Banner Episode: “Fear in Boston”

8. Invisibilia

Invisibilia seduces listeners with the apparent promise that it will prove or disprove the unseen forces that surround us. But more often than not, the show’s hosts turn the enterprise on its head, leaving listeners to contemplate their own automatic behaviors or notions about basic things, from clothing to personality. Instructive shows don’t have to come in three acts or with hokey production; here, solid audio can take drastic, unexpected turns. In 2016, Invisibilia veered into the hosts’ personal lives—Lulu Miller exploring her family’s struggle with mental illness in “The Problem With the Solution,” for instance—breathing new life into a show already alive and well. Invisibilia’s novel approach is capable of surprising even the most scrupulous among us.

Gateway Episode: “The Personality Myth”

Banner Episode: “The Problem With the Solution”

9. Serial

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl abandoned his post in Afghanistan, was captured by the Taliban, and then held hostage for five years, which incited a tremendous manhunt—but that’s about as much as anyone can agree on in Serial’s second season. If mental illness, cowardice, or a valiant effort to expose the misdeeds of his superiors factor into the equation, the case remains unresolved—as does the question of whether Bergdahl will be held responsible for the death of six men in his unit (his court-martial is set for April 2017). Along the way, the show’s 11-part story details torture, escape, and sometimes unflattering portraits of the U.S. Army. Serial’s second season didn’t recreate the cultural moment of its first, but its producer Sarah Koenig’s relentless grappling with the constructs of truth and fact are even more relevant today than when the show initially took off. And despite a drifting plot, Serial is the most daring investigation again this year.

Gateway Episode: “DUSTWUN”

Banner Episode: “DUSTWUN”

10. How to Be a Girl

Perhaps you heard a story once about a distant cousin’s co-worker whose son declared he was a girl and you thought to yourself that three-year-olds don’t know what they are talking about, but isn’t it cute that a child could claim something so grand. After one episode of How To Be a Girl, an irrefutable fact becomes clear: Three-year-olds can and do know themselves in ways some of us never will. Marlo Mack—a pseudonym for the show’s elegant indie producer—puts all doubts to bed through her own examination of her daughter’s happiness before and after she accepted her as trans. The soulful exchanges between them will grow your heart.

Gateway Episode: Start here.

Banner Episode: “Just Maybe”

11. This American Life

This American Life is the granddaddy of narrative podcasting. It’s where the construct of three acts that follow a theme emerged, and its success proved that listeners wanted to hear stories about people. But that doesn’t give it an automatic invitation to this list. In its 22nd year, TAL continued to push boundaries, reimagining itself and audio. Standout episodes this year covered a wide variety of topics, including a man explaining what he learned after living his life as a badger—and everything he smelled. A TAL producer, Elna Baker, offers a difficult confession that could very well affect her relationship in “Tell Me I’m Fat.” And TAL’s election coverage gave listeners a rare look into Ira Glass’s personal life when he speaks to his uncle on the phone. Many of its risks pay off; plenty fail. But the fact that TAL is still finding ways to outdo itself and trying new things means it lives up to its reputation of being America’s podcasting sweetheart.