45 Best Podcasts (2022): True Crime, Culture, Science, Fiction

Podcasts are to radio as streaming companies are to tv, and we’re fortunate sufficient to be residing by means of the golden age of both. You can discover a podcast about virtually something today, however with nice selection comes nice mediocrity—you may want a serving to hand to seek out the podcasts worthy of your ear. Our expertly curated checklist will entertain and educate you, whether or not you’re doing the dishes, understanding, commuting, or lazing within the tub.

For extra recommendation, try our guides on how to listen to more podcasts and the best podcasts for kids. If you’re feeling entrepreneurial, learn our suggestions on the gear you need to start a podcast.

Updated July 2022: We added a number of podcasts, together with Darknet Diaries, Wild Things: Siegfried and Roy, and The Superhero Complex, plus new enterprise and TV sections.

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The Dropout

Sneak a peek behind the scenes, as this podcast follows the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, the tech startup that promised to disrupt blood testing however disintegrated within the face of whistleblowers, inaccurate outcomes, and fraudulent claims. John Carreyrou’s reporting broke the scandal, and his guide Bad Blood additionally spawned one other interesting podcast. But The Dropout is a refreshingly clear recounting of the sordid story, with season two tackling the trial.

Darknet Diaries

Anyone with an curiosity in hacking and cybercrime will recognize this investigative podcast from Jack Rhysider. Densely packed and tightly edited, the present covers subjects like Xbox hacking, a Greek wiretapping Vodafone scandal, and the influence of the NotPetya malware. Rhysider skillfully weaves informative narratives to unravel some advanced points and retains issues largely accessible, although it could often get just a little too technical for some of us.

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Painstakingly researched, this podcast dives deep into the world of sound to elucidate all the pieces from these sounds you all the time hear in film trailers to automobile engines, choral music, the Netflix intro, and means past. Learn how iconic sounds had been created, why sure sounds make us really feel the way in which they do, and the way sound enriches our lives in myriad methods.

Other Great Tech Podcasts: 

• WIRED’s Gadget Lab: Want to compensate for the week’s high tech information? Listen to our very personal podcast hosted by senior author Lauren Goode and senior editor Michael Calore.
• The Lazarus Heist: This fascinating investigation begins with the Sony hacks, digs into the involvement of North Korean hackers, and strikes on to a billion-dollar cyber theft.
• Rabbit Hole: What is the web doing to us? New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose investigates issues just like the influence of algorithms on radicalization with a dreamy soundscape backdrop.
• Reply All: The superbly paced, all the time convivial, and sorely missed Reply All dragged us down web rabbit holes to analyze long-forgotten songs, cellphone scammers, hacked Snapchat accounts, and Team Fortress 2 bots.

The Last Days of August

Jon Ronson brings an inquisitive, empathetic, and barely neurotic intelligence to bear on fascinating and infrequently shocking tales. Following The Butterfly Effect (only on Audible), which delves into the collision of tech with the pornography business, The Last Days of August investigates the premature demise of porn performer August Ames. All of Ronson’s different podcasts are equally glorious (we advocate Things Fell Apart and So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed), however it is a excellent spot to begin.

Wild Things: Siegfried and Roy

Famous German duo Siegfried and Roy had been a mainstay on the Las Vegas present scene and carried out about 30,000 instances over 5 a long time with an act that included white lions and tigers. When Roy was attacked stay on stage, it made headlines all over the place. This podcast unravels their rise to stardom, touches on their controversial dealing with of untamed animals, and digs into what actually occurred that fateful evening.

Revisionist History

In this eclectic mixture of quirky tales, Malcolm Gladwell tackles misunderstood occasions and infrequently mentioned concepts, veering from topics like Toyota’s automobile recall to underhand-throwing basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain, and even the firebombing of Tokyo on the finish of World War II. Gladwell freely mixes analysis and opinion and enjoys difficult standard views, however each episode serves up info and tales you’ve got seemingly by no means heard earlier than.

