Did you get your first podcast by right clicking and saving an MP3 before using a USB cable to transfer it to your phone? Or perhaps you’re used to clicking play on Spotify and streaming it directly. No matter how long you’ve been listening to podcasts, if you’re a fan of the medium, you probably have opinions on what makes a ‘great’ podcast.
With podcasting being such a broad and flexible format it’s hard to pick 50 out of the 5 million shows that have been created over the years, but here we go!
The following list is based on several factors including popularity, longevity, influence, innovation and quality. The list is presented in chronological order rather than a countdown and only features those in the English language.
Filmspotting [2005 - Present]
Websites like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic have forever changed how we learn about new films, and just as these aggregated review platforms gave a voice to people around the world to share their opinions alongside professional critics, podcasts have given film lovers the opportunity to voice their own takes to a dedicated audience of fellow cinema devotees.
Hosted by Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen, Filmspotting is one of the longest-running weekly podcasts of any genre. Each week, the two Chicago-based hosts discuss a recent film release, as well as counting down their Top 5 movies of a particular topic.
Episodes: 900+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Ricky Gervais Show [2005 - 2011]
It might not hold the title of the first ever podcast, but The Ricky Gervais Show can certainly lay claim to being the first record-breaking podcast with nearly 8 million downloads of its first series in 2005.
The podcast began as a radio show on London’s Xfm 104.9, with British comedian Ricky Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant joined by their producer Karl Pilkington. Although the show was designed to showcase Gervais and Merchant, fresh off launching their hit series The Office, Pilkington became an unlikely star with tales of his childhood in Manchester, UK, his unique outlook on life and surreal features such as ‘Rockbusters’ and ‘Karl in a Film’.
It became the first major podcast to charge for downloads when it was distributed through Audible in 2006 and was later adapted by HBO into an animated series. Although it never officially ended, the three haven’t collaborated on any projects since 2014.
Episode Count: 43
Official Website
Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review [2005 - 2022]
Starting as a radio show on BBC’s Five Live station, the chemistry between the good doctors Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo was apparent from the very beginning. Quickly adopting the new technology that was podcasting in 2005, the pair’s film reviews became globally popular, bringing ‘wittertainment’ to the world.
Kermode is the most well-known and respected film critic in the UK and was paired with long-time BBC radio DJ Simon Mayo to fill a regular movie review slot that was an existing part of the station’s programming. No-one could have expected just how popular the show would become, driven by a combination of the inimitable bickering between the two hosts and intelligent and in-depth film reviews.
Being part of a national BBC radio station also meant attracting virtually every major film actor and director of the last 25 years, resulting in unique interactions with cinema’s finest (hello to Jason Isaacs!).
Although the pair left the BBC in 2022, the podcast lives on as Kermode and Mayo’s Take.
Episodes: 800+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Wrestling Observer Radio [2005 - Present]
If you thought that paid subscription models for podcasting were a fairly recent development, then you might be surprised to learn that the Wrestling Observer Radio podcast hosted by journalists Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer has been offering paid shows since 2005!
Meltzer is the most prominent journalist in the world of professional wrestling, having published the Wrestling Observer newsletter since 1980. He and Alvarez began hosting a radio program in the late 90s, eventually taking their show to Eyada.com, the first Internet-exclusive live streaming radio station, before starting their own podcast network.
Covering all things pro-wrestling and mixed martial arts, the two have a unique chemistry that is often unintentionally hilarious. Up until as recently as 2021, Meltzer still recorded the podcast via a landline phone, giving it a unique sound reminiscent of an old-timey reporter calling on location.
Episodes: 2000+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Grammar Girl [2006 - Present]
You wouldn’t think weekly tips on how to improve your grammar would be that exciting, but The Grammar Girl podcast (or to give it its full title, “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing”) has been helping listeners mind their Ps and Qs for the best part of 20 years, clocking up close to 1000 episodes. A short-form podcast, episodes last between 15 and 40 minutes and focus on a particular topic related to the correct usage of grammar.
The show is a five-time ‘Best Education Podcast” award winner at the Podcast Awards and one of the longest-running female-hosted podcasts ever.
Episodes: 900+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Hardcore History [2006 - Present]
Even if Hardcore History didn’t weave fascinating and brutal tales of the most epic periods of history, Dan Carlin’s gravelly narration is so compelling it might attract millions of listeners if he were reading his shopping list or perhaps the terms and conditions for a new dishwasher.
