Every year, I like to do a round-up of my favorite podcasts at the moment. This is the SEVENTH year I’ve done this, which is crazy to me! Have I really been listening to podcasts for that long? Apparently so! It’s fun to see what podcasts have been on this list every year (looking at you, Stuff You Should Know) and what long-time favorites fell off my list.
This year, I selected 15 podcasts from the 36 that I regularly listen to. Hopefully, you can find something new to listen to from this list!
1) The Baby-Sitters Club Club – As much as I adore this podcast, it’s rather hard for me to recommend it to new listeners because, honestly, you have to start at the beginning to understand all of the inside jokes and segments. And since Jack and Tanner, the hosts, have been podcasting weekly since early 2016, that’s a lot of episodes to listen to. The premise of this podcast is that two men in their thirties read and discuss all of the books in the canon of The Baby-Sitters Club. I grew up on the BSC and have loved reminiscing about my childhood faves as I listen to each episode. I’ll admit that their humor is not for everyone, but it works for me and I’m always excited to listen to an episode.
2) Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – How many “celebrities interviewing celebrities” podcasts does the world need? I’m not sure, but I do enjoy Conan O’Brien’s more than the others. Most especially because of his two “assistants,” Sona and Matt, and the rapport between the three of them. (Each episode starts and ends with a segment involving the three of them, and sometimes, if the celebrity being interviewed isn’t someone I’m interested in, I’ll just listen to those segments because they are just that good!) I love Conan’s interview style, though, and his sarcasm is right up my alley.
3) Code Switch – Do yourself a favor and download this podcast. It’s truly fantastic, looking at culture through the lens of race. I’m still working my way through their back catalog (which is EXTENSIVE, but so worth listening to), but I have found myself challenged, educated, and dismayed by their episodes. The episodes are short—typically less than 30 minutes—but they pack so much education and story into each episode.
4) Criminal – Criminal is a true crime podcast, yes, but it goes beyond typical true crime. It’s not just about unsolved murders and missing person cases. It’s about all the different ways crime interacts with our everyday lives, from the mundane to the peculiar. Some recent episodes focused on an enslaved man who found a way to free himself from slavery, an elusive bank robber, forgiveness in the legal system, and a crazy cremation scam that a funeral home was running.
5) Currently Reading – This is, by far, my favorite book podcast. I love that the hosts are always brutally honest about their true feelings about all things bookish. They have Strong Opinions about books, and I love hearing them (even when I don’t totally agree). This podcast has a very easy format where the hosts discuss their bookish moment of the week, talk about three books they’ve read recently, and then dive into a bookish topic. I always enjoy listening to their thoughts!
6) The Girl Next Door Podcast – By all accounts, this shouldn’t be one of my favorite podcasts since many of the episodes centers on motherhood. Thankfully, Kelsey and Erica maintain a great mix of topics so it’s a podcast that even this single, childless woman can enjoy! Each week, the ladies do a deep dive on a particular topic and many of their topics have sparked blog posts of my own. Some recent topics: household division of labor, things they are minor experts in, having hard conversations with kids, and keeping a kitchen (delving into their favorite kitchen tools, how to keep a kitchen clean and organized, etc).
7) Good Christian Fun – Good Christian Fun is about Christian pop culture, but more than that, it’s about faith and what it means to be a Christian today. It’s a podcast that has helped me come to terms with my own faith journey and recognize all the ways the church marginalizes women, people of color, and the LGBT+ community. Every episode includes a guest who spends the first half of the episode discussing their faith journey, which is often emotional because the church has caused so much pain to so many people. The second half of the episode, though, is much more lighthearted as they dive into their pop culture topic of the week. I want to be clear: This is a comedy podcast and it’s definitely filled with humor and happiness and hope. It makes me laugh and feel good and feel less alone in my faith struggles, and I love it for that.
8) Hall of Shame – Hall of Shame is the kind of podcast I have been waiting for. Each week, Rachel and Rachna take listeners on a journey through a crazy sports story. Some you may know about, like the Ryan Lochte robbery scandal from the 2016 Olympics, and some you most likely don’t, like the insane 2010 Auburn tree poisoning scandal. Give it a listen and recognize a) how crazy athletes are and b) how even crazier sports fans are.
9) In the Dark – This investigative journalism podcast is the best there is, and Madeleine Baran deserves all of the awards. There are currently two seasons of the show: The first season discusses the kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling and all the ways the police bungled that investigation. The second season is about Curtis Flowers, a man who was tried and convicted six times by the same prosecutor (and eventually his last conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court based on evidence uncovered by the In the Dark team). This podcast is so goddamn good, and Baran and her team are so incredibly tenacious when it comes to finding out the truth.
10) Lovett or Leave It – One of my favorite political podcasts, Lovett or Leave It discusses the week’s news in a fun, lighthearted manner (without diminishing the seriousness of the news). While I think the podcast was much better when it was a live event (usually recorded at a comedy club), the at-home episodes have been great, especially the segments of comedians reacting to Lovett’s beginning monologue. If you want to keep up with the news of the week without falling into despair, Lovett or Leave It is a great option!
11) Office Ladies – This podcast is hosted by two former actresses on The Office, Jenna Fischer (who played Pam) and Angela Kinsey (who played Angela). Each week, the ladies break down an episode of The Office, offering behind-the-scenes insights and production tidbits. While I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the podcast (I find Jenna and Angela’s dynamic to be a bit… much… and the “frenemy” vibe they have isn’t my favorite), learning how each episode was created is fascinating enough on its own that I put up with Jenna and Angela’s weird vibe. 🙂
12) Pod Save America – My beloved. I would not have been able to survive these past three years without my twice-weekly Pod Save America episodes. Hosted by former Obama staffers, this podcast delves into the news of the week in an easy-to-understand format. (Truly, the Stephany of five years ago would have never imagined she’d look forward to listening to hour-long episodes about politics twice a week, yet here I am.) It’s a very left-leaning podcast so I feel at home listening to these men discuss politics and lament about Trump’s latest antics.
13) Stuff You Should Know – I’ve been listening to Stuff You Should Know since 2013! That’s seven years of learning about stuff. It remains one of my favorite podcasts because I’ve learned so much about so many topics! Also, I just adore Josh and Chuck’s dynamic, even if Chuck can be a bit grumpy at times. The podcast is simple: Josh and Chuck will spend 45 minutes to an hour telling you all the ins and outs of a specific topic, from hurricanes and miniature golf to the Black Panther Party and the KGB.
14) Throughline – Throughline is such an interesting, thought-provoking podcast and it’s rare that I don’t come away from an episode without learning a great deal of new information. This podcast takes on today’s current events and views them through the lens of the past. It’s truly amazing to see how many things have changed and have stayed the same when looking back on our history this way.
15) What a Day – What a Day is a daily news podcast and I love getting a quick look at the top headlines from Akirah and Gideon. They keep things light and funny when possible, which is much needed in our current political climate.
Do you listen to podcasts? What are some of your favorites?
I don’t listen to most of the podcasts on this list and haven’t heard of some of them so will have to check them out at some point! I listen to way fewer podcasts now that I don’t have a commute to work. My favorites are Young House Love, From the Front Porch, Happier, Best of Both Worlds, In the Dark, The Girl Next Door podcast, and Nice White Parents. I don’t know when I will be listening to more podcasts again but when I do, I will add some from your list.