I’m always trying to get people to listen to more podcasts. If you listen to five, I want you listening to eight. If you listen eight, I want that number to be 13. This is my literal job, people.
If someone is already a podcast lover, it is fairly easy to convince them to add a new one to their library. But what about the people who don’t listen? Those are harder nuts to crack. You might have only one chance to convince them of the wonders the audio world has to offer. My advice? Don’t send them anything too niche. Send them the best of the best. Here’s my go-to list of shows with wide appeal that are strong enough to turn a non-listener into someone who listen to at least one show.
And if you don’t listen to podcasts, I made this list for you. Give any of these shows a chance, and I hope you’ll realize how good the medium can be, and then add a few more to your queue.
This American Life
Image: Podcast logo
New and flashy shows come and go, but This American Life has been churning out some of the best audio stories for decades (it started as the broadcast show “Your Radio Playhouse” in 1995) and it never misses a beat. The episodes, always based on a theme, are emceed by Ira Glass, who has not only invented a genre but a hosting style many storytellers have gone on to emulate. The stories highlight funny, sad, and completely moving narratives about everything under the sun, from amusement parks, to terrible crimes, to parenting, to loss, to embarrassing moments, and everything in between. Browse through the huge archive (not all episodes are available on the podcast apps…you might have to dig through the website) and I guarantee you’ll find an episode that will feel like it was made for you. Start with “Switched at Birth.”
RISK!
Image: Podcast logo
RISK! is a storytelling show where people share their most dangerous or mortifying stories—and often the topics are taboo or embarrassing. Host Kevin Allison once told me anything that might not feel appropriate for the NPR audience will feel at home spilling their guts on his show. The storytellers are coached, so every story is top notch. RISK is home to many famous storytellers who often come back for repeat episodes. Kevin has a treasure trove of stories of his own, and serves as the perfect ringmaster to this chaotic circus of human disasters and triumphs. Many of the stories are both. Listening will make you feel like you’re sitting in a dark bar with a friend who has had a few drinks and is eager to tell you a life-changing tale. Start with “Whammy!”
99% Invisible
Image: Podcast logo
Using a mix of storytelling, interviews, soundscapes, and archival recordings, each episode of 99% Invisible covers a specific topic related to design, ranging from iconic buildings and urban planning to street signs, technology, and even intangible elements like sound and language. But it’s not just for people who love design. The point of the show is that the smallest details of how our world is built make a huge impact on how we live. Host Roman Mars tells the best audio stories (about things from vuvuzelas, to in-flight safety cards, to street curbs) that resonate with everyone. It will incite wonder in anyone who loves a perfectly told story. Start with “Built on Sand.”
Ologies
Image: Podcast logo
On Ologies, Alie Ward talks to ologists (experts in any sort of science that ends in -ology) to deliver fact-filled episodes for everyone from the huge science nerd to the person who is just fascinated by the world around them. With a quirky sense of humor, she serves as your trusted host into the world of reptiles, voice boxes, bats, and dreams—but she’s also a friend, bringing these fascinating ologiests to you because she knows they have something useful to share. Allie never interviews people because they’re famous, she interviews people who are as obsessed with their subjects as she is. Their obsession will rub off on you. Start with “Thanatology (DEATH & DYING.)“
Welcome to Night Vale
Image: Podcast logo
Since 2012, Welcome to Night Vale has been bringing us community updates from the small (fictional) desert town of Night Vale, creating a blueprint for countless sci-fi audio dramas that followed. It’s like A Prairie Home Companion narrated by David Lynch. In telling the stories of Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Night Vale’s resident radio host), Dana Cardinal (radio intern and former Night Vale mayor), a literal five-headed dragon (also a former mayoral candidate), and more, this is a show bursting with humor and horror, a satire on the absurdities of American life. Its playful format has yet to be replicated (which is why it has persevered) and after 10 years, it has never repeated itself. And because Night Vale feels so real, it probably never will. You can listen in any order, but start with this standalone piece “A Story About You.”
Blank Check With Griffin and David
Image: Podcast logo
Blank Check, hosted by Griffin Newman and David Sims, analyzes and discusses the filmographies of directors who have been given a “blank check” by studios to make their passion projects after achieving previous success. (“Blank check” refers to the trust and creative freedom that a director gains when they have proven themselves in the industry, allowing them to pursue their vision without significant interference from studios.) Griffin and David go deep into the storytelling, filmmaking techniques, themes, performances, and the cultural context surrounding all of your favorite movies. They’ll bring on comedians, actors, filmmakers, critics, and industry insiders to take you behind the scenes of pure Hollywood gold.There are so many film podcasts, but this one is easily digestible by people who aren’t film experts. It’s for people obsessed with the movies. Start with their one-off episode on The Book of Henry.