Although the show has been running since 2006, it has published fewer than 100 episodes, which is less of a surprise when you consider the length can run to over 6 hours on a particular topic.
From the Persian Empire to the Atlantic Slave Trade to World War II, the show featured on Slate’s 25 Best Podcast Episodes Ever and has won numerous awards.
Episodes: 50+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
This American Life [2006 - Present]
Primarily a radio show, This American Life does have a legitimate claim to be the first ever podcast, given its distribution in the late 90s and early 2000s via a RealAudio stream on its website and availability on Audible.com for paid downloads. Eventually becoming a fully-fledged podcast in 2006, the show continues its unique arrangement of only making episodes available for 7 days before they are removed from the feed.
Describing This American Life in a nutshell is no easy task, but essentially each episode focuses on a particular theme which is explored through several different stories. Host Ira Glass introduces the topic and segments include original investigative reporting, interviews and archive audio.
It has been adapted as a TV show, produced live tours, led to spin-off shows including Serial and S-Town and multiple episodes have also been adapted into blockbuster movies.
A winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody Award, George Polk Award and the Edward R. Murrow Award, the show continues to be incredibly popular and also incredibly influential as both a radio show and a podcast.
Episodes: 800+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Bugle [2007 - Present]
Before The Daily Show and before Last Week Tonight, the best place to find John Oliver’s scathing political satire was on The Bugle Podcast. Together with Andy Zaltzman, a master of absurdist comedy and tortuous wordplay, the two created an hilarious, yet surgical takedown of the week’s news in politics and beyond.
Originally hosted as part of the Times Online, the website associated with the Rupert Murdoch-owned Times newspaper in the UK, the early years of the show were joyful for just how far the two were willing to go in satirizing everything including The Times and Murdoch himself. This culminated in 2011 when during the News International phone-hacking scandal, Oliver and Zaltzman were ruthless in exposing the wrong-doing perpetrated by their own publisher.
The show went independent by the end of 2011 and continued until 2016 when Oliver was forced to quit to focus on his highly successful HBO show. The podcast continued with Zaltzman being joined by a rotating cast of co-hosts including Wyatt Cenac, Alice Fraser and Nish Kumar.
This audio newspaper for a visual world continues to be a shining example of absurdist British satire.
Episodes: 600+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know [2008 - Present]
Originally conceived by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant when they were senior editors at HowStuffWorks.com, the show acts as an explainer for a huge range of topics including science, politics, history and popular culture. Stuff You Should Know offers listeners genuinely insightful information with a comedic bent and has attracted a dedicated following in the millions, including countless sold-out live shows.
The two hosts bring an approachable and self-deprecating air making the sometimes complex subjects feel accessible to everyone. The podcast was adapted into a TV series by the Science channel in 2013 which blended the original format of the show with a fictional take on the life of the two hosts.
Episode Count: 1500+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Moth [2008 - Present]
Originally a national public radio show, The Moth podcast was born out of a long-running series of storytelling events held all over the United States and abroad. The show features both prominent literary figures and personalities, as well as everyday people with fascinating stories to tell.
Typically recorded in front of a live audience, The Moth gives a platform to one of the most traditional forms of human communication - oral storytelling. Downloaded over a million times a month, storytellers have included Salman Rushdie, Margaret Cho, George Plimpton and Padma Lakshmi. You could even add yourself to that illustrious list as The Moth accepts interesting pitches from anyone with a story to tell.
Episodes: 500+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Joe Rogan Experience [2009 - Present]
Love him or hate him, Joe Rogan is the host of the most popular English language podcast of all time. His show “The Joe Rogan Experience” is a fixture at the top of the Spotify Charts and would probably be at or near the top of the others if he hadn’t signed a deal with Spotify in 2020 to carry his podcast exclusively on the platform.
Millions of viewers tune in multiple times a week to hear Rogan and his array of guests discuss pretty much anything. From politics to sports to UFOs and conspiracy theories, these lengthy conversations captivate listeners with their accessible and populist style. The show has had a genuine influence on politics with guests like Bernie Sanders, Edward Snowden and Elon Musk making headlines with their appearances.
