We’re a little past the midway mark of 2019, so it’s only fair to take a retrospective look at the best podcasts of 2019 … so far. Which new podcasts have made an impression? Which podcasts have upped their game this year? We decided to ask various podcasters, producers, writers, and other people in the greater podcast landscape to see what they’ve been listening to in 2019 that’s deserving of recognition in a “best of” list.

These podcasts are in no particular order, enjoy responsibly! Looking for all the shows in one place? Podchaser made a playlist with all the podcasts in order.

Fiasco

Everything that made Slow Burn great was Leon Neyfakh’s particular passion about the forgotten and under-reported events surrounding major scandals, and the first-person narratives of what it was like to be involved in them. Fiasco picks up where Season 2 of Slow Burn left off with all the events that you forgotten and wish you had forgotten about the 2000 Bush v Gore recount, including interviews with Ralph Nader, Katherine Harris, Palm Beach election officials, and the political operatives responsible for what turned out to be one of the most momentous decisions in American political history.

Barry Lam, host Hi-Phi Nation

Listen: Luminary

This Is Love

I was blown away by the first season of This Is Love and it became one of the only podcasts I listen to the day new episodes drop. This year, they went to Italy and placed their listeners in these incredible, gorgeous worlds where their subjects’ passion and devotion to various things (I won’t spoil it here) were beautiful and affirming. I always feel better having listened to an episode.

Paul Bae, creator The Big Loop

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Uncover

Each season of Uncover has been unique and strikingly different from the last. A few weeks ago, Uncover released its fourth season, this time covering the case of the disappearance of an elderly woman from a seemingly idyllic part of Ontario, Canada. Reporter Zander Sherman is soft-spoken and extremely effective in his reporting of this gruesome story.

Arielle Nissenblatt, Founder of Earbuds Podcast Collective and currently marketing at Castbox

After detailed examinations of the NXIVM cult and the still-unsolved 1965 bombing of Canadian Pacific Flight 21, the CBC has dedicated a season to serial killer Bruce McArthur’s reign of terror over Toronto’s Gay Village. Justin Ling perfectly walks the tightrope of personal and professional to unravel the complex relationship between Toronto’s LGBTQ community and the police as the city reopens dozens of cold cases going back nearly 50 years.

Matt Tabor, host of The Create Unknown

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Gay Future

In a long-lost YA novel by Mike Pence, it’s 2062 and, under the totalitarian regime ruling North America, everyone is gay. Except one schoolkid… This show is so funny; the acting is on point and the production is great. I had such a blast listening to this caper.

Helen Zaltzman, host The Allusionist

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

POPS! The Louis Armstrong Story

This ambitious podcast is incredibly immersive and the closest podcasting has come to a cinematic biopic. Reno Wilson does an incredible job as Louis Armstrong – narrating in-character – effortlessly bringing scenes to life. As much as I’m a fan of Mark Ramsey and Jeff Schmidt’s “Inside” series, this might be their best collaboration yet.

Dave Keine, Founder & CEO of Triangle Content & Head of Marketing at Podchaser

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Podchaser

Unwell

The newest production of HartLife NFP, creators of the critically-acclaimed fiction podcast Our Fair City, is a Midwestern Gothic horror set in an ancient boarding house in rural Ohio. Unwell is a triumph of writing and sound design, with spookiness and a creeping sense of dread rooted the detailed design of the haunted house. The ghosts and dysfunctional family dynamics inside of Fenwood House are echoed in the town of Mount Absalom itself, in its enigmatic conspiracies and intense celery crop worship. It is the combination of Unwell’s production quality and laser-focus on details without forgetting the big picture that makes this one of the best debuts of 2019.

Elena Fernandez Collins, podcast critic and creator of Audio Dramatic

Unwell is HartLife NFP’s journey into American Gothic, focusing on the Midwest. This fiction podcast follows a woman returning to her ominously friendly home town, but has deeper themes of colonization, communication, history, memory, and what it means to be haunted. Almost every episode features a different sound designer while still remaining beautifully cohesive, working not just as a fantastic show, but also a spotlight for some of the best talents in the industry right now.