Song Exploder
Image: Podcast logo
Song Exploder covers songs of all genres, including lots of pop. Host Hrishikesh Hirway sits down with artists to dismantle their work note by note so we can understand a song down to its bones—how it went from a spark in the artist’s mind to a final track. Enormous stars like Madonna (“Hung Up”), Rick Astley (“Never Gonna Give You Up”), and Franz Ferdinand (“Take Me Out”) get vulnerable with Hrishikesh about their process, revealing never-before-heard details about what inspired them to make their biggest hits, sharing the highs and lows of being a musician, and admitting that sometimes even they are surprised when a song unexpectedly resonates with listeners. Episodes are beautifully produced and will reshape you as a consumer of music. (Hrishikesh has also started a spinoff, Book Exploder, in which he gives authors the Song Exploder treatment too—I eagerly await the day he launches Podcast Exploder.) Start with Semisonic’s “Closing Time.”
Midnight Burger
Image: Podcast logo
If you’re looking for a twist on the TARDIS, come on down to Midnight Burger, a completely ordinary diner, except for the fact that the universe is trying to kill it and it must skip through time and space in order to escape doom. In this scripted series, the Midnight Burger pops up just when people need a friend and a cup of coffee, and they are welcomed by the eclectic staff—a galactic drifter, a rogue theoretical physicist, a sentient old-time-y radio, and some guy named Caspar. Once you’ve visited the Midnight Burger once, you’re guaranteed to become a regular, if only to spend more time with the characters. The dialogue is so heartfelt and near-philosophical, and I often find myself skipping back to re-listen to a particularly insightful revelation, or just hitting pause to reflect. Start with “The Transdimensional Haboob.”
Radiolab
Image: Podcast logo
Radiolab, which debuted in 2002, is a podcast focused on science and philosophy that uses a distinctive storytelling style to make complex subjects more accessible and engaging to a wide audience. The show’s creators, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, are known for their use of sound effects, music, and other audio elements to create a sense of atmosphere and immersion. They also often use multiple voices and perspectives to explore a single topic, which can help to make the material more relatable and engaging. Readiolab episodes are rich in sound and substance, and are broad enough to strike wide appeal. Start literally anywhere.
Snap Judgment
Image: Podcast logo
On Snap Judgment, Glynn Washington is your emcee for a poetry slam of stories, starting out each episode with one of his own, told with such energy that you can feel it pulsing through your body. Then he hands the mic to his storyteller—you hear the story from their POV, expertly assembled alongside killer beats. The result? Movies for your ears. These stories—a foreign negotiator attempts to free an American journalist being held captive, someone experiences a glitch in the matrix, an underwater photographer is saved by harp seals—will stick with you. Join the huge community of Snappers who sit at the altar of storytelling master Glynn Washington, waiting for him to drop new beats. Start with “The Border Hacker.”
Planet Money
Image: Podcast logo
NPR’s Planet Money uses storytelling to make complex economic concepts accessible and entertaining for any audience—everybody from people working in finance to those who are basically financially illiterate. Episodes explain how our everyday life is impacted by economics, finance, and business. If you think the housing market, international trade, labor markets, the stock market, cryptocurrencies, inflation, taxes, and economic policies are boring, Planet Money will change your mind. They also make some of the most entertaining TikToks around: super educational, but completely weird and hilarious. Start with “Why A Dead Shark Costs $12 Million.”
SmartLess
SmartLess is an interview podcast hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. The unique twist is that only one of the hosts knows in advance who the guest will be, while the other two go into the conversation without any prior knowledge or preparation. And the guests are fantastic. Jason, Sean, and Will create the kind of comfortable environment that allows people like Barack Obama, Jennifer Aniston, Bono, Keanu Reeves, and Tracee Ellis Ross to talk openly about their careers and personal lives, and share their funniest stories. Conversations feel organic and spontaneous, candid and unexpected. SmartLess is one way to get to know big stars in a new way, and to feel like you’re hanging out with three funny friends with electric chemistry. Start with “George Clooney.”