Not without controversy, Rogan has frequently courted criticism for his theories on the pandemic, vaccines and his political views.
Episode Count: 2000+
Official YouTube Channel
Official Website
WTF with Marc Maron [2009 - Present]
One of the absolute stalwarts of podcasting, comedian Marc Maron’s show has been running continuously for well over a decade blending comedy with insightful interviews. Perennially popular, Maron has interviewed 100s of famous guests, notably speaking to Robin Williams about suicide years before the actor took his own life, with President Barack Obama about racism in America and actor Peter Dinklage about the portrayal of little people in movies like Snow White.
The episode featuring Robin Williams was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", becoming the first recording from the 2010s to be inducted.
Episodes: 1500+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Adam Carolla Show [2009 - Present]
One of the most popular podcasts of the early 2010s, comedian Adam Carolla’s daily comedy podcast has a claim to be the most prolific podcast of all time with over 3000 episodes published since its debut in 2009. The show typically features a special celebrity guest, often other comedians like Rob Schneider, Larry Miller and Howie Mandel, but also Hollywood celebs like James Gunn, William Shatner and Sean Astin.
The show features Carolla’s rants against whatever topic is bothering him that day (not always without controversy), a raft of different features involving his sidekicks and an interview with the guest.
Episodes: 3000+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Freakonomics [2010 - Present]
Freakonomics was one of the best-selling books of 2009, shifting over 4 million copies in its first year worldwide. The success of the book, which combined pop culture with economic theories, led to the creation of a wider Freakonomics brand that tapped into our thirst for bite-size, popular academia fit for the internet age.
The spin-off podcast began in 2010 and is still going strong. Hosted by Stephen Dubner, one of the co-authors of the original book, the show focuses on a specific theme each episode, including fascinating and provocative topics such as “Why is the U.S. so good at killing pedestrians?” and “The dangers of safety”.
It has consistently ranked in the Top 20 ‘Society and Culture’ podcasts on Apple and Spotify over the past decade.
Episodes: 500+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
How Did This Get Made? [2010 - Present]
Hosted by actor/comedians Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason “Hey Nongman” Mantzoukas, How Did This Get Made tackles the worst that cinema has to offer with hilarious takedowns of bad movies. In the spirit of shows like Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Best of the Worst, the podcast breaks down what makes bad movies bad in a humorous and detailed fashion.
The show has gone on the road, playing to packed live shows across America and has won several awards including an Ambie award for Best Comedy Podcast in 2022. Popular episodes include ‘Hobbs & Shaw’, ‘Sucker Punch’, ‘Tango and Cash’ and ‘88 Minutes’.
Episode Count: 300+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Nerdist [2010 - 2018]
The Nerdist was part of an early wave of digitally-native shows, tapping into geek culture and using new media to build a hugely successful brand. The original podcast, hosted by Chris Hardwick, spun off into an entire network of shows that was eventually sold to Legendary Entertainment. Focusing on popular culture, the show welcomed guests including Jon Hamm, Trey Parker and Mark Hamill.
Hardwick parted ways with Legendary Entertainment in 2017 and reworked the original Nerdist show into a new venture called ID10T in early 2018. The new show was clouded by accusations of abuse by a former partner of Hardwick which then went into hiatus. As of 2023 its future is unclear.
Episodes: 800+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Comedy Bang Bang [2011 - Present]
Beginning life as Comedy Death-Ray Radio in 2009 and hosted by comedian and actor Scott Aukerman, Comedy Bang Bang set the bar for comedy podcasts with its stream of improvised hilarity featuring recurring guests like Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus and Dink Dink Man Jason Mantzoukas.
Guests will either join in character for the entire show, play several characters or just appear as a version of themselves. The same characters will often appear over multiple episodes, some even having story arcs that span years like Paul F. Tompkins’ Cake Boss (Cake Boss!) character.
As well as being hilarious in its own right, the show has inspired a universe of other podcasts including R U Talkin' R.E.M. RE: ME?, Threedom and Womp it Up!
Episodes: 800+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Last Podcast on the Left [2011 - Present]
Launched in 2011, Last Podcast on the Left deals with the darkest, dirtiest, scariest stories in human history, including serial killers, evil regimes and the occult. Originally hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski and Ben Kissel, allegations of abuse by several women saw Kissel leave the show in October 2023.
