5. “Shine on, You Crazy Goldman” by Reply All

Reply All claims to be a show about the Internet, but regular listeners know that’s just a ruse. The show is actually about people. “Shine on, You Crazy Goldman” begins as a straightforward story, with the host P.J. Vogt examining a website called TripSit, a place where people too high on drugs can find a shepherd. From here, the episode dives into recent research about the therapeutic effects of acid and mushrooms. Curiosity becomes too much for Vogt who decides to try microdosing LSD with the producer Phia Bennin. The story would file under “self-indulgent acid trip” if it weren’t so in tune with the underground conversation about the benefits of hallucinogens. The members of the Reply All crew have so much trust in themselves, the message to listeners seems to be: Curiosity certainly won’t kill these cats, nor will fear prevent them from pursuing stories to their end.

6. “Najibullah in America” by Home of the Brave

The consummate pro Scott Carrier may be the indie bad boy of the old-school audio world, but that doesn’t mean his outlet Home of the Brave lacks vulnerability in his work or shine on the finish. Quite the opposite. “In Najibullah in America,” which is set up by the episode that precedes it, “Over There,” Carrier helps a young man named Najibullah move to America and enroll in a college near him in Utah. The two met while Carrier was reporting in Afghanistan, and Najibullah became his translator. We not only witness Najibullah’s personal evolution through Carrier’s own, but the story also gives the listener new stakes for pushing past their own limitations. While the episode takes on elements of a fish-out-of-water tale, it merges Carrier’s and Najibullah’s narratives in one of the finest moments in all of 2015’s podcasts: Carrier learning to teach, and Najibullah at last grasping, the lesson of freedom.

7. “Sight Unseen” by Radiolab

Radiolab tackles the natural sciences through stories that tend to have unexpected complications, and listeners follow along as the hosts untangle the knot. “Sight Unseen” begins with a photojournalist in Afghanistan who captures a series of images of a marine as he dies. While the photographs portray the cold reality of war in stunning specificity, one problem remains: Laws strictly forbid Lynsey Addario from publishing photos that feature the soldier’s face without permission from the next of kin. “Sight Unseen” fosters a deep intimacy between Addario and the marine’s family, and all the while, the listener wonders if they’ll agree to sign off. The story pits an individual against the greater good and leaves listeners uncertain of the most dignified way to honor one man’s legacy.

8. “Madam Secretary, What’s Good?” by Another Round

Another Round premiered in March 2015 as a “happy hour with friends you haven’t met yet.” Right from the start, the show proved to be whip smart on gender issues and racial politics, and it didn’t take long for hosts Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu to turn their podcast into a serious cultural affairs show—all without sacrificing its signature frivolity. The ladies didn’t pump the brakes when they landed an interview with Hillary Clinton, asking her if she thought Bill Clinton “fucked [things] up for black people” during his presidency. You’d be hard-pressed to find another show that does a better job balancing scholarship with laugh-out-loud humor.