And one more thing: Sunday’s #ShareYourBudsSunday, a day to share your love of podcasts with family and friends. Learn more from #ShareYourBudsSunday co-founders and friends of the newsletter, Earbuds Podcast Collective and Podcast Gumbo.

Pod Take of the Week

“It’s like they’re trying to rescue and preserve the last remaining copy of ‘Hamlet’”

Listen: Culture Gabfest: Iconic Staircase (26:29)

• That’s Stephen Metcalf, joking about HGTV’s sugary, much-hyped renovation of the Brady Bunch house on “A Very Brady Renovation.”
• HGTV marshalls eight hosts to join with the six Brady “kids” for a reno project: turn the real-life house that represented the exterior of the Brady home into a replica of the house depicted on the show’s set.
• My take: I’m so here for it. I love the collision of Slate’s over-intellectualization of “The Brady Bunch” and my own deep childhood love for the show.

Go Deep

1) President Trump and the Impeachment Inquiry 

• Emergency pods spawned even emergencier pods all week. I didn’t keep up. I followed the revelations about the whistle-blower’s complaint against President Trump and his Ukraine-related actions in real time. 
• If you need to catch up, the six top-ranked Trumpy pods of the week, per iTunes, are: 
• The Daily: ‘I Would Like You to Do Us a Favor’
• The Daily: The Whistle-Blower’s Complaint
• The Daily: An Impeachment Inquiry Begins
• The Ben Shapiro Show: Whistleblower Comes Up Empty
• FiveThirtyEight Politics: The Whistleblower’s Complaint
• Pod Save America: ‘Rudy Likes Club Drugs’
• Bonus: The audio version of the whistleblower’s complaint against President Trump.

2) Living with Sharks

Listen: Outside Podcast

• A 44-minute deep dive into the “extreme reactions” humans have to “living alongside one of the world’s most terrifying predators.”

3) “The Shawshank Redemption”

Listen: The Rewatchables

• A 1-hour, 50-minute dive into the movie that’s been playing on a loop on cable for almost 25 years. 
• The Ringer crew breaks it down with special guest, Bill Simmons’s dad.

4) “Do the Right Thing”

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts

• A 56-minute dive into another iconic American movie. Wesley Morris guests. 
• Morris says: “The importance of ‘Do the Right Thing’ out-lives all of the arguments against it. It embarrasses its critics, in a lot of ways. Spike Lee really is having the last laugh on this one.”

5) Skylab

Listen: American Innovations

• The pod kicks off a series on America’s first space station, known to one of the engineers that worked on it as “the little redheaded bastard out behind the barn.”

Guest Appearances By…

($L) = On Luminary, behind a paywall. (S) = A Spotify exclusive.

Allen, Byron WTF with Marc Maron

Ansari, Aziz Last Day

Apatow, Judd Thick Skin with Jeff Ross

Aukerman, Scott The Three Questions with Andy Richter

Blunt, James The Dan Wootton Interview

Booker, Sen. Cory The New Yorker Radio Hour

Brown, Karamo Naked with Catt Sadler

Burns, Ken Longform Podcast

Calcanis, Jason Inside Podcasting

Cannon, Nick ExpediTIously 

Carden, D’Arcy The Good Place, Comedy Bang! Bang!

• Janet!

Cummings, Whitney Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

Donoghue, Emma Bookworm

Duca, Lauren The Gist

Flea The Bill Simmons Podcast

• RHCP bassist talks music, Lakers. 

Francis, Dillon The Ron Burgundy Podcast

Gaffigan, Jeannie WTF with Marc Maron

Gaffigan, Jim Armchair Expert

Galifianakis, Zach Off Camera

Garofolo, Janeane Filling the Void

Gladwell, Malcolm The goop Podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, Full Disclosure

• Gladwell continues the pod rounds to promote his new book. 

Gorsuch, Neil The Strategerist

• The George W. Bush Institute pod talks to the Supreme Court Justice. 

Hurd, Will TED Talks Daily

Hyland, Sarah Celeste & Her Best ($L)

Izzard, Eddie The Open Ears Project

• The comic and actor raves about “Clair de Lune.”

Kander, Jason The Al Franken Podcast 

Khanna, Parag The TED Interview

Klobuchar, Sen. Amy Radio Atlantic

Kurtis, Bill Go Fact Yourself

Leonard, Franklin Hear to Slay ($L)

• Convo with the founder of The Black List.

Levy, Dan Thirst Aid Kit

• Co-creator of “Schitt’s Creek” guests as the beloved former Buzzfeed pod re-launches at Slate. 

Ling, Lisa The Tim Ferriss Show, Work in Progress with Sophia Bush

Ma, Jeff The Dave Chang Show

MacKaye, Ian Sound Opinions

• Fugazi founder talks about the band’s debut album, “Repeater.”

Meltzer, Brad Kickass News

Morales, Natalie Yo, Is This Racist?

Olson, Elizabeth UnStyled

Penn, Sean ID10T

Phillips, Lou Diamond Latino USA

Pierson, Rich How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with the co-creator of meditation app Headspace. 

Puddicome, Andy How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Same as above.

Schilling, Dave Culture Kings

Sedaris, Amy Life is Short with Justin Long

Silverman, Sarah Last Day

Soderbergh, Steven Inside the Hive with Nick Bilton

Starr, Martin Curious with Josh Peck

Thornton, Billy Bob The Bill Simmons Podcast

Van Ness, Jonathan It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Warner, Sen. Mark Recode Decode

Will, George The Axe Files ($L)

Wilson, Mara The Hilarious World of Depression

Wilson, Rainn You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Zellweger, Renee The Big Ticket

Notable New Podcasts

1) Edge of Sleep

• The No. 8 pod on iTunes is a fiction pod that focuses on a night watchman who’s “terrified to discover that everyone in the world who went to sleep the previous night has died. Now he and a band of survivors must stay awake and uncover the secret of this global epidemic, before they fall asleep.”

2) Points South 

• The tagline for the Oxford American podcast is simple and cryptic: “Southern Stories. Southern Songs.”