The show offers a surreal and darkly funny insight into events surrounding crimes committed by notorious killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson and Ed Gein as well as more historical acts such as war crimes, fascist governments and 9/11.
The show has built a passionate fan base with over 200k people signed up to its two subreddits on Reddit.com, performed multiple live shows and released a spin-off book that reached number 3 in the New York Times Bestseller List.
Episodes: 900+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Welcome to Night Vale [2012 to Present]
Harking back to radio dramas of yesteryear, Welcome to Night Vale is one of the most long-running and acclaimed fictional podcasts of all time. Launched in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the conceit of the podcast is a radio show emanating from Night Vale, a fictional desert town in the Southwestern United States, home to the paranormal and supernatural. Narrated by actor Cecil Baldwin playing ‘Cecil Palmer’ the show features a cast of dozens and regularly rotating guest writers.
Although each episode is standalone, longer narratives are told across dozens of episodes culminating in climactic seasons finales. Perennially popular, the show has attracted 100,000s of listeners over the last decade and spun off three novels.
Episode Count: 200+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Yo, Is This Racist? [2012 - Present]
Hosted by Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome, ‘Yo, Is This Racist?’, answers questions from listeners as to whether certain situations, popular culture, behavior or anything else can be considered racist. Despite the serious sounding nature of the format, the show is a comedy podcast and acts as a way for the hosts, guests and listeners to vent their frustrations with ongoing systemic racism, culture appropriation and normalization of extreme views.
The show reflects a growing need to discuss matters of race and intersectionality in the 2010s and 2020s, as well as acknowledging the discomfort and awkwardness that these conversations can bring. Overall the show is able to balance important debate with funny takes and provide listeners with educating and entertaining chat.
Episodes: 1200+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
The Truth [2012 - 2023]
An anthology fiction show that spotlights weird and wonderful stories that exemplify the best of audio storytelling. Created by producer Jonathan Mitchell the idea behind the show is to straddle the line between fiction and reality, taking real stories and exploring them with the spirit of traditional radio dramas. Each episode features a group of actors who are given the license to improvise and explore the story in a collaborative way.
A multiple Mark Time Award winner the show has covered topics as diverse as the moon landing, mall Santas, Dungeons and Dragons and MMA. The show ended in 2023 due to funding reasons.
Episodes: 150
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Serial [2014 - 2018]
Serial was not just one of the biggest podcasts of 2014, but one of the biggest pop culture sensations of the 2010s. The show saw journalist Sarah Koenig investigate an historic murder case involving two American teenagers and a potential miscarriage of justice. The cliffhanger ‘serial’ nature of the show had listeners pining for new episodes and helped drive a huge surge in interest in the medium.
Hugely influential to this day, it spawned hundreds of imitators as well as parodies on shows like Saturday Night Live and BoJack Horseman, as well as inspiring the popular Hulu series Only Murders in the Building.
The second and third series couldn’t recreate the magic of the original and also deviated from the true crime, murder mystery theme of the first series. However, this Peabody Award winning podcast is one of the most popular of all time, with particular episodes reaching over 350 million downloads.
Episode Count: 33
Apple Podcasts
Official Website
The Tim Ferriss Show [2014 - Present]
Tim Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, investor and author who is best known for writing the bestselling book ‘The 4-Hour Work Week’. His podcast “The Tim Ferriss Show” speaks to a wide variety of guests from the world of sports, investing, business, science, comedy and others. The show aims to unlock the secrets behind some of the world’s most successful people and understand what combination of hard work, skill and luck has got them to where they are.
Tapping into a 2010s/2020s thirst for self-help, self-improvement and productivity tips, Ferriss has built one of the most popular shows around. His own website claims it has been downloaded over 900 million times.
Episodes: 700+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Doughboys [2015 - Present]
In 2015 the podcast comedy landscape was in flux. The format itself had matured beyond the novelty of its early years, but had not yet experienced the gold-rush of investment that would create an advertising and talent bubble that would pop in 2023. Into this interregnum period came two friends, comedy writer Nick Wiger and actor/comedian Mike “Mitch” Mitchell. They launched a new podcast about chain restaurants that quickly developed a cult following.