Wil Williams, podcast critic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

The Last Bohemians

The six enchanting and rule-breaking women featured in interview series The Last Bohemians are impressive enough that creator Kate Hutchinson probably could have hit publish on the uncut recordings and still attracted an audience. Instead, she and her talented team of producers heighten the intimacy of each story by deftly weaving in a dazzling array of sound — music, birds chirping in a garden, the background noise of a record store — and removing all but the most necessary of interview questions (a style recalling another of my favorites, Song Exploder). Whether it’s “definitive rock’n’roll groupie” Pamela Des Barres reflecting on the #MeToo movement or playwright Bonnie Greer explaining why Madonna’s unabashed pursuit of fame came as a shock, these conversations, along with the show’s brilliant sound design and editing, elevate the form.

Skye Pillsbury, writer Inside Podcasting newsletter

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

The breakout podcast of 2019 for me. The dynamic of the ensemble (Conan + Matt Gourley + Sona Movsesian) makes me want to listen to every interview, despite my level of familiarity with the interviewee. Podcasting seems to have unlocked a whole new gear for Conan’s comedy.

Bradley Davis, CEO at Podchaser

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Podchaser

The Deca Tapes

There’s just something about unreliable narrators… each member of the cast of The Deca Tapes has a role, and we learn who they are and where they fit in through singular, confessional episodes. The buildup to the final episode is stacks on stacks of mystery, confusion, and adrenaline. Listen in full.

Ma’ayan Plaut, podcast librarian Radiopublic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Ballad of Billy Balls

This may be one of my favorite stories ever told via podcast. Or stories… every episode seems to reveal a new thread, additional characters, and perfectly-positioned narrative twist. Disguised as a whodunit-murder-mystery, the podcast shines as a profoundly honest and moving story of family, identity, loss and determination, starting in the late 70’s NYC street scene, and spanning through the extreme present. Its sound design and structure are masterful, Io’s writing (and swearing) flow with a rarely demonstrated eloquence and authenticity, and the energy of the entire production is simply contagious. Prepare to binge, and recommend (or demand) that others do the same.

Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer, Radiotopia

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

This Sounds Serious

I may be biased because my friends make this Vancouver-based series, but no scripted podcast has ever made me laugh as much as this one, and the second season is as good as the first. And unlike most true crime satires, they do it without cynicism by focusing mostly on situational character work. These guys are on a roll.

Paul Bae, creator The Big Loop

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

CARAVAN

CARAVAN is a Wild West fiction podcast about a man who falls into a strange, supernatural canyon just after having his heart broken. When he encounters a traveling caravan and learns that they’re demon hunters, he starts down a journey that feels both iconically Hero’s Journey and shockingly subversive of the typical Great Many Theory inherent in that plot structure. Created by The Whisperforge and written by Tau Zaman, both of The Whisperforge, CARAVAN is as thrilling as it is meticulous.

Wil Williams, podcast critic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

An Arm and A Leg

Freneticism or exuberance, it’s hard to pin down the exact quality of host and producer, Dan Weissmann’s energetic delivery as he navigates the complexities and spiraling cost of the U.S. healthcare system. Weissmann, a veteran radio reporter for outlets like Marketplace and Planet Money, goes deep on the data but never forgets the human stories. And never fear, while listening to unflinching tales of the fucked up state of healthcare may seem anxiety-inducing (Hint: it is), Weissmann manages to inject a little fun into the series while letting us know he’s suffering right along with us.

Jeremy Helton, podcast marketing consultant

A brilliantly named show with a simple mission: to get us all talking about the cost of health care. Season two includes an excellent series about how prices got so high in the first place, delving into MRIs, drug prices, insulin, and CPAP machines.

