This year, investigative reporting underpinned the immersive storytelling of shows such as American Public Media’s In the Dark, The New York Times’s “Caliphate,” along with historical deep dives like Slate's “Slow Burn.” News and Politics grew as podcast genres in 2018 with The New York Times's “The Daily” and Crooked Media’s “The Wilderness,” while celebrities and a healthy mix of independents topped this year’s new shows, including Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert,” “Oprah’s Master Class” and Parcast Network's “Conspiracy Theories” and “Unexplained Mysteries.”

Best Podcasts of the Year

In The Dark

Caliphate

The Dream

Everything is Alive

Slow Burn

Dr. Death

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Bubble

Bundyville

A Very Fatal Murder

Wolverine: The Long Night

Serial

The Daily

This American Life

99% Invisible

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