Podcasts are remarkable for their ability to draw you into a story you might not look into otherwise. It’s the power of good old-fashioned storytelling. Conversely, they present opportunities to indulge in a topic you already know you love. Between the sheer number of studios and shows, it takes real effort to keep up with the best podcasts. Especially in 2024, a particularly great year for the medium, with stalwart podcasts putting out quality seasons and fantastic new shows launching.
As an avid podcast listener with a critical ear, I've compiled a list of the best podcasts of 2024. With tones ranging from serious to playful and everything in between, you’re sure to find a superb new listen that can spark conversations, keep you company on your commute, or hook you long enough to finally get that oven sparkling clean.
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Podcasts explaining the current state of the internet are essential for those of us who are too busy to be as chronically online as we might like. You may already know host Jamie Loftus from her podcasts about Lolita, joining Mensa, and the comic strip Cathy. In Sixteenth Minute (of Fame), she introduces you to the briefly notable people the internet directed its glaring spotlight onto for one hot minute.
Mass hysteria is one name for the phenomenon in which a group of people experience a rapid onset of medical or psychological symptoms without any clear cause. Consider, for example, the Salem Witch Trials. This podcast focuses on a case of mass hysteria that erupted among teenage girls in Western New York in 2011. In seven riveting episodes, Dan Taberski, the investigator from the hit podcast Missing Richard Simmons, examines what might have been behind this outbreak.
For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has been the dominant force in sketch comedy. This podcast delves into the late-night mainstay with plenty of inside info from former head writer Seth Meyers. Joining Meyers are Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, who brought you such hits as “I’m on a Boat” and "Lazy Sunday" as digital sketch comedy band The Lonely Island. If you’ve ever been curious about what goes on before the show goes live or what sketches don’t make it to air, you’ll have a great time listening.
Inconceivable Truth is among the best limited-series podcasts of 2024. This show follows investigative reporter Matt Katz as he searches for the identity of his biological father. While the question has nagged him since he was a kid, the answer sends him to truly unexpected places. This podcast will have you questioning everything you think about families and medical ethics.
Cinephiles know that The Godfather makes for endlessly good conversation. This Audible Original podcast includes commentary from cast members of the legendary film (including De Niro, Duvall, and Pacino themselves), compiled by Rebecca Keegan, senior film editor at The Hollywood Reporter. Film experts also join in to create this truly kaleidoscopic view of a classic. (And for a further dive into the making of this listen, don't miss this interview with Keegan.)
If you enjoy the Netflix reality show Love Is Blind but hate its preoccupation with marriage, check out Hang Up. It’s a podcast dating show in which a contestant goes on phone dates with six potential matches. Like any dating show, the matches are winnowed down until one winner remains. The catch: That winner can choose to either vacation with the contestant or peace out with a cash prize. The second season of this fun, authentic, and occasionally messy show came out in May 2024.
To me, history is at its most interesting not when we’re looking at monarchs and battlefields, but at the everyday circumstances of ordinary people. So it’s no surprise this cozy show ranks among the best podcasts of 2024. While relatively few of us have waged war or led countries, we all have ovens and windows and toilets in our homes. Historian Ruth Goodman will show you why these everyday objects are worthy of deep study.
This series goes deep into the history of the New York City Police Department. Host Chenjerai Kumanyika examines the original purpose of the organization that has become the world’s largest police force, including its ties to slavery and the prevalence of gang violence within the force. What you’ll learn in this podcast will astound you, making it a frontrunner among the best podcasts of 2024.
Did your high school have a Distinguished Young Women program? Or perhaps you knew it like I did: America’s Junior Miss. No matter how you refer to it, it's the most lucrative scholarship competition aimed at high school senior girls in the United States. Shima Oliaee, Nevada’s contestant from 2001, hosted this podcast while acting as a judge for Alabama. Teen girls are an often-derided demographic, but this podcast uses the titular competition as a lens to see them in all their complexity.
