Best of 2021 | My Favorite Podcasts

Happy Monday, friends! It’s time to start my favorite series I do every year: recapping my year with “Best of…” posts. Today, I’m kicking things off by discussing my favorite podcasts this year. I listen to podcasts constantly: in the car, when I’m cleaning, when I’m doing my skincare routine, when I’m going on long walks, and even during some work tasks. I’ve been listening to some of these podcasts for nearly 8 years now and the hosts truly feel like friends of mine. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have these little conversations to listen to throughout my day; I may be a lot more lonely, that’s for sure!

I’ve broken this post into two sections: my overall favorite podcasts of 2021 and my favorite short-form podcast series of 2021.

My Top 12 Podcasts of 2021

(In alphabetical order)

1) Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata – This podcast makes me laugh and want to hug my best friends and tell them how much I love them. Nicole and Sasheer who are, obviously, best friends spend time just chatting and catching up on their lives (but in their signature hilarious way!) as well as doing silly Buzzfeed-esque quizzes and answering listener questions about friendship.

2) Currently Reading – On this podcast, two bookish best friends talk about the books they’ve read recently (three each) and then do a deep dive on a bookish topic. I love that they are not afraid to give a negative opinion about what they’ve read—that was something that really seemed to be missing from bookish discourse. While I don’t always stick around for the bookish deep dive, I do love hearing their opinions about the books they’re reading. I’ve gotten a ton of great book recommendations from this podcast!

3) The Girl Next Door Podcast – I sometimes wonder why I love this podcast so much because it’s very parenting-focused, but there’s just something about the soothing voices of Kelsey and Erica that just make me feel good. This is a biweekly podcast, each episode focused on a specific topic, such as how to say no, current home organization and disorganization, practicing gratitude, etc. I don’t listen to every episode, but I can usually find a nugget of usefulness whenever I do listen.

4) Good Christian Fun – If you were deep into Christian pop culture of the 90s/early aughts, then this podcast is for you. It’s also for anyone interested in the wacky world of Christian pop culture and/or hearing about people’s personal faith journeys. Every episode touches on a specific part of Christian pop culture, maybe a song or a movie or a singer, that they have an in-depth discussion about. In each episode, there is a guest who will talk about their own faith journey, which has been really helpful to me as I’ve deconstructed my faith and come to terms with my religious upbringing. There are similarities and dissimilarities in everyone’s experience with faith and religion, and it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in my deconstruction.

5) Lovett or Leave It – I just love this podcast that takes a lighthearted look at the news. The news can be super, super depressing but sometimes, you really just have to laugh at how insane Republicans sound or the latest stupid headline. This show, which is hosted by Jon Lovett, went through a lot of changes once when the pandemic hit (it used to be a live show) but they have been slowly getting back to live audiences/guests once again! It’s really fun to be back to that format, as I didn’t love the “at home” edition of the show and found myself fast-forwarding through a lot of the segments. Anyway, if you like to learn about the news in a way that’s a little less “everything is terrible and democracy is in the dumpster,” this is the show for you.

6) Office Ladies – I really have a love/hate relationship with Office Ladies, but it’s one of the podcasts I faithfully listen to every week and I love hearing behind-the-scenes tidbits about how a show is filmed and produced. This show is hosted by Jenna Fischer (“Pam”) and Angela Kinsey (“Angela”) who discuss one episode of The Office each week. (Currently, they’re nearing the end of season 5.) Each podcast episode is filled with so many interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, such as how the episode was written, location details for any on-location shoots (outside of The Office set), finding the right props for each scene, and how each scene was filmed. It’s fascinating and I have learned so much about the acting life and life on a TV show from this podcast.

There are a few issues I have with this podcast, though. First, I think the “deep dives” they do on random topics brought up in the show are really silly and not very useful. I usually fast-forward through them. Second, I wish they would address the problematic aspects of the show. The Office has not aged very well and can be very fatphobic, ableist, and sexist. I understand that it’s harder for them to be critical of a show, as they are friends with the writers and producers, but I think there’s a way to address the problematic elements without denigrating the writing.

7) Pod Save America – The second political podcast on my list! What can I say? It’s a huge interest of mine. I have listened to this podcast since the beginning of the Trump presidency and it has been a true balm to my soul. It’s kept me informed, calmed me down when the headlines are crazy, and given me tangible actions to take. It’s hosted by four former Obama staffers—Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfieffer—and it keeps me sane.