Building a community around in-jokes, recurring guests and a sense of togetherness that can only come from an intimate format like podcasting, they proved to be an unlikely hit and inspired a slew of similar shows. They, along with podcasts like The Sloppy Boys and Podcast: The Ride, have developed loyal followings who are willing to pay for bonus content, travel to live shows and buy spin-off merchandise. Despite the serious health implications of dining at American fast food restaurants multiple times a week, the two hosts are still going strong nearly a decade in.
This entry on the 50 Greatest Podcasts of All Time. Doughboys.
Episodes: 400+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
My Dad Wrote a Porno [2015 - 2022]
A show that struggled for distribution at first due its title and subject matter, My Dad Wrote a Porno went on to be downloaded over 250 million times. It’s also a show that exemplifies what can be done with the podcasting format in terms of pushing boundaries and creating content that could not have existed in traditional media.
Hosted by British comedians Jamie Morton, James Cooper and Alice Levine, it details a journey through the writing of a series of erotic novels, authored by Morton’s dad under the pen-name Rocky Flintstone. Each show reads through a different chapter and records Cooper and Levine’s instant reaction to what they are hearing.
The show has won a boatload of awards and was also adapted into a HBO special, recorded at the Roundhouse theater in London.
Episode Count: 100+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Lore [2015 - Present]
A macabre documentary series that focuses on the darker side of human nature, Lore takes listeners through different legends, historical events and folklore. Host Aaron Mahnke’s narration, set to haunting piano, is an enchanting soundtrack to an informative and entertaining podcast that combines in-depth research with impeccable narratives.
Adapted into a television show in 2017 on Amazon Video, the show has won multiple awards, including Best History Podcast at the iHeartRadio Awards and the Academy of Podcasters.
Episodes: 200+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Guilty Feminist [2015 - Present]
Each episode of The Guilty Feminist presents a frank but funny discussion on what it means to be a feminist, usually through specific topics like periods, dating, beauty products, music and mental health. Comedian and author Deborah Frances-White hosts the show, which was co-hosted by Sofie Hagen until 2016. She has been joined by guests such as Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Bridget Christie and Shappi Khorsandi.
The show exists to acknowledge the difficulty in reconciling being a “true” feminist with the urge to embrace societal expectations and your own desires. The show has won multiple comedy podcast awards, featured on countless ‘Best Podcasts of the Year’ lists and has been downloaded over 100 million times since 2015 404downloaded over 100 million times since 2015.
Episodes: 400+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Bill Simmons Podcast [2015 - Present]
Bill Simmons has a long and illustrious history creating sports-themed content that takes advantage of new mediums to build loyal audiences. Starting with the ‘Sports Guy’ website in 1997 which became a popular newsletter, he landed a job as a columnist for ESPN in 2001 which eventually led to a 2007 podcast called ‘Eye of the Sportsguy’ and later ‘The B.S. Report’.
Averaging 2 million downloads a month, it was an early smash hit for podcasting and ultimately led to Simmons founding The Ringer Network in 2015. The Bill Simmons Show is the flagship podcast of a media brand that now features over 75 different shows. Uploading multiple episodes a week, the topic of conversation is the latest goings on in American sports, while sometimes diverting into professional wrestling, soccer and popular culture.
Episodes: 1200+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
You’re Welcome [2015 - Present]
Do you like cringe-inducing conversations with weird and pretentious people? No? Then avoid this podcast, because nothing is off-limits when Zoe Nightingale interviews people from all over the world, including a “human Ken Doll”, party promoter/murderer Michael Alig and a Supermodel Warrior of Truth.
Not a show for the faint-hearted it covers the depraved, the illegal and the controversial, as Nightingale, a comedian, a writer and full-time clown delves into the most weird and disgusting trends, people and places.
Bringing gonzo journalism to podcasting, the show demonstrates the flexibility and resilience of a format that allows for self-creation, self-publishing and self-expression without the editorial and commercial limits of traditional media.
Episodes: 200+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Bodega Boys [2015 - 2021]
The brand is strong! At least it was until the acrimonious parting of the ways that saw comedy duo Desus and Mero split in 2022. Their Viceland show was a defining part of late 2010s culture, with their stripped back take on late night talk shows bringing a fresh and irreverent voice that was much needed in the aftermath of the 2016 election.
The formats of the podcasts and subsequent TV shows were open, messy and hilarious, talking all aspects of culture, but touching on politics with appearances by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, as well as Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama (but no Trumpito).