3) Lost at the Smithsonian with Aasif Mandvi

• The comedian is also a “pop culture fanatic,” and he “gets up close and personal with the most iconic artifacts at the National Museum of American History.” 

4) Past Gas

• The Donut Media pod focuses on the “craziest stories from all of automotive history.”

5) School Colors

• It’s a “narrative podcast from Brooklyn Deep about how race, class, and power shape American cities and schools.”

6) Last Day

• Host Stephanie Wittels Wachs — sister of the late comedian Harris Wittels — reflects on the opioid crisis and “zoom[s] in on a person’s last day of life, exploring how they got there and how we, as a society, have gotten here.” 

7) Business Casual 

• The pod from Morning Brew features interviews with “thought leaders, CEOs, and high-profile experts.”

8) You’re Dead to Me

• Greg Jenner hosts a “history podcast for people who don’t like history or who forgot to learn any at school.” It’s a BBC Radio 4 production. 

9) Next Question with Katie Couric

• The TV host returns to podland with a show about “the people, movements, and issues changing our lives and redefining our world.”

10) Frontier Tween ($L)

• The “coming-of-age scripted comedy series from Team Coco” follows the journey of “12-year-old poet Tilly Mulch’s life on the untamed prairie.”

11) Metaphysical Milkshake ($L) 

• Hosts Rainn Wilson and Reza Aslan “tackle life’s big questions – What is spirituality? How do we walk through the world? Is Gen Z facing an epidemic of loneliness? Does money make rich people evil?”  

12) Vocal Point ($L)

• Martina McBride interviews “country music legends and her musical contemporaries, sharing life and music stories with each other and listeners.” 

And One to Look Forward To: The Road Taken (Oct. 2)

• Vampire Weekend’s rhythm section kicks off a 10-episode series about the realities of touring musicians.  

Onward to this week’s counts: 37 notable guests, 10 deep dives, nine new podcasts and one litigious kid with a backpack.

Pod Take of the Week

“The copyright office doesn’t want to be acting like the town from ‘Footloose'”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Fortnite vs. Backpack Kid: Dance Battle Royale (7:17)

• That’s Shane McKeon, breaking down a key point regarding Backpack Kid’s lawsuit against the maker of the video game Fortnite, Epic Games.
• Background: Backpack Kid, aka Russell Horning, is suing the gamemaker for appropriating The Floss, the dance he created and popularized and performed with Katy Perryon SNL. (Others who’ve had their signature dances poached are also suing.)
• Fortnite sells a virtual version of the dance inside the game. Horning hasn’t seen a cent.  
• The crux: Is The Floss a mere singular dance move, which likely isn’t protected under current law, or is it a “choreographic work,” which can be protected?
• My take: Great, quick explainer on the legal issues of a fascinating digital-world conundrum.

Go Deep

1) Valentine’s Day

Listen: This American Life

• Ira and company go deep on people who go to extremes for love.
   

2) Failure

Listen: Theory of Everything

• Benjamen Walker’s two-episodes in to a miniseries on failures, such as the most disliked video in YouTube history.

3) Technology and the Future

Listen: Better Worlds

• A five-part series of short fiction about “how technology can shape our society and environment in better, more equitable ways.”
• Binge time: 2 hours, 11 minutes.

4) “Becoming”

Listen: Still Processing

• Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham take a 44-minute deep dive into Michelle Obama’s memoir.

5) Women in Gaming

Listen: Nerdificent

• A 1-hour, 5-minute dive into how women have “entered, evolved and conquered the world of video games.”

6) Medieval Times

Listen: Working

• An hour-long look at what it’s like to work at the dinner theater company amid all that jousting and roasted chicken.

7) Songs About Writers

Listen: Sound Opinions

• The hour-long exploration of music inspired by literature spans from Metallica (“For Whom the Bell Tolls”) to 10,000 Maniacs (“Hey Jack Kerouac”).

8) Led Zeppelin

Listen: Rockin’ the Suburbs

• The five-part deep dive into Led Zep favorites rambles on.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 7 minutes.

9) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Listen: The Good Place: The Podcast

• A two-part crossover pod with the cast and creators of the show.

10) “A Star Is Born”

Listen: The Rewatchables

• A 1-hour, 33-minute deep dive into the Oscar contender.

Guest Appearances By…

Albright, Madeleine Kickass News

Bosh, Chris The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Convo with the 11-time NBA all-star.

Brooks & Dunn Bobbycast

Buteau, Michelle 10 Things That Scare Me

Chopra, Deepak The Ron Burgundy Podcast

Christie, Chris Kickass News

Colbert, Stephen Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Conte, Jack Danny in the Valley

• Convo with the founder of Patreon.

Dreyer, Benjamin The Book Review

• A podcast about a book about grammar. Some company for Gladwell.  

Esmail, Sam Without Fail

Fake, Caterina The Tim Ferriss Show

Gates, Bill The Vergecast

Gladwell, Malcolm American Innovations

• Gladwell joins host Steven Johnson to talk writing, innovation.

Grisham, John Wrongful Conviction

Harmon, Dan Thruline

Harris, Neil Patrick Beyond the Plate

• The actor accompanies his husband, David Burtka, to talk about the latter’s cookbook.

Heady, Lena Anna Faris is Unqualified

Henson, Taraji B. Pod Save America

Jeong, Ken TV Take

Jordan, Michael B. Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations

Levy, Bernard-Henri TBD with Tina Brown

Mantzoukas, Jason Armchair Expert

Marin, Cheech Sidedoor

• The comedian talks about rasquachismo, the “Chicano art of working with what you’ve got.”

McKay, Adam Stay Tuned with Preet, The Treatment

McNamee, Roger Recode Decode

• Convo with the author of “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe.”

Merchant, Stephen Off Camera with Sam Jones

Penn & Teller, The West Wing Weekly

Robbins, Tim ID10T

Rollins, Henry Forked Up

• Punk legend talks pizza, smartphones.

Shalhoub, Tony WTF with Marc Maron

Silver, Nate The Axe Files

Smith, Yeardley WTF with Marc Maron

• A deep dive with “The Simpsons” mainstay.