Ma’ayan Plaut, podcast librarian Radiopublic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Rewatchables 1999

This might be a cop-out from me, since I’m already on the record as being a fan of the original The Rewatchables podcast …. but I’m going to list it anyways. Exclusive to Luminary, this Ringer side-project narrows their focus to only discuss movies from the year 1999 (similar to an existing podcast). As very much a child of the 90s, most of the movies they’ve discussed played an integral role in my childhood and it’s fun to relive some nostalgia.

Kevin Goldberg, Discover Pods

Listen: Luminary

Hackable?

As a techie, I still learn a lot from this podcast all about the everyday devices we carry and how they can be compromised in novel ways, but it’s really accessible and walks a fine line between promoting techno-fear and techno-joy, to paraphrase Eddie Izzard. There’s a strong human component throughout the whole show, and if it’s a choice between a brand partnership and three dynamically-inserted ads for underwear or insurance that isn’t available outside of the US, I’ll take this any day!

Mark Steadman, Podiant Founder

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Lost Notes

With the great music journalist Jessica Hopper at the helm of season two of Lost Notes from KCRW, this music documentary podcast tells stories you will not find elsewhere. The musicians skew toward the underground: indie icon Cat Power, radio (and punk) legend Rob Rosenthal, synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani, and cult American Primitive guitarist John Fahey. Each story is nuanced and beautifully scored (not surprising when you see the all-star line-up of producers behind the scenes). Expect stories that dive deep into the past to bring us back to the present moment, grappling with topics like gender identity, the #MeToo movement, gun violence, and who gets left out of music history and why.

Audrey Mardavich, Managing Producer, Radiotopia

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

The Big One

KPCC’s The Big One is a genre-bending disaster chronicle of what could happen — and has happened — when a massive earthquake hits. The structure is refreshing and noteworthy. It doesn’t fall into the traditional ‘narrative nonfiction’ podcast pile. Instead, it fuses together second-person speculative journalism pulling the listener directly into the action, more traditional science journalism, and a first-person narrative of host Jacob Margolis’ own attempts to get ready for a big earthquake with his family. Tonally, it alternates between ‘this is scary’ and ‘here’s how you can make this less scary,’ focusing on preparedness and repercussions of a big quake. And it’s relevant right now, after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Southern California early in July. The Big One resonates anywhere the ground shakes… and also for those of us who just find ourselves hopelessly drawn to disaster tales.

Erin Wade, Digital Producer, Radiotopia and Ear Hustle

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Nice Try! Utopian

Everyone is interested in the idea of defining their own “perfect” place, whether its your room, your home, your community, etc. “What does it look like?” “How does it make you feel?” It’s all very romantic and, well, utopian. But designing the perfect place is so much more complex than the answers to those questions, because once you pull the thread on your own little utopia, you realize that… it doesn’t actually exist. One person’s failure is often another’s success and that’s when noble intentions become “nice try’s!”

Over seven episodes, each covering a different flavor of utopia, the venerable Avery Trufelman (99% Invisible, Articles of Interest) leverages the expansive canvas of longform narrative audio to paint a rich, color portrait of attempts to try and design a better world, and what happened when those designs didn’t go according to plan.

Zach Kahn, Vox Media

Avery Trufelman’s new podcast Nice Try: Utopian dissects a different attempted utopia each episode. From Hitler’s Germania to the lesbian Herland, Trufelman seeks to answer what a utopia is, why we’re fascinated with them, and why they fail. Trufelman’s work on many podcasts, most notably 99% Invisible and its first spinoff Articles of Interest, makes her the perfect fit for these stories of one of humankind’s most interesting fascinations.

Wil Williams, podcast critic

Avery Trufelman is on a roll. From her work with Roman Mars on 99% Invisible to her wonderful mini-series on the history of fashion, Articles of Interest, Trufelman’s new series about utopias hits that sweet spot for me between fascinating and charming. I love that experience of listening to a podcast, removing my earbuds, and looking at the world around me with a bit more wonder. This one does that for me as much as This Is Love.