Episodes: 253
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Limetown [2015 - 2018]
A scripted podcast created by Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie and Dave Yim, Limetown was one of Vulture’s Top 10 Podcasts of 2015, as well as making numerous other ‘best of’ lists. The show deals with the disappearance of 300 people at a neuroscience research facility called Limetown, investigated by American Public Radio reporter Lia Haddock.
Described as blending The X-Files with Serial the show was a huge hit on release and set a standard for narrative based podcasts. It was adapted into a TV show in 2019 starring Jessical Biel and Stanley Tucci.
Episodes: 11
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Invisibilia [2015 - 2023]
Produced by NPR, Invisibilia was a thoughtful and interesting show that examined how the things we can’t see - thoughts, ideas, beliefs, emotions - shape our world and how much (or how little) we actually understand them. Originally hosted by Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller and later by Yowei Shaw and Kia Miakka Natisse, the show combined sophisticated storytelling with excellent scientific reporting to inform listeners while keeping them engaged throughout.
Unfortunately canceled in 2023 due to cutbacks at NPR, this Peabody Award nominated show is the epitome of what great podcasting can sound like, telling well-researched and interesting audio stories that aspire to have a lasting impact on people’s lives.
Episodes: 62
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
The West Wing Weekly [2016 - 2020]
You’d be hard pressed to find a popular (or even not that popular…) TV show that doesn’t have its own watchalong podcast from Gilmore Girls to Saved by the Bell to Eerie Indiana. The West Wing Weekly, hosted by Hrish Hirway and Josh Malina was one of the first to not only examine each episode of a long-running show in forensic detail, but also bring in the creators and stars of the show to add their own retrospective commentary.
The podcast ran for four years and 186 episodes covering each episode of the TV show, along with some special episodes. As well as host Josh Malina, who starred as Will Bailey on The West Wing, the show also hosted guests including Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Rob Lowe, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney and Dulé Hill.
Ironically the show’s run coincides with the entirety of the Trump administration, providing a sharp contrast between Sorkin’s idealistic, some would say rose-tinted, view of Washington politics against a tumultuous era in The White House.
Episodes: 186
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
My Favorite Murder [2016 - Present]
Tapping into the unwavering popularity of true crime podcasts, My Favorite Murder takes a darkly humorous approach to real life murder cases. The chemistry between the two hosts, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, combined with the intrigue into the real-life cases results in an hilarious show that also acts like a therapy group for listeners dealing with anxiety about the nature of the crimes.
Kilgariff and Hardstark met in 2014 and bonded over their shared macabre interest in true crime stories. Launching the podcast two years later they have built a podcasting empire that includes live shows, book deals and a premium fan club.
In 2019, Forbes estimated that the show generated $15million a year in revenue, making it the 2nd most lucrative podcast of that year behind Joe Rogan.
Episodes: 400+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Las Culturistas [2016 - Present]
What was the culture that made you say culture was for you? That’s the question Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers pose to guests on Las Culturistas, delving into people’s experiences with popular culture, their likes and dislikes and the influential moments that made them who they are.
What makes the show special is both the breadth and specificity of the conversations about culture. It can range from being terrified by the Wizard of Oz as a child to specific moments like Britney Spears’ iconic dance with a snake at the VMAs.
The show culminates with a segment called ‘I Don’t Think So Honey’, where the two hosts and guests are each given 60 seconds to rail against a particular aspect or trend of popular culture that infuriates them. The segment has been spun-off into live shows featuring dozens of comedians and the hosts even take audience requests for subjects, such as when Matt spent a full minute going off on Princess Di (the People’s Princess) at a live show in London.
Episodes: 400+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Heavyweight [2016 - 2023]
We all carry around burdens from our past, emotional scars that long outlive the moment that created them. The Heavyweight Podcast by Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help people try to find closure for those ‘heavyweight’ moments. Not always comfortable listening, Goldstein speaks to one guest each week, delving into their trauma and reuniting them with people from their past.
Bullying, lost love, depression, the subject matter is heavy, but undercut with a dry sense of humor that stops the show from getting too maudlin or too saccharine. The show was named Best Podcast of the Year by The Atlantic and The Economist.