Sullivan, Andrew The Ezra Klein Show

Usher Oprah’s Master Class

Watt, J.J. Pardon My Take

Wood Jr., Roy The Sporkful

Yang, Andrew The Joe Rogan Experience

• 2 hours, 1 minute with the U.S. presidential candidate for 2020.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Over My Dead Body

• True crime alert! The Wonder pod chronicles “a bad breakup, a worse divorce, and a murder case involving a menagerie of high-priced lawyers and unexpected co-conspirators.” Strong debut. It’s the current iTunes No. 1 podcast.

2) Who the Hell is Hamish?

• True crime alert, continued. The new pod from the producers of “The Teacher’s Pet” investigates the exploits of “a surfie dude from Sydney” who swindled many victims for millions. It’s currently No. 8 on iTunes.

3) The Investigation

• ABC News’s pod tracks the Special Counsel’s Russia investigation.

4) Hot & Dry

• Cally Carswell and Collin Haffey investigate “how climate change is transforming New Mexico. And what the hell we should do about it.”

5) Family Secrets

• Dani Shapiro explores “the power of family secrets and the ways in which discovering – and revealing – the truth can liberate us.”

6) Voyage to the Stars

• It’s a “fun sci-fi romp, disaster space opera,” says writer Ryan Copple.

7) On Purpose

• Host Jay Shetty says his “purpose is to make wisdom go viral.” Good start. His debut interview pod already ranks No. 5 on iTunes.

8) Strong Black Legends

• The Netflix podcast “honors the best of black Hollywood.”

9) Equal Parts

• The pod focuses on “true love stories about how people meet.”

Before I get to more on that, a shout out to Bello Collective’s 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018. I shared a few picks, and found a whole lot more to add to my listening queue. Check it out.

5 Pod Takes

1) “She’s always going to be remembered, and she’s going to be vindicated.”

Listen: The Teacher’s Pet: Arrest (41:49)

• That’s Julie Andrew, speaking about her late friend Lynette Dawson, whose 1982 disappearance is the subject of the true crime podcast.
• Andrew spoke an hour after news broke of the arrest of Chris Dawson, Lynette’s husband, on murder charges.
• The podcast sparked intense interest in the cold case. Police wouldn’t reveal the evidence that triggered the arrest, but they did tell host Hedley Thomas the podcast helped bring new evidence to light.

2) “I worry about humans…A human with an agenda, and with anger, is terrifying to me.”

Listen: 10 Things That Scare Me: Blair Braverman (5:40)

• That’s dog musher Braverman, revealing her No. 9 fear on this compelling new pod series from WNYC about people’s fears.
• Context: Braverman frames her fear of humans in relation to nature.
• She says: “A bear wants to eat, and a storm doesn’t give a shit about anything.”  

3) “It’s taking great, wonderful, imaginative people…and then crushing their souls by telling them what font size to use.”

Listen: TED Talks Daily: Confessions of a recovering micromanager I Chieh Huang (2:01)

• That’s Huang, nailing what it takes to kill happiness and morale at work.

4) “It’s like ‘Free Bird’ [and] ‘Hey Jude’ had a kid.”

Listen: Celebration Rock: Fantasy A&R: the Ultimate Mid-’90s Oasis Album(53:14)

• That’s Steven Hyden, who also throws the rocking parts of “Stairway to Heaven” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” into the mix when describing the alchemy of Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova.”
• It’s the closer on his excellent fantasy mid-90s Oasis album.

5) “The makers of these films have no idea what snow looks like.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Hallmark Holiday Movies (5:45)

• Stephen Thompson breaks down one of Hallmark’s most lovable contributions to cinema.

Tweet of the Week

Go Deep

1) China and the West

Listen: The Daily

• A two-parter from Apple’s most downloaded pod of 2018 focuses on bad assumptions made by Western countries regarding China’s economic decisions.
• Binge time: 44 minutes.

2) “The College Dropout”

Listen: Heat Rocks

• A 54-minute deep dive into Kanye’s classic, with G Yamazawa.

3) Ernesto de la Cruz

Listen: Villains

• Shea Serrano goes 48 minutes on the “Coco” baddie.

Guest Appearances By…

Abrams, Stacey TED Talks Daily

• The former candidate for governor of Georgia shares lessons from her campaign.

Abumrad, Jad Pod Save the People

Aiken, Clay The Adam Carolla Show

Albarn, Damon Ways to Change the World

Alexandro, Tex WTF with Marc Maron

Allen, Lily ID10T

Armisen, Fred You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Automator, Dan the The Trip

Black, Jack The Treatment, The H3 Podcast

Bloom, Rachel Good One

Briggs, Bishop Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Brown, Sen. Sherrod Pod Save America

Burr, Bill Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

Bush, Sophia Anna Faris is Unqualified

Carden, D’Arcy Off Book, The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Case, Neko Talkhouse

Cash, Rosanne The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Collazo, Julie Schwietert Without Fail

Cooper, Bradley Fresh Air

Copeland, Misty The Goop Podcast

Danson, Ted Off Camera with Sam Jones

• Michael!

Davis, Viola It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Dunham, Kelli My Best Break-Up

Eggers, Dave The New Yorker: Fiction

• He reads Sam Shepard’s story “ Indianapolis (Highway 74)”

Foer, Franklin Recode Decode

Galifianakis, Zach Doug Loves Movies

Gass, Kyle The Treatment, The H3 Podcast

Gebbia, Joe How I Built This with Guy Raz

Goggins, David The Joe Rogan Experience

Haidt, Jonathan Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Hamm, Jon Doug Loves Movies

Harbinger, Jordan Big Questions with Cal Fussman

Howroyd, Janice Bryant How I Built This with Guy Raz

Jeffries, Hakeem Pod Save America

Jenkins, Barry Monocle 24: The Big Interview

Kingsolver, Barbara Bookworm

Knievel, Robbie The Adam Carolla Show

Kurzweil, Ray The TED Interview, TED Talks Daily

Love, Darlene Ask Me Another

Luna, Diego Remote Controlled

Moore, Michael Scott Public Intellectual

Moretz, Chloe Grace Maltin on Movies

Nanjiani, Kumail Stay Tuned with Preet

Nelson, Tim Blake WTF with Marc Maron

Nepo, Mark Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations

• Two-part convo with the author and philosopher.