Paul Bae, creator The Big Loop

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Bon Appetit Foodcast

I need more BA in my life. I just need it. I can’t just wait for Clare to drop a new video or Brad to go to a wild locale where his LI accent stands out. And BA has figured their life out in 2019 by realizing what this podcast is for: a supplement to magazine articles that are refitted and expanded for your ears. If you want an in-depth 45-minute conversation on what to bring to a picnic, you are home. If you cannot consume your food media by reading because your brain doesn’t work that way, you are ALSO home. And FINALLY, they must have bought some mics because it sounds pretty good and the editing is getting better. Add this to your catalog and rejoice for more time with Chris Morocco.

Eric Silver, co-host of Join the Party and HORSE

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Confronting: OJ Simpson

The trial of the century gets personal. While there’s isn’t anything groundbreaking about this show’s production, its guests and conversations are incredibly compelling. The guest list includes household names Marcia Clarke and Chris Darden, but also jurors, witnesses, reporters, and family members. All of them sit down to talk with Kim Goldman, sister of the late Ron Goldman, and each interview is full of emotion and insight. It’s fascinating.

Dave Keine, Founder & CEO of Triangle Content & Head of Marketing at Podchaser

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Podchaser

Above & Beyond: Group Therapy

This podcast is a small part of a large community of electronic music fans that are also into inclusion and self development. This two hour radio show includes a great mix of songs, but also letters from fans and details on upcoming events.

Brendan Hutchins, creator of Podcast Advocate Network and the host of the new podcast Singing To My Girlfriend

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Spicy Eyes

It’s one of those podcasts that chooses a narrow focus – the food culture of Las Vegas – to tell much bigger stories. For example, I learned a lot about Hawaiian history and present in one concise episode. It’s a very new show and I’m excited to hear how it develops.

Helen Zaltzman, host The Allusionist

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Cold

Susan Powell disappeared on a snowy winter evening in Utah, leaving behind her husband Josh and their two small children. Reporter Dave Cawley takes listeners down the gripping rabbit hole of Josh’s emotional and psychological abuse leading up to that night — or does his father’s twisted obsession with Susan offer a more compelling explanation? The mystery surrounding Susan’s disappearance is only a warm-up to the tragic, maddening aftermath.

Matt Tabor, host of The Create Unknown

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Smash Boom Best

I’ve seen very little written about the best podcasts for young children, but many of you podcast listeners have them, or will have them very soon, and there’s no better way to introduce curious young minds to pods than Smash Boom Best. Each episode is framed as a debate between two sides about whether one fascinating thing is better than another, lava versus quicksand, Grand Canyon versus Mount Everest. The show then teaches children all of these cool things about these topics, and more recently about good and bad ways of debating. Kids love to play along, and it’s entertainment for the whole family on long car trips.

Barry Lam, host Hi-Phi Nation

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Mobituaries

Many celebrities are popping up on the podcast scene, usually with some type of interview show wherein they interview other celebrities. Mo Rocca’s show is different. He, a celebrity (CBS, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me), is the host of a narrative, scripted show wherein he eulogizes concepts, people, shows, and more. Let’s see more of these celebrity-led scripted shows in the latter half of 2019!

Arielle Nissenblatt, Founder of Earbuds Podcast Collective and currently marketing at Castbox

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

NB: My non-binary life

The first-hand experiences of living a non=binary life, hosted by the magnetic hosts Caitlin & Amrou. Each down-to-earth episode explores a different part of the NB identity: clothing, how to talk about yourself, bodies, history… it’s intense, personal, and great.

Ma’ayan Plaut, podcast librarian Radiopublic

Listen: Apple Podcasts

Swindled

Swindled is another podcast I think is starting to get a lot of the attention it deserves this year. Its focus on white collar crime and con artists lets me get my fix of True Crime with some respite from the blood and gore.

Bradley Davis, CEO at Podchaser

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Podchaser

Spectacular Failures

While other pods have taken on the culture of failed business and ruined legacies, none have done so with the particular spirit and chummy schadenfreude that Lauren Ober brings to Spectacular Failures. The show features stories you’ll realize you’ve been wondering about for years, as soon as you read the episode titles: “Schlitz Beer goes bad, then worse,” “Kodak misses its moment”, etc. Lauren supports these fascinating, essential-ish tales of collapse with strong reporting and perfectly timed quips, using humor to genuinely (and gently) interrogate so many bungled dreams.

Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer, Radiotopia

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Victoriocity

2019 saw the return of Victoriocity’s second season of their satirical mystery in absurdist steampunk Victorian London. Tom Crowley and Layla Katib are back as protagonists Inspector Fleet and reporter Clara Entwhistle in their contentious and hilarious partnership as they investigate a strange and mysterious circus on behest of the government. Victoriocity’s humor is firmly tongue-in-cheek the whole way through, a humor that propels plot on its own, and backed by a rich, lush sound design that makes Even Greater London seem just that much more plausible.

Elena Fernandez Collins, podcast critic and creator of Audio Dramatic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Just the Beginning

Not a branded podcast in the traditional sense, Kickstarter’s maiden voyage into podcasting spotlights stories from creative people who made the choice to stay independent and remain true to their own vision. A timely tonic for the current moment of corporatization in podcasting? Perhaps, but also a fascinating showcase of inventors, artists, hobbyists and, yes, entrepreneurs sharing their thoughts (and feelings) on the value of creative work. For a podcast produced by a fundraising platform, Just the Beginning quickly veers away from exploring the monetary benefits of creation choosing instead to delve into the joys and pains of bringing ideas to life.

Jeremy Helton, podcast marketing consultant

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Not Another D&D Podcast

D&D podcasts are hard to nail: the story needs to be far-wandering and engaging, the Dungeon Master needs to have a wealth of knowledge, the players need to be genuinely smart and quick-witted and kind and funny (and not just think they are). And if it’s not four hours long and edits out a lot of the bullshit, I’d love that. NADDPod does this with aplomb, ridiculousness and unhinged chaotic energy. As they’re rounding the bend into Act Three of this sprawling campaign, I am already starting to miss Hardwone Surefoot the self-conscious human who grew up with dwarves, Moonshine Cybin, the low-country elf with a rabid possum, and Beverly Toegold V, the best teen paladin you’ve ever seen. And shoutout to DM Brian Murphy for being the single most patient man on the planet with his various impressions of different Dads.

Eric Silver, co-host of Join the Party and HORSE

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

A Scientist Walks Into A Bar

This is a live event recorded in Portland, OR where a scientist performs a PowerPoint presentation while drinking. It’s a casual and funny delivery for neuroscience, or arousal hormones, or climate change.

Brendan Hutchins, creator of Podcast Advocate Network and the host of the new podcast Singing To My Girlfriend

Listen: Apple Podcasts

All My Relations

Dr. Adrienne Keene and Matika Wilbur are the two hosts of All My Relations, a podcast centering on the stories, lives, and representation of Native and Indigenous peoples. The two of them interview Native professionals in a variety of fields to talk about the ongoing oppression of colonialism and its effects, the changing relationships with things like food and sex in 2019, and many other wide-ranging topics. Keene and Wilbur lay down some incredible insights and analysis about what it’s like to be a Native person in 2019, while also thoroughly enjoying themselves with infectious laughter. Their interview technique is smooth and friendly, allowing space at the table for everyone to speak, and never leaving the listener behind while diving deep into all the complexities of Native relationships with mainstream media and the world.

Elena Fernandez Collins, podcast critic and creator of Audio Dramatic

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Hit Parade

In each episode, Chris Molanphy takes you through a joyful and often nostalgic trip through pop music history as it happened, or almost happened, on the Billboard charts. From the history of why Credence Clearwater Revival never got to #1, to how Broadway show tunes dominated, then never appeared, then re-entered the Billboard charts, there is a lot for music fans to remember, and much for people who don’t understand popular music to learn about such a prominent part of American culture. Each episode is sound-rich, wonderfully written and narrated, and makes you care even about the music you despised as a too-cool teenager.