It was canceled by Spotify as part of its 2023 cuts to podcast funding, leaving behind a catalog of unique episodes.
Episodes: 50+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Why Won't You Date Me? [2017 - Present]
Hosted by American comedian Nicole Byer, Why Won’t You Date Me? explores the modern dating scene through Nicole’s experiences with sex, relationships and love. Starting with the question of why Nicole is seemingly always single, the show gets into very emotional, yet hilarious discussions about what it means to be vulnerable and open yourself up to other people.
Each episode features a special guest who reveals their own history and thoughts on love. Notable guests have included Abbi Jacobson, Patti Harrison and Keke Palmer.
The show won Best Comedy Podcast at the 2023 Ambies and is produced by Team Coco.
Episode Count: 300+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Pod Save America [2017 - Present]
Pod Save America represented a shift in political podcasting as former Barack Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor and Daniel Pfeiffer joined together to host a podcast that looked to provide a voice for progressive politics in the US. The show gives both an insider look at Washington politics from four men that were in “the room where it happens”, as well as providing an alternative to traditional political commentary.
With guests including Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg, they have no shortage of access to major players in The White House and beyond. With more than 1.5 million listeners per episode the show has become a huge influence on a particular part of the American political landscape.
Episode Count: 600+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Daily [2017 - Present]
Hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise and released every weekday, The Daily was born out of a boom of political podcasts from large media organizations during the Obama and Trump administrations. Produced by the New York Times it covers US and global news stories in a 20 - 30 minute format that’s ideal for listeners looking for detailed, but easily digestible coverage of the daily news.
Attracting millions of downloads per episode and winning the 2020 Webby Voice of the Year award, The Daily is one of many news podcasts that have become a fixture in our podcasting apps over the last decade, bringing insight and analysis on-demand.
Episodes: 1500+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Ear Hustle [2017 - Present]
Ear Hustle might be the most special and also the most unlikely show to make into this list. Created by Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, the two were both inmates in California’s San Quentin State Prison when they won a podcast competition organized by Radiotopia.
Co-hosted by Woods and Nigel Poor, who ran photography classes at the prison, the show offers fascinating glimpses into life inside a maximum security prison. “Ear hustling” is prison slang for eavesdropping and is an apt name for a podcast that gives a ‘from the horse’s mouth’ insight into what it’s like to spend a 30 year sentence behind bars.
The show’s influence stretched to the top of American politics when in 2018 Woods had his sentence commuted by California Governor Jerry Brown. He has continued to work on the show since his release, co-authoring a book “This is Ear Hustle” and being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.
Episodes: 100+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Missing Richard Simmons [2017]
One of the most culturally impactful podcasts of 2017, Missing Richard Simmons was hosted and produced by journalist Dan Taberski. Simmons is an American fitness personality, who was a TV regular in the 1980s and 90s, appearing on numerous talk shows and hosting some of his own.
The premise of the podcast was an investigation into Simmons’ sudden disappearance from public life and what was behind it. Although the podcast was a smash hit, it also caused controversy, generating criticism from multiple media outlets and Simmons’ manager Michael Catalano. They considered the podcast an invasion of privacy and it raised debate about what right the public has to investigate the life of a reclusive private citizen, no matter how famous they are.
Episodes: 6
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Dirty John [2017]
A true crime story that captivated audiences in 2017, it tells the story of John Meehan, an abusive swindler who becomes involved with a woman called Debra Newell through an online dating site. Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Christopher Goffard tells the tragic story of how the relationship unfolded.
Labeled "the best true crime podcast since Serial" by NME.com the show was an instant hit, spending 3 weeks at the top of the iTunes charts and being downloaded over 10 million times in the first 6 weeks of release.
The podcast was adapted by Bravo into a TV series starring Eric Bana, Juno Temple and Connie Britton and received multiple Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations.
Episodes: 6
Apple Podcasts
S-Town [2017]
Created by the producers of Serial, S-Town started out on the same investigative true-crime path as its predecessor before quickly becoming a character study of a fascinating individual called John B. McLemore. McLemore had reached out to the show’s host Brian Reed about a supposed murder in his hometown of Woodstock, Alabama, but it quickly transpires not all is as it seems.
The show did attract criticism, with various commentators calling out the voyeuristic nature of the podcast and some even labeling it as exploitative of someone who clearly had mental health issues. However, it certainly offers a compelling portrait of a tragic figure, with enough twists, turns and cliffhangers to please those looking for a follow-up to Serial.