Noah, Trevor Kickass News

Nosrat, Samin Fresh Air, Eater Upsell

Puddicombe, Andy Hannahlyze This

• Convo with co-founder of Headspace.

Reitman, Jason The Bill Simmons Podcast

Romer, Paul Conversations with Tyler

Savage, Andrea Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Savage, Andrew This Song

Scheer, Paul I Am Rapaport: Stereo Podcast

Schmidle, Nicholas Longform Podcast

Silverman, Sarah Doug Loves Movies

Stewart, Martha Skimm’d From the Couch

Storr, Will The Ezra Klein Show

Swisher, Kara TBD with Tina Brown

Taylor, James Oprah’s Master Class

Traister, Rebecca On Being

Verducci, Tom Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Weil, Dr. Andrew The Tim Ferriss Show

Wray, John Otherppl with Brad Listi

Wurtz, Bill The H3 Podcast

Zucker, Jeff The Axe Files

Notable New Podcasts

1) Post Reports

• The Washington Post’s long-awaited daily news podcast debuts. Martine Powers hosts.

2) Broken Harts

• The Glamour/HowStuffWorks co-production centers on the murder-suicide of the Hart Family. Twitter tagline: “Two white moms. Six adopted black kids. One car found upside down at the bottom of a cliff. What went wrong?”

3) Aria Code

• Each episode of this WQXR/Metropolitan Opera co-production “dives into one aria — a feature for a single singer — and explores how and why these brief musical moments have imprinted themselves in our collective consciousness and what it takes to stand on the Met stage and sing them.”

4) The Corp

• ARod and Big Cat of Barstool Sports “interview industry leaders, sports legends, and entrepreneurs on what makes them successful in their specific profession.” All seven episodes dropped Thursday.

5) Better at Everything

• Each season of this “zero b******t” self-help show will feature “a new expert who will help you get unstuck in a single but meaningful way.”

6) 10 Things That Scare Me

• The WNYC Studios production focuses on one person’s fears. “It could be anyone. It could be you. It’s someone driven by fears that keep them up at night, that define their lives, and inform their choices.”

7) These Miracles Work: A Hold Steady Podcast

• It’s a five-part deep dive into The Hold Steady’s album “Stay Positive.” I’m so in.

8) Wealth of Knowledge

• Host Antonio Barbera of U.S. News & World Report offers “weekly tips and expert insight on all things money.”

9) Numbers Geek with Steve Ballmer

• The former Microsoft CEO, current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and Internet-famous dancer uses “numbers and data to make sense of the world.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes

1) “I believe the scholarly term is ‘hot mess.’”

Listen: Code Switch: The Cost to Cast a Ballot (21:11)

• That’s Carol Anderson, historian and a professor of African-American studies at Emory University, describing the 2000 election fiasco in Florida.
• This great ep takes a deep dive into the history of voter suppression and explores one of the most pressing topics in the U.S.: “Why people don’t vote and why more and more people can’t vote.”
• My take: It’s been awful. We must fight to do better.

2) “By the time you’re out of college your body is just done. Man, you are Brett Favre doing infomercials.”

Listen: Believed: The Good Guy (9:23)

• That’s host Kate Wells, outlining the crazy toll gymnastics takes on one’s body and highlighting the significance of doctors at the sport’s elite level.
• Wells and the Believed pod are focused on Larry Nassar, the once-beloved doctor now known as “one of the worst serial pedophiles in U.S. sports history.”
• The first episode of the series details how Nassar gained the trust of the gymnasts and their families.
• My take: Horrible story, masterful storytelling.

3) “President Trump is, more or less, a wedge issue generating machine.”

Listen: The Daily: How 1994 Gave Us Today’s Politics (3:21)

• That’s NYT opinion columnist Jennifer Senior, touting Trump’s unfortunate superpower, but also putting it in context.
• Senior tracks the genesis and evolution of the Republicans using wedge issues to gain political leverage against Democrats back to 1994. The costs are enormous.

4) “When you’re doing stuff that sucks you have a lot of time to think your way out of your present situation.”

Listen: The Gender Knot: Slow Burn’s Leon Neyfakh on gender in US politics(6:07)

• So says co-host Daniel Carroll, introducing himself in this insightful pod about the intersection of politics and gender.
• Neyfakh brings a POV influenced by his exploration of the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal on the excellent latest season of Slow Burn.

5) “I’ve had so many interviews about death…I think that’s probably improved my life in some ways.”

Listen: Outside Podcast: Dispatches: Alex Honnold on “Free Solo” (10:13)

• That’s climbing legend Honnold, in an interview about how his life has changed in the wake of his no-ropes ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan and the movie about his achievement.
• Outside calls “Free Solo” the best climbing movie ever made.
• Honnold also goes 1 hour, 51 minutes with Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience.

6) “What really matters is the microphone technique.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Halloween (20:35)

• That’s host Linda Holmes, with a playful shot at herself and the PCHH crew for their digression about the awful practices used by the podcasters who play a key role in the latest “Halloween” movie.
• Spoiler: While they were in agreement about podcast horrors, they split on the quality of the actual movie.
• My take: Gotta love the passion of podcasters defending their craft.

7) “It’s still an armpit in a lot of ways, but it’s a loveable armpit.”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: World Series Thoughts Plus Hasan Minhaj(12:43)

• That’s Simmons, with a not-so-hot take on the oldest MLB ballpark. Simmons broke down his experience at Fenway Park during Game One of the World Series pitting his beloved Boston Red Sox vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• My take: I’ll be happy if the series returns to that armpit.
• Go Dodgers!

Go Deep

1) Standup Comedy

Listen: The History of Standup

• Six-part series concludes with a look at the current (booming) state of standup.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 39 minutes

2) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Book six is in the books. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their Harry Potter immersion with a 10-part deep dive into the penultimate book in J.K. Rowling’s series, including the movie.
• Binge time: 17 hours, 9 minutes

3) The Politics of Population

Listen: Outside/In

• The pod “about the natural world and how we use it” goes two parts on population and the politics and impact surrounding it.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 18 minutes.

