We’ve been devoted podcast listeners for more than a decade, sharing favorites in newsletters, social posts, and even on our own podcast. Now we’ve gathered our best recommendations in one place. Whether you want a binge-worthy true crime series for a road trip, a dependable news show for your commute, or an engrossing longform story to make chores fly by, you’ll find plenty to choose from below.
Many of the shows here are widely regarded as classics, but we’ve also included a number of personal picks that reflect our tastes. We aimed for variety so you can find something that fits the mood, subject, or episode length you want.
Our Top Podcast Recommendations
We list nearly 50 favorites below, organized into categories to make browsing easier. Many shows cross genres, but this breakdown should help you find the right listen quickly:
- Must-Listen Podcasts (the classics)
- True Crime Podcasts
- Longform Investigation Podcasts
- Current Events & News
- Science & Self-Help
- Business & Money
- History
- Interviews & Personal Stories
- Fun & Games
How to Listen to a Podcast
If podcasts are new to you, here’s a quick overview. Podcasts are audio shows you can stream or download on apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other players. Many podcasts also offer video clips on platforms such as YouTube.
Topics range from news, sports, and true crime to fiction and comedy. Formats vary too: serialized narratives, interviews, investigative series, and casual conversational shows are all common. Releases can be weekly, daily, or organized into short limited runs.
We often listen while driving, walking the dog, doing chores, or working on projects—any activity where audio fits. Most podcasts are free and supported by ads or optional premium content.
The Must-Listen Podcasts
These shows helped define the medium and inspired many others. If you’re just getting started, these are excellent gateway podcasts.
Serial
Season 1 of Serial revisits the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee and the conviction of Adnan Syed. Its compelling pacing and immersive storytelling drew listeners in episode by episode, and the first season remains a landmark in podcasting. Later seasons and spinoffs are also strong, but the original run is essential listening.
Dirty John
Dirty John is a true crime series that reads like a dramatic soap: a wealthy woman falls for a charismatic con man while family members uncover a disturbing past. It popularized a style of serialized storytelling that blends personal interviews with cinematic narration.
S. Town
S. Town begins as a purported murder investigation but transforms into an intimate portrait of an eccentric man and his small Alabama town. Its narrative turns and emotional depth make it memorable in a different way than straightforward true crime.
Reply All
Reply All billed itself as a “podcast about the Internet” but covered a wide range of topics with wit, curiosity, and investigative care. From explainers about online culture to heartfelt human stories, it was a fixture in our feed for years and remains worth revisiting.
True Crime Podcasts
True crime remains hugely popular, offering gripping, bingeable narratives. Here are some of the most compelling series we’ve listened to.
Scamanda
Scamanda chronicles how a blogger falsified a cancer diagnosis and defrauded friends and followers. It’s a disturbing and fascinating look at the intersections of influence, family, faith, and mental health. The original episodes tell a complete story, with additional follow-ups available elsewhere.
The Clearing
The Clearing follows a woman who suspects her father of a decades-old double murder. Across its episodes she investigates leads, connects with victims’ families, and confronts the impact of living with a terrible secret.
Camp Swamp Road
This short series examines a 2023 road-rage incident and the legal and moral questions it raised under South Carolina’s “Stand Your Ground” laws. The reporting includes original audio and thoughtful analysis about who was truly at fault.
Southern Nightmare
Southern Nightmare explores the “South Side Strangler” murders and the investigation in Richmond, Virginia. It highlights the early use of forensic DNA profiling and the long shadow such cases cast on communities.
Cold
Season 1 of Cold investigates the disappearance of Susan Powell and the suspicious behavior of her husband. The unresolved case and the unanswered questions make the series compelling but also frustrating.
Valley of Shadows
Set in the California desert, Valley of Shadows follows the disappearance of a deputy during a run and explores possible corruption and criminal ties. The twists and local color make it feel like a real-life thriller.
Criminal
Criminal is an ongoing show that tells a different crime story each episode, often under an hour. It’s a great option if you prefer shorter, self-contained stories instead of multi-episode investigations.
Longform Investigation Podcasts
We love multi-episode investigative journalism that delves deeply into a story, shedding light on social issues, institutions, and unexpected corners of modern life.
The Dropout
The Dropout tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the rise and fall of her biotech company. It’s a clear-eyed look at ambition, deception, and how high-stakes hype can spiral out of control.
The Good Whale
The Good Whale examines the story of Keiko, the orca from Free Willy, and the difficulties of releasing a captive animal into the wild. It’s a moving, sometimes heartbreaking look at conservation, public pressure, and the complexities of animal rehabilitation.
Missing Richard Simmons
This series investigates why fitness icon Richard Simmons abruptly withdrew from public life. It’s an unconventional inquiry that explores fame, privacy, and the fan communities that form around charismatic figures.
Embedded
Embedded is a collection of news mini-series that explore a single topic across a few short episodes. It’s a good middle ground between daily news and long investigative runs, offering focused reporting on timely issues.
The Retrievals
The Retrievals examines reports of excruciating pain experienced by patients at a fertility clinic, and the institutional failures that allowed those experiences to be dismissed. It’s investigative reporting that raises broader questions about healthcare and patient advocacy.
This Blew Up
This Blew Up offers a behind-the-scenes look at Gen Z influencers and content houses, exploring the costs and culture of internet fame. It’s both fascinating and, at times, humbling for older listeners.
News & Current Event Podcasts
Daily and weekly news podcasts are some of our most-listened-to shows. They’re great for morning routines or quick updates throughout the day.