The Energy Curfew Music Hour offers listeners permission to unwind and let their hair down. Set in an alternate reality where the power grid goes down weekly and we all live electricity-free for 24 hours, this listen is a musical reminder that pure happiness comes from the power of connection. Featuring captivating musical performances by the likes of Kacey Musgraves and Madison Cunningham alongside heartfelt moments and genuine laughs with Punch Brothers, this gem will fill your heart with song and delight.
Long Shadow examines how history continues to ripple into our present moment. The third season, hosted by journalist Garrett Graff (who is also honored in Audible's collection of the best nonfiction of 2024 for his excellent oral history The Sea Came Alive), examines the uniquely American issue of guns: the ownership, the violence, the politics. If you wonder how America arrived in this era of mass shootings and whether there’s anything to be done about it, this podcast will give you some much-needed hope.
Is there anything better than niche drama? Not if you ask me. I would probably listen to one million episodes of a podcast about a broom that tore the world of curling apart. Alas, we get only six. But what a six they are! John Cullen, comedian and curler, chronicles the scandal that changed the sport forever. As with many of the best podcasts, you’ll come out of it feeling like an expert with an ironclad opinion about how it all should have gone down.
Since childhood, many of us thought surviving quicksand would be a bigger part of our lives than it actually is. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know how to do it! On this delightful NPR podcast, hosts Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag answer burning questions about escaping quicksand, curing hiccups, and more, all with earnest curiosity and absurdist humor.
In the Dark is already a Peabody Award-winning podcast by The New Yorker, and its latest season unsurprisingly and decisively belongs on the list of the best podcasts of 2024. Its running theme of elusive justice continues to compel listeners. The third season examines the 2005 killing of 24 civilians by US Marines in Haditha, Iraq. Host Madeleine Baran and the investigative team question the established narrative thanks to previously unreleased government documents.
The topics covered in this series are not for the faint of heart. Hosted by journalist Femi Oke, this Audible Original chronicles an investigation into human trafficking. The story begins with a terrified woman showing up at a German brothel, and ultimately takes listeners from Europe to Nigeria. While the story does plumb the depths of human suffering, the conclusion is ultimately heartening.
I always appreciate podcasts that blend reportage with the host’s personal story. Tonya Mosley, the host of the Truth Be Told podcast, released a special series this year about her sister Anita, who went missing. The twist: Tonya didn’t even know about Anita until 10 years after her disappearance. Mosley devotes 10 heartfelt episodes to finding out as much as she can about Anita’s brief life.
It's been quite a year for the Los Angeles Dodgers, from a gambling scandal centered on the team's star player to a heck of a run that culminated in their World Series win. Whether you're an MLB fanatic or a layperson who just loves a good yarn, lifelong fan Richard Parks III's documentary podcast takes you from start to finish on the 2024 Dodgers season. The sound design, production, and quality of storytelling are what make this special listen really stand out.
You can learn so much about people by how they eat. It follows, then, that you can learn a lot about Texas through its tacos. This year marked the fourth season of this fascinating look at one of the most widely beloved foods. Host Mando Rayo, whose résumé includes starting the blog Taco Journalism back in 2007, examines taco topics like queso, breakfast tacos, and the taco/flauta distinction, with an eye on broader Texas culture and identity.
Amanda Seales, who starred in HBO’s Insecure, hosts this seven-part series about the rise and fall of pop sensations Milli Vanilli. The story of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, who agreed to form Milli Vanilli without knowing what it would ultimately cost them, is a gripping tale of what happens when dreams, greed, and power collide.
Hosted by Niecy Nash-Betts, this Audible Original podcast dives into the history of the Wild West and the LGBTQIA+ folks who have helped shape its culture. From the gay Cherokee playwright behind Oklahoma! to the West’s history of gender nonconformity and two-spirit identities to the historical significance of gay rodeos and the queering of country music, there’s quite a lot of LGBTQIA+ history to celebrate in this eye-opening, engaging, and entertaining listen.
Isabelle Popp is a writer from Bloomington, Indiana. She listens to podcasts during walks in her neighborhood historical cemetery. Look out for her first novel, Let’s Give ‘Em Pumpkin to Talk About, in 2025.