4) Consent in the #MeToo Era

Listen: Radiolab

• The celebrated pod takes a three-part deep dive into sexual consent.
• In “In the No,” they “wander into rooms full of college students, hear from academics and activists, and sit in on classes about BDSM.”
• Binge time: 2 hours, 1 minute.

5) “Halloween” the Movie Series

Listen: Halloween Unmasked

• The Ringer’s eight-part series on the horror flicks winds up with a look at the latest sequel.
• Binge time: 5 hours, 23 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Acevedo, Stacey Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with Girls Scouts’ CEO.

Abrams, Stacey It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Bareilles, Sara The Dan Wootton Interview

Barinholtz, Ike The Treatment

Bateman, Justine The Adam Carolla Show

Bee, Samantha Stay Tuned with Preet

Brown, Karamo Keep It

Bryant, Aidy Origins SNL

Carden, D’Arcy You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

• Janet!

Carlson, Tucker The Adam Carolla Show

Condon, Zach All Songs Considered

Cowell, Simon Oprah’s Master Class

Dano, Paul The Big Picture, Fresh Air

Duplass, Mark Anna Faris is Unqualified

Esmail, Sam Remote Controlled

Gethard, Chris Good One, The Adam Carolla Show

Gillum, Andrew Pod Save America

Goldberg, Danny Sounds & Vision

Goodwin, Doris Kearns The Ezra Klein Show, Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Hayes, Sean Recode Decode

Idle, Eric Bullseye, WTF with Marc Maron

Jacinto, Manny The Good Place: The Podcast

• Jason!

King, Elle Bobbycast

Kolbert, Elizabeth Longform Podcast

Lear, Norman Maltin on Movies

Lee, Spike Playback

Lin, Jeremy Freakonomics Radio

McCarthy, Melissa Fresh Air

McElhenney, Rob Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Merchant, Stephen Inside of You

Middleditch, Thomas Comedy Bang! Bang!

Minhaj, Hasan The Bill Simmons Podcast

Orlean, Susan Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin, Bookworm

Oz, Dr. The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

Philipps, Busy Katie Couric

Plaza, Aubrey Talkhouse

• In conversation with Craig Robinson

Quavo The Bill Simmons Podcast

Redzepi, René House of Carbs

Roberts, Julia Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, Remote Controlled

• The Hollywood legend goes two parts with Oprah, one part with Remote Controlled about the TV adaptation of “Homecoming.”

Robinson, Craig Talkhouse

• In conversation with Aubrey Plaza

Rogen, Seth How Did This Get Made?

Schiff, Richard The West Wing Weekly

Serrano, Shea The Bill Simmons Podcast

Silver, Nate The Ezra Klein Show

Singh, Lilly Pretty Big Deal

Slater, Kelly The Joe Rogan Experience

Thompson, Ben Conversations With Tyler

Ullman,Tracey Creative Conversation

Wain, David Comedy Bang! Bang!

Wojcicki, Anne Recode Decode

Yates, Sally The New Yorker Radio Hour

Notable New Podcasts

1) Believed

• NPR and Michigan Radio team for an investigative pod series that explores the question: “How did Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor, get away with abusing hundreds of women and girls for two decades?”

2) It Seemed Smart

• SB Nation debuts a seven-episode series about “the amusing, diabolical, and entertaining world of sports trickery and mayhem.” Spencer Hall hosts.

3) FWD: Thinking

• Quartz’s new pod covers “bold professionals who have challenged the status quo to recreate their careers.” Khe Hy hosts.

4) Dreamboy

• Night Vale Presents’ latest “is a story of creatures, human and otherwise, caught in the eternal pornography of the cosmos, told in the blockbuster cinematic style of Spielberg classics.” Listen for the murderous zebra.

5) My Best Break-Up

• The pod from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine features different break-up stories each week. Guests describe how their break-ups transformed their lives. Maeve Higgins hosts.

6) Instant Message

• Wall Street Journal technology columnists David Pierce, Joanna Stern and Christopher Mims “talk about the most important tech trends.”

7) Tai Asks Why

• 11-year-old Tai Poole “is trying to find answers to life’s biggest questions.”

8) Blackwood

• The audio drama focuses on “the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman.” Turns out the local legends are true.

7 Pod Takes

1) “Spoiler alert: Everything’s about to get worse.”

Listen: Trump, Inc.: Pump and Trump (23:23)

• That’s Trump, Inc.’s Andrea Bernstein, in the middle of dissecting shady real estate deals involving President Trump and the Trump family business.
• Spoiler: She’s not just talking about shady real estate deals.

2) “Just because an audience laughs doesn’t mean it’s funny.”

Listen: Inside the Hive w/Nick Bilton: Monica Lewinsky and Hannah Gadsby Talk Trauma (14:11)

• So says Gadsby in a riveting conversation with Lewinsky, recorded at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit.
• Lewinsky, who says she bawled her eyes out seeing Gadsby’s show “Nanette,” talks to Gadsby about trauma and why laughter may not equal funny.
• When comedians punch down and get laughs, Gadsby says “what you’re hearing is not that your joke is funny. But that those people who agree with you feel their inhumanity is justified.”
• My take: Compelling pod with two people who’ve been through a lot and have distinct perspectives on the world.

3) “People should be weirder in their conversations.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Overrated/Underrated: Nobel Prizes, Conversations, And Our Descendants (4:49)

• So says Tyler Cowen, arguing that being obsessive and weird in conversation is an underrated trait.
• More underrated things, says Cowen: Blogs, future ancestors, compound returns, and policies that pursue economic growth.
• Overrated: Nobel prizes, the damage from President Trump’s tariffs, the yield curve, and economic anxiety as a driver of populist sentiment.
• Overrated and underrated: Academia as a career.
• My take: One of my fave recurring podcast features.

4) “There are few positive images a bone saw conjures.”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: Myth Management (1:16)

• That’s Pesca, introducing a segment on the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi allegedly carried out by agents of Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

5) “There’s never been as strong a coupling between economic growth and democratic freedoms as we’d all like.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Why Bill Gates is Worried (45:11)

• That’s Gates on the tension between authoritarian and democratic governance during a compelling, wide-ranging conversation.
• Klein talks to Gates about politics, AI, poverty, the difficulty in feeding the world and, no biggie, the future of humanity.

6) “Luxury tends to infantilize us a little bit.”

Listen: The Happier Hour: The Road Less Travelled With Santayana and David Farley (21:51)

• That’s travel writer Farley, noting there’s nothing wrong with luxury, but there’s something that happens to a person when they only stay in five-star hotels.
• Farley talks to host Monica McCarthy about how and why we travel.
• Farley adds: “By putting ourselves out there and talking to people and going to places where other people don’t go…you’re opening yourself up.”

7) “We’re going to look back at people who had to stand in front of a charbroiler and inhale smoke and grease-laden vapors for their entire life the way we look back at people who worked in mines.”

Listen: WSJ’s The Future of Everything: Robot Restaurants: Good or Gimmicky? (10:41)

• That’s Alex Vardakostas, creator of a burger-making robot, talking about the potential of robot takeovers of restaurants.
• My take: Robot burgers? I’ll try ‘em.

Go Deep

1) Murder and Football

Listen: Gladiator, Carruth, Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan

• Three pods dive deep into the tragedies involving former NFL players, and as of this afternoon they’re all ranking well on the iTunes chart.
• In Gladiator (iTunes #1), the Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team investigates the life of former New England Patriot and murderer Aaron Hernandez.
• Sports Illustrated produces Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan (iTunes #57), about the murder of the former NFL quarterback.
• The Charlotte Observer dropped all seven of its Carruth (iTunes #79) episodes about former pro Rae Carruth and his efforts to murder his pregnant girlfriend.
• Carruth binge time: 4 hours, 46 minutes.

2) “So Afraid”

Listen: Song Exploder

• Janelle Monáe breaks down her song in 19 minutes.

3) Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker

Listen: Political Beats

• Musician and artists rights activist David Lowery goes deep on his music catalog and artists rights.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 28 minutes.

4) Missouri Politics

Listen: The Daily

• The New York Times pod devotes a two-parter about the politics surrounding abortion in Missouri.
• Binge time: 40 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Addario, Lynsey I Have to Ask

Avenatti, Michael Inside the Hive w/Nick Bilton

Baez, Joan The New Yorker Radio Hour

Barinholtz, Ike The Dave Chang Show

Bon Jovi, Jon Oprah’s Master Class

Brennan-Jobs, Lisa Longform Podcast

Burch, Tory Skimm’d From the Couch

Burr, Bill Pardon My Take

Carden, D’Arcy The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Carlson, Tucker The Jamie Weinstein Show

Carmichael, Jerrod You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Carville, James The Adam Carolla Show

Chazelle, Damien The Bill Simmons Podcast

Costello, Elvis This Song

Coulter, Kristi Otherppl with Brad Listi

Couric, Katie Skimm’d From the Couch

Dreeke, Robin Nobody Told Me!

• Former head of the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Program talks making connections, communication styles.

Dworman, Noam The Daily, The Gist

• The owner of the Comedy Cellar talks to Barbaro and Pesca about letting Louis C.K. perform on his stage again.

Ferrera, America Katie Couric

Fillion, Nathan Remote Controlled

Garcetti, Eric Recode Decode

Gilbert, Elizabeth The TED Interview

Goodwin, Doris Kearns Kickass News

Grant, Richard E. WTF with Marc Maron

Gugino, Carla The Watch

Hamilton, Laird Curious with Josh Peck

Hill, Jonah The Big Picture, Playback, The Bill Simmons Podcast

• The actor makes the pod rounds in support of hit new movie, “Mid90s”

Hyman, Jennifer How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with the founder of Rent the Runway.

Jackson, Larry The Thrive Global Podcast with Arianna Huffington

• Convo with Apple Music’s head of content.

Kerry, John HBR Ideacast

Khan, Khizr The Axe Files

Kimes, Mina Sports? with Katie Nolan

Kokonas, Nick The Tim Ferriss Show

Kramer, Larry But That’s Another Story

Kreischer, Bert Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Landauer, Julia Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

McCartney, Paul Inside the Studio

McCartney, Stella The Goop Podcast

Michael, Drew You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Orange, Tommy Bookworm

Orlean, Susan Bullseye

Philipps, Busy WTF with Marc Maron

Redd, Chris Origins SNL

Robinson, Phoebe Fresh Air, Keep It, Good One

Rooney, Wayne Men in Blazers

• How amazing was this shot?

Rosen, Jay The Ezra Klein Show

Scalise, Steve Off Message

Schumer, Amy Armchair Expert

Sheraton, Mimi The Sporkful

Smith, Yeardley I Think You’re Interesting

Taibbi, Matt Waking Up with Sam Harris

Tagouri, Noor Pretty Big Deal

Thompson, Scott The Hilarious World of Depression

Turner, Tina Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Music legend goes two parts with Oprah.

Warner, Mark If Then

West, Nadja Women in Charge

• Army Surgeon General speaks about being born into a military family, choosing a career in medicine.

Notable New Podcasts

1) The TED Interview

• TED head Chris Anderson “speaks with some of the world’s most interesting people to dig into the provocative and powerful ideas of our time.”

2) Gladiator

• The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team ”takes a hard look at the crisis facing football through the lens of Aaron Hernandez’s life and terrible crimes.”

3) The Cut on Tuesdays

• New York Magazine and Gimlet Media team for a pod highlighting “women’s voices on culture, style, sex, politics, and people.” Molly Fischer hosts.

4) 30 for 30 Podcast

• Season four of the 30 for 30 pod kicks off with a chronicle of Jose Canseco’s memoir that called out his fellow players for steroid use, triggering a congressional hearing. The season promises stories on the 2003 World Series of Poker and the New York City marathon.

5) Carruth

• The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy drop a seven-part podcast about former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth. He masterminded the attempted murder of his pregnant girlfriend, and will soon be released from prison.

6) The Brights

• It’s a reality show pod starring Lydia Bright and her sisters, brother, and parents.

7) The Horror of Dolores Roach

• Gimlet’s scripted horror pod features Daphne Rubin-Vega and Bobby Cannavale in a “macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.”

8) Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan

• Sports Illustrated’s first narrative true-crime podcast looks at the murder-suicide of former NFL QB McNair. The pod asks: Or was it murder-suicide?

9) Hell and Gone

• The true-crime pod focuses on the murder of Rebekah Gould in a small town in Arkansas, and the efforts of Catherine Townsend “to bring her killer to justice.”

10) Maculate Conception

• The pod documents a couple’s struggles with infertility and in vitro fertilization treatment.

11) 2038

• New York Magazine’s new pod asks, What will life look like in 20 years? Max Read and David Wallace-Wells host.

12) Future Perfect

• Dylan Matthews hosts Vox’s new pod that “tackles big questions about the most effective ways to save lives, fight global warming, and end world poverty.”

13) Long Distance

• Paola Mardo hosts a new pod focused on “life in the Filipino diaspora.”

14) Unspookable

• The pod’s “a family friendly look at the histories and mysteries behind your favorite scary stories, myths and urban legends.”

15) Hostage

• The new pod from Parcast “tells electrifying crime stories culminating in intense, life-or-death negotiations.”

16) What Next

• Slate debuts a daily news round-up show.

Also, apologies to Dame Judi Dench for misspelling her name last week.

7 Pod Takes

1) “She had me at the word hippocampus.”

Listen: Political Gabfest: The “One Hundred Percent Certain” Edition (3:41)

• That’s Emily Bazelon, crystallizing her reaction to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.
• Bazelon noted Dr. Ford’s ability to “both bear witness and then also analyze as a psychologist the kinds of trauma she was feeling.” Dr. Ford says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982.
• Bazelon’s response was echoed across many political podcasts that came out Thursday evening and into today with their analyses of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.

2) “Sometimes it takes a news article to turn whispered injustices into public outrage.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: Why Now? (17:15)

• That’s Shankar Vedantam in an incredible pod that, given the rise of #MeToo, asks, “What has changed in our minds and in our culture so that allegations of sexual harassment and assault are being taken more seriously than they were in prior decades?”
• Vedantam looks at the question through the lens of a group of women who accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct.

3) “The constitutional crisis would be an inconvenience, but the Tweetstorm, that would be deplorable.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “A little hiccup.” (43:44)

• That’s Jon Favreau, on the now-almost-forgotten report that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he would agree to quit if President Trump wouldn’t disparage him.

4) “Stillness can be an adventure.”

Listen: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations: Pico Iyer: The Art of Stillness (3:52)

• So says Iyer, the great author and travel writer in conversation with Oprah.
• Iyer, who’s written about travel with elegance and insight, turned to a life of relative stillness after years of jetting around the globe.

5) “Drugs are a lot of work.”

Listen: The Hilarious World of Depression: Neko Case Leaves Bad Places, Goes to Better Places (11:24)

• That’s Case, sharing a reason she turned away from illegal drugs.
• She chronicles that step and many others in her journey to musical success and in her fight to maintain mental health.

6) “Fashion is just another word for the constant inevitable shifts in popular taste.”

Listen: 99% Invisible: Kids’ Clothes: Articles of Interest #1 (6:20)

• So says Avery Trufelman, setting up the kick-off episode of 99% Invisible’s six-part detour into examining the clothes we wear.

7) “The early internet was deeply groovy.”

Listen: Crazy/Genius: Tech Was Supposed to Be Society’s Great Equalizer. What Happened? (4:55)

• That’s Meredith Broussard, talking about early vision for the internet.
• “There was a lot of hippie idealism,” says Broussard. The internet was “going to be better than everything that had come before.”
• My take: Ha.

Go Deep

1) The Democratic Party

Listen: The Wilderness

• Crooked Media’s 15-part series on the Democrats’ “journey through the wilderness after the most crushing defeat in history” concludes with a conversation with President Barack Obama.
• Binge time: 11 hours, 44 minutes.

2) “The Good Place”

Listen: Armchair Expert, The Good Place: The Podcast

• Synergies! In honor of season 3 of “The Good Place,” it’s “The Good Place” week on Dax Shepard’s pod, with guests Ted Danson (Michael!), D’Arcy Carden (Janet!), Kristen Bell (Eleanor!), and creator Mike Schur.
• Jameela Jamil (Tahani!) and writer Jen Statsky appear on the show’s own promo pod.
• Binge time: 8 hours, 48 minutes.

3) Southwest vs. American

Listen: Business Wars

• The six-part series on the battle between two U.S. airlines comes to an end.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 26 minutes.

4) Frank Ocean

Listen: Dissect

• The serialized music pod concludes its deep immersion into Ocean’s music.
• Season 3 took on “Channel Orange” and “Blonde.”
• Binge time: 13 hours, 46 minutes.

5) “Exile on Main Street”

Listen: Heat Rocks

• A 52-minute deep dive into The Rolling Stones’ classic album, with The Ringer’s Chris Ryan.

Guest Appearances By…

Anderson, Carol The Ezra Klein Show

Bateman, Justine The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Bautista, Dave Inside of You

Burns, Ken Kickass News

Burton, LeVar The Nod

Carfrae, Mirinda Another Mother Runner

• Three-time Ironman champ talks nutrition, stroller runs.

Cassidy, Sukhinder Singh Women in Charge

Chong, Tommy Curious with Josh Peck

Coppola, Roman Creative Conversation

Dyer, Christopher Tides of History

Fukuyama, Francis The Ezra Klein Show

Haberman, Maggie Recode Decode

Haddish, Tiffany The Bill Simmons Podcast

Hayward, Gordon Pardon My Take

Higgins, Steve Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Hill, Jonah Maltin on Movies

Holofcener, Nicole The Gist with Mike Pesca

Idle, Eric Off Camera with Sam Jones

Jett, Joan WTF with Marc Maron

Killam, Taran Comedy Bang! Bang!