Other Great Society Podcasts:

• Run Bambi Run: The riveting story of ex-Milwaukee police officer and Playboy Club bunny Laurie Bembenek, who was convicted of murdering her husband’s ex, regardless of conflicting proof, and subsequently escaped jail and fought to have her conviction overturned.
• Missing Richard Simmons: Ebullient health guru Richard Simmons was once all over the place, and this podcast charts an investigative reporter’s makes an attempt to seek out out why he disappeared.
• The Moth: This podcast gives random of us the possibility to inform deeply private tales to a crowd of strangers and reinforces simply how bizarre people are.
• The Trojan Horse Affair: This story unpacks the British scandal over an alleged try by Islamist extremists to take over a Birmingham college and radicalize its college students.
• Day X: A sobering take a look at the neo-Nazi specter in modern-day Germany, its attainable infiltration of police and authorities, and a plan involving a army officer and a faked refugee id.
• Project Unabom: Delving into the lifetime of Ted Kaczynski, this podcast interviews his brother and recounts the FBI investigation to attempt to make sense of Kaczynski’s terrifying bombing spree.

The Superhero Complex

Part of the way in which into this investigation of the Rain City Superhero Movement, a real-life group of self-proclaimed superheroes lively in Seattle just a few years in the past, I needed to cease listening and examine that this wasn’t fiction. The podcast focuses on the conceited Phoenix Jones, an ex-MMA fighter turned violent vigilante, and his fall from grace. But there’s additionally an enchanting glimpse into the friendlier aspect of the motion, with some heroes handing out water to homeless of us and serving to folks in misery. 

The Read

Brutally sincere comedians with chemistry, Kid Fury and Crissle West recap and evaluation the newest popular culture information and provide their opinions on all the pieces. Insightful, humorous, difficult, and refreshingly totally different from the podcast pack, these sprawling conversations run for a few hours, masking current occasions and regularly concerning social justice, psychological well being, race, and sexual id.

Forever35

Like eavesdropping on conversations between relatable besties, Forever35 began as a bodily self-care podcast however expanded to debate psychological well being, relationships, and some other matter that appeals to LA-based writers Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer. They go from chatting about serums and lotions to seasonal affective dysfunction and learn how to take care of a brand new stepmother as an grownup—however all the time in a enjoyable, inclusive, and down-to-earth means.

Other Great Culture Podcasts:

• Sounds Like a Cult: Fanatical fringe teams have by no means been so prevalent, and there’s one thing greater than just a little cultish about superstar stans, multilevel advertising, and marathon runners—simply three of the themes this lighthearted podcast unpacks.
• Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard: Now a Spotify unique, this typically humorous and all the time insightful podcast seeks out human truths and typically finds them.
• Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy: Ably hosted by creator David Barr Kirtley, this sci-fi fantasy extravaganza digs into fascinating subjects with the assistance of achieved friends like Neil Gaiman, Brent Spiner, and Steven Pinker.
• The Allusionist: If you have an interest in phrases, this witty however accessible present will delight you because it charts the evolution of slang, explains euphemisms, and usually celebrates language.

Criminal

Soothing host Phoebe Judge unravels fascinating tales with reverence on this polished manufacturing in regards to the spectrum of crime. Criminals, victims, legal professionals, police, historians, and others whose lives have been altered by crime voice their tales as Judge rigorously avoids the sensational and exploitative by respectfully teasing out the guts of every topic.

S-Town

Give this compelling thriller 5 minutes and also you’ll be hooked. The proficient host, Brian Reed, investigates a small city in Alabama on the behest of eccentric horologist John B. McLemore, who claims the son of a rich household has gotten away with homicide. The script, pacing, modifying, music—mainly all the pieces about this manufacturing—are good.

Chameleon: Hollywood Con Queen

Murder could dominate this style, however there are different fascinating tales price telling on the earth of crime, like this one, which is a couple of scammer posing as a Hollywood mogul. This bizarre, compelling, investigative podcast unwinds a satisfyingly twisty story that’s mercifully freed from blood and violence. The second season, Wild Boys, tells a very new story.