Episodes: 7
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Behind the Bastards [2018 - Present]
Hosted by journalist Robert Evans, Behind the Bastards provides a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the worst humans to ever live. Joined by a different guest each episode, Evans details the crimes of a particular individual as well as how their lives and actions shaped our world in the long-term.
From dictators to mass-murderers, the show has gradually branched out to less evil, but worthy ‘bastards’ like Dilbert creator Scott Adams, WWE promoter Vince McMahon and steroid-fan The Liver King.
Often spanning several episodes, the show takes a deep-dive into its subjects, with thorough research and thoughtful conclusions on how and why these people came to do the things they did, giving listeners an entertaining but highly informative show.
Episodes: 800+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
The Dream [2018 - Present]
Want to get rich quick? Millions of Americans and others around the world do and it’s why scams like multi-level marketing and other fads continue to profit with dubious claims and unscrupulous tactics. The Dream podcast, hosted by Jane Marie, investigates the truth behind the ‘dream’ that these industries sell to their often vulnerable targets.
Over the course of three seasons (so far) the show covers pyramid schemes, the world of wellness and life coaches, diving deep into each world with lived experiences of the culture and promises of each. The result is a deeply personal but informative exposé of how the scams work, who the scammers are, why people are drawn in and how they get away with it.
Episodes: 40+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
The Lead [2019 - Present]
Eschewing the typical ‘preview/review of the weekend’s action’ format or the ‘panel of ex-professional players have phony arguments for social media’ format, The Lead podcast takes listeners on a bi-weekly deep dive into specific sports topics, sharing in-depth explanations and analysis of different sports.
Hosted by Tiffany Oshinsky and Anders Kelto, the show covers everything from the major US sports leagues to the English Premier League, Formula 1, Grand Slam tennis and more. They are just as at home covering serious topics like the kidnapping of Liverpool FC star Luis Diaz’s father as pure sports topics.
The show is a two-time Ambie award winner and Webby award winner for Best Sports podcast.
Episodes: 900+
Official Website
Apple Podcasts
Office Ladies [2019 - Present]
What happens when the biggest and most-rewatched sitcom of the 2000s gets its own watchalong show hosted by two of the original cast members? You get Office Ladies hosted by Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesley) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin) a hit podcast that recaps each episode of The Office with behind-the-scenes info and special guests including Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, show-runner Greg Daniels, original co-creator of The Office Stephen Merchant and Ellie Kemper.
The show was spun-off into a 10-part animated series on Comedy Central’s YouTube Channel and has won numerous awards including iHeartRadio Podcast Awards for Best Podcast in 2021.
Episodes: 200+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Maintenance Phase [2020 - Present]
As the amount of information available to us has exponentially increased, so has the amount of absolute nonsense, misinformation and hokum. As such podcasts that stand for skepticism and debunking have played a critical role in separating fact from fiction.
Maintenance Phase is one of the best examples of the genre. Hosted by author and activist Aubrey Gordon and journalist Michael Hobbes, it tackles health and wellness topics like BMI, fad diets, eating disorders and workplace health.
Each episode takes an insightful and thoroughly-researched journey into the history of the topic and gives listeners takeaways on what they can and can’t believe.
Episodes: 50+
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
Talking Sopranos [2020 - 2021]
The Sopranos is one of the most acclaimed and beloved TV shows of all time, representing the peak of the 2000s ‘Golden Age of Television’. So when launching a watchalong podcast to accompany the show, who better to host than two of the show’s most prominent stars? Michael Imperioli who played Christopher Moltisanti and Steve Schirripa who played Bobby ‘Bacala’ Baccalieri hosted the show and went episode by episode recounting their memories of the production and their thoughts on the show looking back.
The best thing about a watchalong show hosted by people involved is, of course, access to other stars and creators. Aside from the dearly departed James Gandolfini, the two were able to interview virtually every major actor and the main creative forces behind the show including David Chase, Edie Falco, Terence Winter and Lorraine Bracco.
With millions of listeners, Talking Sopranos is the definitive podcast account of one of the greatest TV shows of all time.
Episode Count: 91
Official Website
Official YouTube Channel
Apple Podcasts