Up First
Up First delivers three top stories in about 15 minutes, making it a quick and reliable morning briefing with enough context to keep you informed without overload.
The Daily
The Daily offers longer, deeper reporting on a single story each episode—about 30 minutes—bringing interviews and analysis that expand your understanding of headline and background topics alike.
Consider This
Consider This is a shorter NPR option that breaks down a news item in under ten minutes, ideal for a brief update in the afternoon or between errands.
Today, Explained
Vox’s Today, Explained mixes politics and pop culture with a relaxed tone. Episodes can range from deep policy explainers to lighter cultural topics, all presented accessibly.
Science & Self-Help Podcasts
For curious minds, these podcasts explain science, health, and everyday skills in an approachable way.
Science Vs
Science Vs pits popular claims against scientific evidence, sorting fact from hype on topics like microplastics, supplements, and public health issues in an entertaining, evidence-driven format.
Maintenance Phase
Maintenance Phase debunks wellness and dieting myths with humor and research-backed critique, offering skeptical perspectives on trends and fads.
Life Kit
Life Kit from NPR provides practical tips and life skills in 15–30 minute episodes, covering everything from finances to stress management and everyday health.
TED Radio Hour / TED Talks Daily
TED Talks Daily shares one concise talk each weekday, while TED Radio Hour compiles multiple talks around a single theme—both are great for quick inspiration and new ideas.
Ologies
Ologies pairs a curious host with specialists who study very specific subjects—everything from squirrels to quilting—making science feel accessible and often delightful.
Wow in The World
Wow in The World is a lively science podcast for kids, full of goofy characters, sound effects, and real kid callers—perfect for family listening or road trips with younger listeners.
Business & Money Podcasts
Podcasts about business and money can make complex topics approachable and sometimes surprisingly entertaining. Here are shows that taught us a lot while keeping us engaged.
The Economics of Everyday Things
Short episodes that explain how everyday products and industries actually work—from self-checkout systems to houseplant markets—helping you appreciate the economic choices behind ordinary life.
How I Built This
Founder interviews reveal the origin stories of familiar brands, highlighting struggles, pivots, and the ideas that turned small ventures into household names.
The Journal
The Journal blends news and business reporting, focusing on how economic forces shape real communities and industries, often with clear storytelling and practical examples.
Planet Money
Planet Money brings curiosity and experimentation to economic stories, explaining how markets and policies influence everyday life with wit and clarity.
What We Spend
This voyeuristic series lets real people walk through their finances, revealing how jobs, choices, and circumstances shape household budgets.
Money for Couples
Money for Couples offers candid conversations and practical advice for partners navigating shared finances, debt, and saving, often with real-world examples.
History Podcasts
History podcasts today are more storytelling than rote dates and facts. These shows reframe historical events with new context and compelling narratives.
Slow Burn
Slow Burn revisits political and cultural moments—Watergate, Clinton’s impeachment, and more—telling them with a focus on overlooked details and long-term consequences.
Revisionist History
Malcolm Gladwell reexamines events and ideas with a distinctive perspective, drawing surprising connections that change how you think about familiar subjects.
Dolly Parton’s America
This series blends biography and cultural analysis to explore Dolly Parton’s life, influence, and what her story reveals about America.
1619
The podcast component of the 1619 Project offers an immersive exploration of how slavery shaped American institutions and continues to affect the nation today.
The Preamble
Hosted by a popular civics educator, The Preamble mixes interviews and explainers that illuminate overlooked people and events from history with clear context for today’s politics.
Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring dives into pop-culture mysteries and phenomena—nostalgic and modern—connecting cultural artifacts to larger social stories.
Sleepy History
Sleepy History narrates real historical stories in a deliberately soothing way, perfect for bedtime listening if you want a gentle history lesson that lulls you to sleep.
Interviews & Personal Story Podcasts
Interview and personal-story shows can be intimate, funny, or enlightening. These are the ones we enjoy coming back to for memorable conversations and human moments.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler’s interview show is warm, funny, and uplifting—conversations that feel like hanging out with friends, often leaving you smiling and inspired.
Heavyweight
Heavyweight helps people revisit and sometimes reconcile difficult moments from their past. The results are frequently humorous, often poignant, and always human.
Wild Card with Rachel Martin
On Wild Card, guests pick questions from a deck, leading to unexpected, revealing conversations that can be playful or emotionally raw.
A Beautiful Mess Podcast
Hosted by sisters who also run a creative blog, this show feels like a friendly chat about crafting, home life, parenting, creativity, and small pleasures—comforting and practical.
Fun & Games Podcasts
When we want something lighthearted or silly, we turn to these shows. They’re great for laughs, family time, or background entertainment.
Ask Me Another
A recorded-live trivia and wordplay game show that’s clever, funny, and very interactive-feeling—great for playing along and enjoying a large back catalog of episodes.
Grown Ups Read Things They Wrote as Kids
Adults read their childhood writings—embarrassing, funny, and oddly charming—often recorded at live events. It’s hilarious and nostalgic.
Laugh Lines
Hosted by a viral creative couple, Laugh Lines blends candid conversations about parenting and life with humor and approachable interviews.
Story Pirates
A children’s show that adapts submissions from kids into sketches, songs, and plays—creative, warm, and perfect for family listening.
Last But Not Least…
Although we retired our own podcast a few years ago, nearly 200 episodes remain available on major platforms. We covered renovation realities, downsizing, life hacks, and spoke with experts about design and organization—plenty of useful and entertaining conversations to revisit.
Ah, back in the day when my beard wasn’t gray…