Other Great True Crime Podcasts:

• The Clearing: The households of serial killers typically search obscurity (understandably), however meaning we by no means hear their tales. That’s one thing this podcast about April Balascio, daughter of American serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards, rectifies.
• The Trials of Frank Carson: Police and prosecutors go after the protection lawyer who has been beating them in court docket for years, sparking accusations of conspiracy and one of many longest trials in US historical past.
• Sweet Bobby: This British catfishing story charts profitable radio presenter Kirat’s relationship with good-looking heart specialist Bobby, and issues get impossibly bizarre.
• Dr. Death: A gripping podcast that focuses on incompetent or psychopathic (perhaps each) ex-surgeon Christopher Duntsch and exposes terrifying institutional failures.
• Crimetown: Taking a forensic method to organized crime in American cities, this slick podcast comes from the supremely proficient makers of The Jinx.
• Hunting Warhead: A journalist, a hacker, and a few detectives go after a chilling youngster abuse ring led by a legal often called Warhead on this tactfully advised and thorough podcast.

Maintenance Phase

The worlds of wellness and weight reduction are awash with questionable merchandise and recommendation, so a podcast to debunk fads and junk science with reasoned argument and analysis is welcome. It’s extra enjoyable than it sounds, because of the entertaining hosts, and there’s even an enchanting episode on “snake oil” that recounts the historical past of well being scams.

Hidden Brain

An absorbing deep dive into human conduct with the assistance of psychologists, sociologists, and different consultants, Hidden Brain is densely full of informative nuggets. The host, NPR’s achieved science correspondent Shankar Vedantam, renders advanced concepts accessible and gives perception into the inside workings of our minds.

The Infinite Monkey Cage

This whimsical present, hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comic Robin Ince, poses questions like “Does time exist?”—that are then debated by a various panel of three friends, often a mixture of consultants and entertainers. Definitive solutions are briefly provide, however it’s all the time articulate, enthusiastic, and thought-provoking.

Other Great Science Podcasts:

• Science Rules!: Bill Nye, the science man, groups up with science author Corey Powell to grill consultants on all types of fascinating science-related subjects.
• Stuff You Should Know: Prizing data for its personal sake and scary wholesome curiosity, this podcast is comical, charming, and filled with fascinating conversational nuggets.

The Indicator

This Planet Money spin-off delivers digestible, fast-paced, well-told tales about enterprise and the financial system, tackling subjects that vary from TikTook advertising to opioid nasal sprays and ticket scalpers. Each enlightening episode is available in below 10 minutes and serves as a fast primer that may depart you feeling properly knowledgeable.

Freakonomics Radio

Promising to delve into the “hidden side of everything,” this long-running, data-driven present is hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of the Freakonomics books, and it frequently options economist Steven Levitt. It’s a intelligent mixture of economics and popular culture that flows simply and balances leisure with training, presenting either side of debates whereas consulting related friends.

Macro Musings

If you lengthy to grasp the financial system higher, this topical present, hosted by David Beckworth of the Mercatus Center, interrogates a various line-up of economists, professionals, and teachers to convey you invaluable insights. It takes a critical take a look at macroeconomics and financial coverage, however the friends do a strong job of unpacking advanced subjects.

Other Great Economics Podcasts: 

• Planet Money: This top-notch podcast has entertaining, digestible, and relatable tales in regards to the financial system, unraveling all the pieces from well being care to earnings taxes.
• EconTalk: This no-frills present sees economist Russ Roberts have interaction in sprawling conversations with writers and teachers on a variety of economics subjects.

How I Built This

This NPR podcast hosted by Guy Raz explores the tales behind a number of the greatest corporations on the earth from the angle of the innovators and entrepreneurs who constructed them. Expect cautionary tales, nuggets of knowledge, and enterprise classes galore in probing and insightful interviews that reveal loads about their topics and what drove them.

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Serial entrepreneur Steven Bartlett constructed a profitable enterprise from nothing and is now an investor on Dragons Den (the UK’s Shark Tank). He talks frankly about his personal experiences and interviews numerous CEOs to seek out out why they began their companies and the way they guided them to success. Sprawling discussions vary from private life challenges and psychological well being to enterprise methods and recommendation.

