion
Sonny’s daughter Michelle is devastated by her father’s affair with the donor’s widow and writes a letter cutting ties with him. After his death, she starts her own investigation. A close friend insists Sonny became a different man after the surgery.
Episode 3: A Good Heart
This episode turns to the donor, Terry Cottle. His family remembers him as a devoted family man until he starts an affair and leaves his childhood sweetheart and their two daughters. Apple’s synopsis says Terry died by suicide aged 33, and his family were left disturbed by accounts of his final hours.
Episode 4: Amazing Grace
Terry is on life support, and his family faces decisions about organ donation. His sister recalls tense scenes at the hospital. As Sonny prepares to receive the heart, the episode asks where the soul resides, the heart or the mind.
Episode 5: Metamorphosis
After the transplant, some close to Sonny detect a profound change in him. The episode looks at the theory that a heart might carry memories, which Apple notes mainstream science and the families dismiss. Terry’s friends also begin to compare the two deaths.
Episode 6: A Love Story Unlike Any Told
Sonny’s family recall the destructive side of his relationship with the widow. Local media portrayed it as a miraculous romance, but court filings reveal a darker story. Sonny ends his 38-year marriage to pursue the affair.
Episode 7: Last Wishes
The producers bring in John Dawes, a retired homicide detective with no involvement in the original investigations, to review the case files. Details emerge about Sonny’s money troubles at the time of his death. His family remain convinced he did not die by suicide.
Episode 8: Grand Love
In the finale, the families of Terry and Sonny gather in South Carolina to hear Dawes’s view of the case files. Apple says they soon discover it is not necessarily what they want to hear. A second cold-case detective also weighs in on the woman at the center of the story.
Who makes Heart
Karen Kilgariff, known for co-hosting My Favorite Murder, hosts the series. “Working with such a talented production team has made hosting ‘Heart’ an absolute dream. I’m so proud to be a part of this show,” Kilgariff said in Apple’s release.
Plan B is helmed by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, and Apple notes Heart follows their work together on F1 The Movie. Blanchard House is the British audio studio behind the Apple Original Podcasts Extrasensory, The Pirate of Prague and Adrift.
How to listen
- Apple TV subscribers: all eight episodes on Apple Podcasts from October 19, 2026.
- Nonsubscribers: the first three episodes free from October 19, then one new episode each week through the finale on November 23, 2026.
- Apple’s short link for the show is apple.co/Heart.
Apple TV costs $14.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, according to Apple’s Heart announcement.
