As always, think of this list not as an objective ranking, but as a tip sheet of sorts – more Michelin guides than the world’s 50 best restaurants. Presented in alphabetical order, these podcasts have accomplished their mission brilliantly, whether it’s documenting the impact of national struggles on local schools, exposing internalized fatphobia, or questioning the pedigree of a famous Italian cheese. Both casual and avid podcast listeners should develop a clear sense of what the medium can achieve.
“Criminal”
This acclaimed series launched in 2014, ten months before Serial, and has only grown more impressive over time. Its creators, Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer, create a different, self-contained universe in each episode – interviewing the relevant subjects and unfolding storylines that are stranger than fiction – which is a remarkable achievement considering the series’ inception This year switched from a twice-monthly broadcast to a weekly release schedule. Episodes about a woman who made a brief career impersonating Aretha Franklin, the murder of a wolf in Yellowstone Park and the investigation of rapper G. Dep – who voluntarily confessed to killing a man 17 years after the crime – show the range and humanism of the show. (Listen to “Criminal” from Criminal Productions/Vox Media Podcast Network.)
‘Decoder ring’
Willa Paskin’s in-depth investigations into questions you never thought to ask (Is Parmesan cheese “authentically” Italian? What ever happened to slow dancing? What was wrong with the hovercraft?) are more rigorous than necessary, and that’s what they are what makes them so much fun. Paskin – a former television critic and one of audio’s best writers – knows the secret potential of trivial cultural phenomena: if not a window into the soul of a society itself, then a good yarn to share at a cocktail party. In its fifth year, “Decoder Ring” was as unpredictable (does the park infrastructure count as “culture”? Maybe!) and rewarding as ever. (Listen to “Decoder” Ring by Slate.)
‘Grapevine’
Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton’s tenacious and insightful reporting shines in this ambitious and well-crafted series about the fight for transgender rights in public schools. Two years after their award-winning series “Southlake,” which examined the backlash against racial justice programs in suburban Dallas, Hixenbaugh and Hylton turn their focus to the community next door, where an insurgent Christian nationalist movement is upending the life of a transgender person presents girls and their teacher. “Grapevine” does an excellent job of weaving from the micro to the macro, showing how political and cultural trends in Capitol buildings and on cable news can further harm vulnerable people. (Listen to “Grapevine” by NBC News Studios.)
‘heavyweight’
Jonathan Goldstein’s hard-to-categorize series (part investigation of the week, part memoir, part Queer Eye) has always felt like a minor miracle. Goldstein and his producers Kalila Holt and Stevie Lane tackle a different mission in each episode, using the tools of investigative journalism to help people find answers to questions plaguing their psyches. The eighth season features a reunion with a childhood friend in the last months of his life (“Lenny”), a confrontation with an unrequited high school crush (“Lief”) and an unconventional love story that plays out like a forgotten Roberto Bolaño unfolds novella (“Victor and Maite”), the series provides further proof that the stories with the most at stake are rarely the ones that make headlines. (Listen to “Heavyweight” by Spotify Studios.)
‘More perfect’
Before Donald Trump appointed a sixth conservative justice to the Supreme Court, More Perfect — founded in 2016 by Radiolab founder Jad Abumrad and Suzie Lechtenberg — identified the third and most mysterious branch of government as a nearly bottomless source of stories about the biggest Questions of our society: Who has power? Where does it come from? What makes our founding principles so difficult to uphold? The series’ fourth season, directed by Julia Longoria, spun compelling and timely narratives, including the conflict between religious freedom and the rule of law, the lives and jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas and David Souter, and the slippery definition of “fetal.” Viability.” The court’s growing reputation as a divisive and destabilizing force in American life has only given these stories more urgency. (Listen to “More Perfect” from WNYC Studios.)
“More with Dr. say?” Sheila’
Achievement, not celebrity, is the focus of Amy Poehler’s hilarious, inspired and unscripted take on couples therapy podcasts and the modern relationship guru. Did I listen to her improvise in the title role of “Dr? “Sheila” — the total commitment, the obvious joy — feels a little like watching Michael Jordan drive to the basket. A stellar list of guest couples (the celebrity factor is a definite advantage here), including several “Saturday Night Live” all-stars as well as Kate Berlant and John Early, make almost every episode of this groundbreaking series a tense and thrilling experience of hysterical tightrope walking. (Listen to “Say More With Dr? Sheila” by Audacy/Paper Kite Productions/Best Case Studios)
‘The sound’
It’s rare for a podcast to make you physically shudder, but this curious examination of the phenomenon known as Havana Syndrome knows how to get under your skin. Aside from the disturbingly liberal use of the title sound – heard in 2016 by several diplomats at the US and Canadian embassies in Cuba, who later reported cognitive injuries – presenter Nicky Woolf and producer Max Johnston reveal how cynical political actors are, a reflexive silence Bureaucracy and sensational media coverage have failed officials and ordinary Cubans who are still living with the consequences. Two high-profile interviews in the eighth and final episode bring the series (majestically set to music by the Attacca Quartet) to a convincing conclusion. (Listen to “The Sound” by Project Brazen/Goat Rodeo/PRX)
“Think Twice: Michael Jackson”
There has never been a lack of media coverage of Michael Jackson, either before his death in 2009 or after, when new allegations of child sexual abuse led to a major reassessment of his legacy. But this definitive, 10-part documentary series — which begins its narrative as a sanitized, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and once again demonstrates Jackson’s unsinkable appeal — deserves its place alongside the most incisive deconstructions of the most famous pop star who ever lived. Hosts Leon Neyfakh and Jay Smooth combine extensive archival footage (including clips most casual fans haven’t heard) and dozens of supplementary interviews to shed new light on the unique cultural context that enabled the singer’s dominance. (Listen to “Think Twice: Michael Jackson” from Audible, Wondery and Prologue Projects.)
“The Turning: Room of Mirrors”
An exhilarating look into the elite, high-pressure world of New York City Ballet, this ten-part series tells the story of famed choreographer George Balanchine and the company he built in his own image. The primary sources for Erika Lantz, who hosts the show, are Balanchine’s former dancer muses, many of whom are now in their sixties and seventies, and whose intimate memories of life in the windowless rooms of his studio are a nuanced portrait of transformative art mixed with the disturbing Abuse, drawing. Even today, many of those who loved and suffered Balanchine are unable to renounce him, complicating their efforts to find some resolution. (Listen to “The Turning: Room of Mirrors” from Rococo Punch and iHeartPodcasts.)
“Weight for it”
Even in podcasting, a medium whose nature encourages intimate disclosure, few hosts are as fearlessly honest as Ronald Young Jr. His profound exploration of what it means to love yourself and others in a fat body is impossible to ignore stand out considerable charm; Often it is Young’s own errors in thought and behavior (as in a memorable interview with an ex-partner with whom he was once embarrassed to be seen in public) that comes under scrutiny. When others are the cause of discord (a stubborn family doctor, clothing designers taking advantage of major clients), “Weight for It” goes beyond superficial condemnation and thoughtfully illustrates how widely accepted social norms can contribute to private suffering. (Listen to “Weight For It” by ohitsBigRon Studios and Radiotopia.)