WorkLife with Adam Grant

Expertly hosted by organizational psychologist Adam Grant, this podcast gives sensible recommendation on tackling numerous points you’re certain to come across within the common job. The present options fascinating psychological views on all the pieces, from learn how to rethink a poor choice to crafting an incredible pitch to coping with burnout. The podcast additionally boasts insightful interviews with enterprise leaders.

Other Great Business Podcasts:

• Ask Martin Lewis: Personal finance guru Martin Lewis has been serving to of us within the UK lower your expenses for years and offers simple monetary recommendation right here.
• BizChix: If you’re craving a feminine perspective, this podcast from enterprise coach Natalie Eckdahl is aimed squarely at feminine entrepreneurs and full of no-nonsense skilled recommendation.

The Adam Buxton Podcast

Consummate conversationalist Adam Buxton is all the time witty and properly ready, and he has interviewed many fascinating folks over the course of his long-running present, from Charlie Brooker to Jeff Goldblum. Ostensibly rambling, Buxton skillfully pulls fascinating insights from his interview topics, bouncing between their private lives, work, and well-liked tradition with seeming ease.

Life Is Short With Justin Long

Likable actor Justin Long and his brother Christian host this enthusiastic and sprawling interview present, the place they chat with friends like Zack Snyder, Kristen Bell, and Billy Crudup. The siblings get sidetracked by nostalgic reminiscences and occasional bickering, which type of makes the present, however they’re all the time beneficiant and type to their friends.

SmartLess

Charming and goofy, this conversational podcast stars Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, and so they all the time have a shock superstar visitor, like Ryan Reynolds or Reese Witherspoon. It is heat, light, and infrequently laugh-out-loud humorous, however don’t anticipate difficult questions or bared souls.

Other Great Celebrity Interview Podcasts:

• WTF With Marc Maron: Self-deprecating, sardonic, supremely expert interviewer Marc Maron interviews a number of the world’s most well-known folks, from Barack Obama to Paul McCartney.
• Grounded With Louis Theroux: A soothingly light facade belies Louis Theroux’s capacity to attract fascinating insights from his topics with tact and humor.

Sports Wars

Epic rivalries and long-anticipated showdowns are a large a part of the enduring enchantment of sports activities, and this slick manufacturing houses in on them. Rivalries like Federer vs. Nadal in tennis and Tyson vs. Holyfield in boxing are unpacked over just a few episodes apiece by host Dan Rubenstein, who digs into their backgrounds to grasp why some face-offs get so extremely charged.

The Bill Simmons Podcast

This vastly well-liked sports activities podcast options fast-paced roundtable conversations with athletes and celebrities that often concentrate on the NFL or NBA. Unfiltered opinions, witty remarks, and encyclopedic sports activities data collide, however that is enthusiastic and accessible sufficient for informal sports activities followers to get pleasure from.

The PosCast

Primarily centered on baseball, this long-running podcast typically covers different sports activities and infrequently meanders into comical conversations. Guests provide amusing anecdotes, however the chemistry between hosts Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur, who can debate endlessly about any previous nonsense, is what makes this present so particular.

Other Great Sports Podcasts:

• Undr the Cosh: Open and sincere banter from ex-professional soccer (soccer) gamers, as they discuss to present professionals and recount hilarious on- and off-pitch anecdotes.
• Around the NFL: This humorous, fast-paced take a look at the National Football League runs by means of all the newest soccer information, mixing anecdotes and evaluation.
• 32 Thoughts: A slickly produced, insightful dive into all the newest hockey information and controversy from knowledgable hosts who bounce off one another.

How Did This Get Made?

We have all requested this query of a film sooner or later, however hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas invite visitor creatives to have interaction in heated and hilarious chats about a number of the worst movies ever. Movies which are so unhealthy they’re entertaining, from Face/Off to Junior to The Room, are dissected and completely ridiculed.

Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review

Respected movie critic Mark Kermode has an infectious love of flicks and an unimaginable depth of data in regards to the world of movie, and Simon Mayo is a veteran radio presenter. Together they talk about the newest motion pictures, interview top-tier administrators and actors, and invite views from their listeners. While the podcast ended earlier this yr, the duo have a brand new present known as Kermode & Mayo’s Take.