8) The Popcast – I just started listening to The Popcast this year and it might be my favorite podcast of all. It’s the one I get most excited about when it downloads to my feed! Hosted by Jamie Golden and Knox McCoy, The Popcast is a pop culture podcast but it approaches pop culture in a way that’s a lot different than other podcasts in this vein. They do deep dives on popular movies, talk about the “no’s” about certain things (like parenting, Halloween costumes, school, etc.), and have themed discussions about any number of topics (fictional jobs, wealth in pop culture, season passes, etc.) It’s fun and funny and the best podcast I downloaded to my feed this year. (I’ve also subscribed to their Patreon, which I highly recommend!)

9) Sarah’s Bookshelves Live – I love this bookish podcast! Sarah has a mix of author interviews (she’s an amazing interviewer!) and recurring series with other bookish guests (like seasonal book previews), and I always love it when a new episode is downloaded to my feed. While our opinions on books are usually very different, I still always appreciate her perspective.

10) Strange Bedfellows – The Baby-Sitter’s Club Club was my favorite podcast for a really long time (two men in their thirties reviewed The Baby-Sitter’s Club books). Eventually, they ran out of BSC books to review so they started a new podcast called Strange Bedfellows, in which they review romance books! They couldn’t have transitioned to a better series if they tried! This podcast is everything I want. They have been doing an amazing job, too, at reviewing diverse books—books by Black authors, queer romances, etc. My favorite part of each episode is when they take a steamy scene and make it less steamy (they call it “Two Prude Dudes”). Their humor is not for everyone, but it works for me and I have such fondness for Jack and Tanner. (I also belong to their Patreon, where they are currently reviewing the Sweet Valley Twins books along with the second season of The Baby-Sitter’s Club Netflix show.)

11) Stuff You Should Know – I’ve been listening to Chuck and Josh at SYSK for so long! They were one of the first podcasts I started listening to. This podcast delves deep into every subject you can think of. Here are just some of their most recent topics: kidney stones, palm trees, the blue people of Kentucky, flood myths, the gut, the history of dentistry, pythons, the Apache Wars, DC statehood, and hot dogs. An eclectic mix, no? Chuck and Josh do so much research into each episode and they always make whatever they are talking about so interesting, even if it’s a topic I originally didn’t think I had any interest in!

12) Throughline – I am so very glad I found this podcast because it has given me so much worthwhile information to help me better expand my worldview. The tagline for this podcast, which is from NPR and hosted by two journalists, is “Where we go back in time to understand the present.” Each episode takes on a newsworthy story and looks at its impact through the lens of history. They did a really interesting and thought-provoking series in September all about Afghanistan, right after U.S. troops withdrew from the region. I always learn something new from this podcast!

My Top Short-Form Podcasts of 2021

(in alphabetical order)

1) EDITH! – I think this might be the one and only story-based podcast I’ve listened to, and it was outstanding! The podcast details the days after President Woodrow Wilson had a severe stroke and how First Lady Edith Wilson assumed his role, covertly. It’s filled with a great cast of actors voicing different characters (including Rosamund Pike as Edith), and I was enthralled from beginning to end.

2) Heaven Bent – This podcast series is for anyone who grew up evangelical in the 90s/early aughts—or anyone interested in the weird, wacky world of revivalist churches. In the first season, host Tara Jean Stevens revisits a time in her life when her tiny church in Canada had a revival that had tourists flocking from all over to receive healing. My own church went through a similar revival when I was in middle school, and it was just wild how similar our experiences were and it brought back so many crazy memories for me. The second season of Heaven Bent is all about Bethel Church and their School of Supernatural Ministry, and it’s just as fascinating. I’m hoping Tara Jean is working on a third season of this podcast!

3) Over My Dead Body: Fox Lake – The third season of Over My Dead Body was such a good one, and the conclusion was so very unexpected. Fox Lake followed the investigation into the death of a revered police officer in a small town, and there were so many twists and turns that it was like listening to a really sensational thriller.

4) Running from COPS – Out of all of the short-form podcasts on my list, this is the one I want everyone to listen to the most. This is about the TV show, COPS. It’s about the people who are featured on the show (many of them signing consent forms without knowing what they mean), the police departments that participate, and the deeply dark production company at the heart of the show. It has really opened my eyes up to COPS and what it’s like for the people who are really just having a really bad day and don’t need that filmed for our entertainment.

5) The Vaping Fix – Laura Beil is such a consistent podcast producer! I’ve loved everything she’s put out (she’s behind Dr. Death and Bad Batch) and this podcast series was just as fascinating. In this series, Beil traces the history of Juul, vaping culture, and how it got incredibly out of hand among teenagers. What started as a way to get rid of cigarette smoking became a catastrophe quickly. It’s frustrating and appalling, but I’m glad Laura Beil told this story because it’s a super important one.

Recommend a podcast to me! 🙂