The Best Podcast Series of 2019
This year, Lifehacker staff listened to journalism, crime fiction, fiction, chat shows, comedy, and music. Here are the best podcast episodes we’ve heard in 2019.
Lisa Rowan, Personal Finance Writer
I still think of “free riders” , the release of the series “Crime “ of May 2019. Many of the episodes of this real crime show are terrible, but this is one that I recommend over and over again to people who have never listened to the show before. It’s about a woman who decides to spend a week on a cruise ship as a stowaway. It’s charming and exciting, and every time I think of a cruise ship, I think of this episode.
Megan Walbert, Parenting Editor
Everyone should listen to Reply All’s ” Ferocious Boars” series . First, they interviewed the guy who asked the original ridiculous question about wild pigs and he is really funny and laughs at himself because of the way he phrased the question. But then again? Wild pigs are actually … a really big problem! I learned a lot more than I expected.
Joel Kahn, Senior Video Producer
I will choose the Dolly Parton series from America by Dolly Parton . It’s about how Dolly remains firmly silent on political issues, and how her fans might view this as support or ridicule on certain issues. It also hints at how she wrote the anthem for working women in the 80s and gives a great interview with Jane Fonda!
Abu Zafar, video producer
The Reply All episode about the Snapchat hijacker is awesome, and I share it with literally everyone.
Tim Mulkerin, Social Media Editor
In each episode of Oh No Ross and Carrie, MCs Carrie Poppy and Ross Blocher explore some paranormal, minor religions, or pseudoscientific quirks. Their serial about the so-called “evidentiary” environments was particularly hilarious and hilarious.
Beth Skorecki, Health Editor
You’re wrong about Kitty Genovese . She was killed in 1964, presumably in front of dozens of neighbors who did not bother to call the police. But it turns out that almost nothing in the story you’ve heard is untrue. It was a dead night, the emergency services did not yet exist, and the neighbors were looking after her when she died. They also had very good reasons not to call the police. Listen to this episode and you will understand what I mean.
The Dream is a podcast about multilevel marketing schemes, and its first episode is a fascinating tale of a very peculiar pyramid scheme that was popular in the 1980s. You just save money and wait for others to give you their money. No claims to sell anything, only money changes hands and there are suckers.
And I really loved “Struggling to Stay in the Game” from weightlifter Alyssa Richie BittyStrong ‘s podcast about how devastating weight loss can be before a competition. Many athletes of her level – who are close to making the Olympic team, but do not participate in the starting competitions – choose their weight class based on where they think they will be most competitive, rather than on what is best. for their body. She used to be open about what the process was like, and I found it really powerful just to get a sense of what’s going on in sports for many athletes.
David Murphy, Senior Technical Editor
I really liked this episode Savage Lovecast, mainly because Dan did a great job with the problem – was invited to show someone with fraudulent powers – and discussed the implications of this, instead of trying to hide it under the rug. ( Read more! )
Nick Douglas, staff writer
Imaginary Advice is a podcast of experimental comedy / essay / fiction by Scottish artist Ross Sutherland. Dream of Being Happier shows what happens when you hack your wife’s hypnosis tapes.
Levar Burton Reeds is a great way to get to know the best modern science fiction literature. Burton is, of course, one of the world’s greatest talents of reading aloud. His astonishing tone is perfect for The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate ( Part 1 , Part 2 ), which focuses on Ted Chang’s Thousand and One Nights time travel.
Virginia K. Smith, Managing Editor
Until 2019, it never occurred to me that I needed a 90-minute podcast detailing the careers of each Genesis member. But there are a lot of things that didn’t cross my mind until 2019! At Alice’s recommendation, I launched this Hit Parade episode to devote myself to midday cleaning the apartment, and besides a clean apartment, I think I’m now a Phil Collins super fan?
Michaela Heck, podcast producer
The episode “Disturbing Disorder” from the Bodies podcast was truly mind-boggling. It is about a woman who is unable to cope with her emotions, who has been misdiagnosed and treated for ADHD. When she finally figures out a disorder she is REALLY dealing with, it shows how little information is available for women with the condition. (I don’t want to say what it is because technically it’s a spoiler alert!)
This episode from The Cut about my nightmare Lyft ride really shook me. It pissed me off to realize how little responsibility car-sharing companies take on the safety of their customers, especially when the decision seems so obvious. The reporting, writing and editing of this episode is amazing too.
On a lighter note, this episode of Spectacular Failures was really interesting. Who knew the family behind U-Haul had such a story like continuity ?
Heather Huss, creative producer
Actually, I just launched Nick’s art podcast ” Roommate from Hell” ! The actors, scripts and sound effects are very funny. I haven’t listened to a ton of podcasts like this, but I love listening to something that looks like a movie, but in the form of a podcast. Also, the episodes are the perfect length to rest a little during the day with the story, but not as long, you feel like each episode is a separate length of the movie. I should have started this around Halloween, but I feel like there is room for a little ghost at any time of the year.
Alice Bradley, Associate Editor
I was recently introduced to the stupid antics of the McElroy brothers, whose podcast ” My Brother, My Brother and Me” is infinite delight. This is supposedly an advice podcast, but as the introduction explains, “The McElroy brothers are not experts and their advice should never be followed.” In Fraser Crane’s Anime Dreamscape, they discuss Yahoo! question about the background of Fraser Crane’s reboot episode. I will not explain the premise, because when I heard it, I snorted-laughed in the subway, and I wish you the same. More surprise laughter in 2020. So be it.