You Must Remember This

Diving into Hollywood myths to analyze and uncover the reality about notorious secrets and techniques, scandals, and legends from Tinseltown is a compelling premise, and proficient creator and host Karina Longworth makes essentially the most of it. Among the most effective reveals are the “Dead Blondes” sequence, which incorporates Marilyn Monroe; the run on Manson; and the “Frances Farmer” episode.

Other Great Movie Podcasts:

• The Rewatchables: Bill Simmons and a rotating forged of cohosts talk about and analyze beloved motion pictures and dig up fascinating nuggets of trivia.
• Lights Camera Barstool: Reviews, interviews, rankings, and accessible chats in regards to the motion pictures with popular culture debates thrown in.
• Black Men Can’t Jump [in Hollywood]: This comedic film evaluation podcast highlights movies that includes actors of shade and analyzes the films in depth, with a watch on race and variety.

HBO’s Succession Podcast

Whether you’re new to this fascinating present or a long-time fan, the official podcast affords you a peek behind the scenes because it dissects episodes and explores character motivations. Roger Bennett interviews the primary gamers from the present after which Kara Swisher steps in for the third season to interview the makers and numerous friends, from Mark Cuban to Anthony Scaramucci, to look at its influence and the place it mirrors world occasions.

Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera

Recounting the tragic story of the exploitative 2004 actuality TV present There’s Something About Miriam, this podcast reveals simply how merciless actuality TV can get. Six younger males arrange home in an Ibizan villa to compete for the affections of Miriam and a £10,000 ($12,100) money prize, however the present producers failed to inform them Miriam was trans. It’s a narrative that ended badly for everybody.

Talking Sopranos

Hosted by actors from the present, Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri), this podcast is important listening for followers. It runs by means of each episode with big-name friends, most of whom labored on or appeared on the present. It’s candid in regards to the leisure business and completely packed to the brim with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and insider revelations.

Other Great TV Podcasts:

• Obsessed With…: This BBC podcast is hosted by superstar superfans of varied TV reveals, together with Killing Eve, Peaky Blinders, and Line of Duty.
• Fake Doctors, Real Friends: Rewatching Scrubs with Zach Braff and Donald Faison is a joyous expertise that’s each bit as entertaining, poignant, and foolish because the TV present.
• Welcome to Our Show: A warming dose of nostalgia and luxury for New Girl followers as Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris rewatch the present collectively.

Darkest Night

Horror followers will get pleasure from reliving the final grotesque moments of varied corpses which have landed on the mysterious Roth-Lobdow Institute on this deliciously creepy and infrequently gross chiller. Wonderful narration from Lee Pace; performing from the likes of Denis O’Hare, Missi Pyle, and RuPaul; and intelligent sound design make for a memorably thrilling experience that you simply simply know goes to finish badly.

Hello From the Magic Tavern

Thoroughly absurd, this fantasy improv-comedy present is the brainchild of Chicago comic Arnie Niekamp, who falls by means of a portal at a Burger King and leads to the magical world of Foon. The role-playing recreation and fantasy references come thick and quick, friends play weird characters of their very own creation, and dependable listeners are rewarded with long-running gags and wealthy lore.

We Fix Space Junk

Short and candy episodes of this sci-fi comedy-drama match neatly into gaps in your day and whisk you away to a nightmare company dystopia in a galaxy fraught with evil synthetic intelligence and monstrous aliens. Struggling restore technician Kilner will get caught with a wealthy homicide suspect, Samantha Trapp, after by accident smuggling her throughout the galaxy on this polished present with a definite Eighties really feel.

Other Great Fiction Podcasts:

• The Bright Sessions: The remedy classes of mysterious psychologist Dr. Bright, bookended by voice notes, kind intriguing quick episodes, as all of her sufferers appear to have particular talents.
• Welcome to Night Vale: This pioneering creepy present is introduced as a neighborhood radio broadcast from a desert city beset by paranormal and supernatural happenings.

Nice Try!

Utopian beliefs have led to the event of some fascinating communities over time, and season one in every of Nice Try! delves into their historical past, the hope that drove them, and why these communities finally failed. Season two strikes on to way of life know-how, from doorbells to vacuums, all designed to assist us understand a private utopia within the splendid house.