Barry Lam, host Hi-Phi Nation

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Encyclopedia Womannica

This is the fourth show produced by the new, female-led, audio-first media company Wonder Media Network. Every weekday for a year, host Jenny Kaplan gives a 5-minute deep dive into the story of a different woman from throughout history. Each month is a different theme. It’s like The Daily, but for Herstory.

Arielle Nissenblatt, Founder of Earbuds Podcast Collective and currently marketing at Castbox

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Anthropocene Reviewed

I’m jealous of how beautifully written this show is. Obviously John Green has form in writing, but still! It’s not easy to turn out monologues that are so informative, emotional, weird, nerdy and funny.

Helen Zaltzman, host The Allusionist

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Preserve This Podcast

In 50 years, the golden age of podcasting could turn into the dark age. That’s the raison d’être for this delightfully nerdy and necessary podcast from the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Preserve This Podcast exists to help podcasters protect their work against digital decay but the six-episode series is more than a “how-to” for audio archiving, it’s a fun and quirky origin story of the medium and an interview show where diverse and talented creators like Alice Y. Hom (Historically Queer), Dan Weissmann (An Arm and A Leg), Kaytlin Bailey (The Oldest Profession Podcast) and Amanda McLoughlin and Julia Schiffini (Spirits) discuss everything from cultural preservation to metadata and storage.

Jeremy Helton, podcast marketing consultant

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Good One

Listen, it’s a podcast about comedy. I’m getting this out of the way now so you don’t think I lead you astray. But Jesse David Fox, senior editor at culture website Vulture, has finally come around to figure out what his strengths are: a deep fascination with the minutiae of how comedy works and the connections to get everyone (not just straight white men) into the booth. Check out the live events with NYC and LA late-night writers to hear what I’m talking about: who else can get THESE people in a room and ask them how lunch works at their office?

Eric Silver, co-host of Join the Party and HORSE

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Sneak Attack!/The Titans Of All’Terra

These are sister podcasts, both by many of the same people, making tabletop role playing games, in unique worlds. The editing and ads are done well, and the cast isn’t drunk so you can actually understand what’s going on.

Brendan Hutchins, creator of Podcast Advocate Network and the host of the new podcast Singing To My Girlfriend

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Mission to Zyxx

It’s called “obsessively sound-designed” for a reason. The work that goes into making the show is phenomenal, but I had misgivings about the new season from the outset. However, after the first episode, when AJ — who is this universe’s equivalent of a Storm Trooper — became part of the crew of the Bargarean Jade, things really lifted and I found myself covering my mouth while I was laughing on the bus. Always a good sign.

Mark Steadman, Podiant Founder

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Teacher’s Pet

Lyn Dawson appeared to have a picturesque life: she was married to popular rugby player Chris Dawson with two daughters she adored and a beautiful home. But just two days after she vanished, Chris moved their young babysitter — a student at the high school Chris taught at — into the family home. As friends, family, and investigators pull at threads in a process that has lasted nearly 40 years, host Hedley Thomas unravels a tapestry of lies that covers the Dawson family, the school, and the police department.

Matt Tabor, host of The Create Unknown

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Producing The Beatles

This is a fantastic mix of “Switched On Pop”-style music breakdowns and immersive history storytelling. Jason Kruppa does a masterful job of opening up the technical genius of George Martin and highlighting the unique personalities of The Beatles. On top of it all, this podcast is just plain beautifully produced.

Dave Keine, Founder & CEO of Triangle Content & Head of Marketing at Podchaser

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Podchaser

Running from COPS

The first two seasons of Headlong examined Richard Simmons’ retreat from public life and stories of people’s reactions to the Y2K scare. For season 3, Running from COPS, Dan Taberski turned his attention to the mind-bogglingly long-running “reality” series COPS. I found each episode fascinating and Taberski is one of the best storytellers in the business, but what stuck with me was how he showed the way COPS and an even more troubling series, Live PD, allow law enforcement to help shape how the “reality” of crime and policing is portrayed, and how issues of race and class are handled on shows that are far more popular than I knew.

Toby Ball, co-host Crime Writers On

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify