Back in 2014, I found out podcasts were a great way to pass the time on long drives to and from school, and now I listen to them on walks and drives and whenever else I find time. These are my favorite shows (in order of least to most time until I listen once a new episode comes out):
1. S-town
Although this was a limited series, this is my all-time favorite podcast. It is shocking and heartbreaking and beautiful.
Website: https://serialpodcast.org
2. Reply All – Gimlet Media
Episodes all relate somehow to technology and most often the internet. They have really entertaining segments called Yes-Yes-No where they try to figure out and explain really complicated tweets. They also do more in-depth, crazy-entertaining stories, such as this one time when one of the hosts got a call from a scammer that took them on a journey all the way to India where they actually went to the call center where the call originated and investigated (‘#102 Long Distance’ and ‘#103 Long Distance, Part II’). Update (Aug. 2020): This show is still amazing. There is a new update to the Long Distance story I mentioned in ‘#164 Long Distance: The Real Alex Martin’. Update (March 2022): Controversy due to some of the episodes they put out has led the show to change a lot. We will see how it turns out.
Website: https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all
3. Rough Translation
They report stories from all over the world which “hit close to home”. Their episode “American Surrogate” reported on the relationship between a Chinese woman and an American surrogate she hired to carry her baby.
Website: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation
4. Caught – WNYC Studios
Caught only has one season, but it is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the young people most affected by the US criminal justice system. I had no idea students could be arrested and sent to jail for refusing to go to school (Episode 6: ‘Please Lock Up My Kid’).
Website: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/589480586/caught
5. Serial
If you haven’t listen to it yet, just do it. I think this is the most popular podcast in history. They investigate crimes, one crime per season. The first season was the best in my opinion, but the second season was good too.
Website: https://serialpodcast.org
6. RadioLab – WNYC Studios
Always my go-to podcast. Great storytelling and great science. Update (Aug. 2020): Although I was not as big of a fan of their G series and a few of the other episodes that weren’t as good.
Website: https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/caught
7. This American Life
Another go-to podcast. The stories are longer – around one hour – but once you start listening you won’t want to stop. Best for long car rides. Also, they have been around for a long time so you will never run out of podcasts; there are more than 641 hour-long podcasts on their website.
Website: https://thisamericanlife.org
8. Planet Money – NPR
The episodes vary in length and cover topics that usually have something to do with money. But they are very accessible to anyone, and even people who don’t usually have an interest in money as a topic of conversation (like me) will find the stories interesting and relevant to their lives.
Website: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/
9. The Daily – The New York Times
The Daily comes out with 5 episodes a week, each of which are about 30 minutes long. It is truly an amazing feat. That being said, not all of the episodes are of the same quality. I usually look for episodes on topics that happened sometime in the past as opposed to 2 days ago because I enjoy detailed reporting more than lengthy interviews.
Website: https://www.nytimes.com/podcasts/the-daily
10. Ear Hustle – Radiotopia
Probably the most unique out of every interesting podcast that exists. This is a great podcast about life in prison, specifically in San Quentin State Prison. This podcast is unique in that one of the hosts is actually an inmate, and another inmate is the awesome sound designer. This podcast is not about reporting on the stories as they happened outside of prison, but they do a great job of making you feel like you are in prison with these guys. If they came out with podcasts more often, this would really be higher on the list. But they are definitely restricted by the hours they can work each day and instances such as when the prison was in lock down for a short time. Update (Aug. 2020): They have done more stories outside of prison and have a new host in prison since one of the hosts got his sentence commuted. It is still good, but not a big favorite anymore.
Website: https://www.earhustlesq.com
11. The Indicator from Planet Money – NPR
The makers of Planet Money started this podcast where each episode focuses on one number you might have heard in recent news. The episodes are usually less than 10 minutes long and come out a few times a week, so they are great for those in a rush. One episode called ‘Weed GDP’ from January 30, 2018 reported on how Canada recently tried to factor the illegal marijuana industry into their GDP so they could measure the affect of legalization on the economy.
Website: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510325/the-indicator-from-planet-money
12. More or Less: Behind the Statistics – BBC Radio
The pace is a bit slower than some of the other podcasts on this list, but they are a reliable source of good statistics on interesting topics such as whether or not Hollywood films ignore women (‘Women, the Oscars, and the Bechdel Test’).
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads
13. Radiolab Presents: More Perfect – WNYC Studios
Before knowing what this podcast is about, you should know that it is incredibly entertaining. The only reason it is not higher on this list is because they don’t come out with new episodes very often. However, when they do, I rush to listen as soon as possible. Each episode is a story about the Supreme Court. But they make the stories understandable for anyone, and all the stories feel very important. Update (Aug. 2020): The second season was nowhere near as good as the first season. They completely changed everything for the second season.
Website: https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolabmoreperfect/
You can find these podcasts for free on the Podcasts app on the iPhone, or I have recently switched to listening on Spotify.