Revolutions

The fashionable world was formed by a number of the concepts that drove revolutions, and this deeply researched sequence runs by means of the English Civil War and American, French, Haitian, and Russian revolutions; Simon Bolivar’s liberation of South America; and extra. The writing is concise, the narration is participating, and host Mike Duncan does a incredible job contextualizing revolutionary occasions and characters.

The Memory Palace

A dreamy, emotional high quality elevates these tales of seemingly random moments from the previous, expertly advised by the eloquent Nate DiMeo and backed by great sound design. These distilled tales function historic snapshots of not often mentioned occasions, and it’s arduous to think about one other podcast as clever and poignant as this one.

Other Great History Podcasts:

• Something True: Enjoy completely weird true tales, as each episode of this podcast explores a seemingly forgotten historic footnote.
• Lore: Spooky and witty, this basic podcast plumbs historical past to uncover horrifying folklore, mythology, and pseudoscience.
• Medieval Death Trip: An enthusiastic and well-researched take a look at medieval instances, this podcast gives a witty evaluation of the first texts left behind.
• Hardcore History: Relatable and endlessly fascinating, Dan Carlin brings historical past to life along with his personal riveting narratives on notable occasions and intervals, peppered with info and hypothetical questions.

A Hotdog Is a Sandwich

Whatever aspect of the titular, age-old debate you stand on (I’m with the British Sandwich Association), this fast-paced, typically humorous present will suck you in because it poses robust food-related questions after which debates them. Chefs Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati determine whether or not American cheese is absolutely cheese, if Popeye’s and In-N-Out are overrated, and what the most effective pasta form is.

Gastropod

If your love of meals extends to an curiosity within the historical past and science of all the pieces from the standard potato to a soothing cup of tea to ever-polarizing licorice, then this podcast is for you. Knowledgeable cohosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley discuss to consultants and serve up a feast of scrumptious bite-size info that shock and delight.

The Dave Chang Show

Celebrity chef Dave Chang, whom you might know from his Netflix present, Ugly Delicious, talks largely about meals, responsible pleasures, and the inventive course of with different cooks and restaurateurs. There is lots right here to fulfill foodies, however a number of the funniest moments come when the present covers different random subjects, like the proper e mail sign-off or carrying sneakers indoors.

Other Great Food Podcasts: 

• Out To Lunch With Jay Rayner: This podcast seats you at a high restaurant to listen in on consummate meals critic Jay Rayner with a celeb visitor on the subsequent desk.
• The Sporkful: You can be taught loads about folks and tradition by means of meals, and this podcast proves it by serving up delectable bite-size insights.

Wolf and Owl

Comedians and associates Tom Davis (the Wolf) and Romesh Ranganathan (the Owl) chat aimlessly and expertly poke enjoyable at one another for round an hour. It’s typically nostalgic, typically gives respectable recommendation for listeners, and is all the time warmhearted and laugh-out-loud humorous.

Why Won’t You Date Me? With Nicole Byer

Perennially single humorist Nicole Byer is each bit as charming and humorous right here as in Netflix’s Nailed It baking present, however this podcast delves into some grownup topics. Byer is disarmingly open about her insecurities and struggles and seamlessly stirs in vulgar humor. She additionally hosts hilarious conversations with visitor comedians.

Athletico Mince

Ostensibly a soccer (soccer) podcast, this surreal present is delivered to life by lovable British comedy legend Bob Mortimer, with assist from sidekick Andy Dawson. Tall tales about actual footballers, full with unusual voices and fictional personalities, are combined with songs, foolish inside jokes, and rambling conversations. You don’t really want to know something about soccer to get pleasure from it.

Other Great Comedy Podcasts:

• Locked Together: Only on Audible, this present options lockdown chats between comic friends like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost or Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan.
• My Neighbors Are Dead: The great premise of this hit-and-miss improvised present is interviews with lesser-known characters from horror motion pictures, just like the caterer from Damien’s celebration in The Omen and the neighbors from Poltergeist.