Kissling, Frances On Being

Klinenberg, Eric Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

Lynch, Jane Recode Decode

Lynne, Jeff Required Listening

Miller, Geoffrey The Joe Rogan Experience

Munn, Olivia Modern Love

• She reads Marina Shifrin’s essay “A Life Plan for Two, Followed by One.”

Ovitz, Michael HBR Ideacast

Paz, Vinnie The Joe Rogan Experience

Polgreen, Lydia Recode Decode

Povitsky, Esther Forked Up

Rothwell, Natasha It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, Keep It

Ruggirello, Jen Queery with Cameron Esposito

Saban, Haim How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with producer of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Sagal, Peter The Axe Files

Saltz, Jerry Longform Podcast

Savage, Dan The Gender Knot

Shepard, Dax You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Suthana, Dr. Nanthia Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• The neuroscientist talks about how virtual reality can be used in therapy.

Starr, Ken Off Message

Teigen, Chrissy The Goop Podcast

Tosi, Christina Skimm’d From the Couch

Zimmer, Constance Anna Faris Is Unqualified

Notable New Podcasts

1) Adventures in New America

• It’s a “sci-fi, political satire, Afrofuturistic buddy comedy” the New York Times called the “best new social thriller.”

2) The Shadows

• The first audio fiction from the CBC. In six parts, Kaitlin Prest tells the story “about the anatomy of a relationship: a crush, a choice, a resentment and an end.”

3) The Dream

• Jane Marie takes a deep dive into the “pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, and all the other businesses that require their members to recruit their nearest and dearest in hopes of a commission.”

4) The City

• USA Today launches a longform pod that “tells true stories of how power works in urban America.” Season one begins in 1990 Chicago.

5) Time to Parent

• Julie Morgenstern’s pod focuses on “stories from real parents, advice from experts, and knowledge culled from her almost 30 year career as a consultant and a mom.”

6) Articles of Interest

• The six-part pod from 99% Invisible is “a show about what we wear,” produced by Avery Trufelman.

7) Happy Face

• Melissa Moore’s father is a serial killer. She “investigates her father’s crimes, reckons with the past, and wades through her darkest fears as she hunts for a better future.”

8) Pivot

• New Vox pod features Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway on “how technology is shaping business and culture across media, marketing, politics, and more.”

9) Start to Sale

• Erin Patinkin and Natasha Case talk to entrepreneurs and business about “the journey to succeed in business.”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

The intruder: The Joe Rogan Experience (No. 5). Though his three-hour episodes qualify as binges, amirite?

7 Pod Takes

1) “When I’m feeling optimistic, I appreciate that an elevator car in a government building is one of the few places left in our country where different kinds of people are forced into proximity.”

Listen: Serial: A Bar Fight Walks into the Justice Center (1:59)

• A taste of Sarah Koenig’s opening thoughts during the first episode of the much-anticipated third season of Serial.

• Koenig and her colleagues spent a year riding elevators in a Cleveland courthouse, during a deep dive into the U.S. criminal justice system.

• The first ep focuses on a bar fight that offers a window into some of the system’s intricacies and warped ways.

• Says defense attorney Russ Bensing: “In this county, innocence is a misdemeanor.”

• My take: So far, so great.

2) “These are works of the civilization that are so important, to remove them is to remove a piece of our civilization.”

Listen: Last Seen: Episode 1: ‘81 Minutes’ (30:19)

• That’s Anne Hawley, former director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, talking about the 13 pieces of art still missing in the wake of the world’s greatest unsolved art theft.

• That theft is the subject of this new pod that not only probes the crime, but explores the anguish among those who saw five Degas works, two Rembrandts, a Vermeer and other artworks disappear from their care.

• My take: Refreshing to have a great true-crime pod without a corpse.

3) “The first bite of that apple, I guess revealed the truth / That’s when Eve got smart, and that’s why Adam don’t like fruit.”

Listen: More Perfect: The Most Perfect Album: ”19th Amendment” by Dolly Parton

• That’s Parton, in her song about the constitutional amendment that gave women in the U.S. the right to vote.

• Parton’s song’s part of an ambitious and very fun project from the More Perfect pod: It features stories about the 27 amendments, accompanied by 27 original songs, including Parton’s jaunty, Schoolhouse Rock-y tune.

4) “There’s this American neurosis, this fear that the human body is being outstripped by our technology.”

Listen: Stay Tuned With Preet: Fair Play (with Sally Jenkins) (45:01)

• That’s Jenkins, adding that, because of this, Americans “get a little funny about our sports.”

• Jenkins and host Preet Bharara probe some of the fault lines of American society brought to the surface by sports, including the controversial penalization of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open and the ongoing issues surrounding protests and the NFL.

5) “I felt like he would hear that I didn’t have pants on.”

Listen: Origins: SNL / To Trump or Not to Trump (:12)

• That’s cast member Chris Redd, recalling his fear upon talking to SNL honcho Lorne Michaels when he learned he’d be joining the show.

• Redd and many other cast members, as well as Michaels, talk to Origins’ pod maker James Andrew Miller in this kickoff ep of the show’s fourth season, which takes a deep dive into SNL as it heads into its 44th season.

6) “The Pizza Hut lunch buffet is the most concentrated, fully realized manifestation of the free market.”

Listen: The Sporkful: Life Lessons From The Pizza Hut Lunch Buffet (25:24)

• That’s host Dan Pashman, distilling the POV of comedian Tim Dillon on the free-for-all experience that is the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

• Another hot take, this one from Dillon: “Rich people don’t care about food.”

7) “Would you ever wipe Dame Judy Dench’s butt?”

Listen: Anna Faris is Unqualified: Adam Rippon (9:09)

• That how Faris breaks the ice with Olympic figure skater Rippon.

• Spoiler: He would.

Go Deep

1) National Parks

Listen: American History Tellers

• A six-part deep dive into the creation and preservation of the U.S. national parks.
• Binge time: 4 hours, 8 minutes.

2) Perfect Pop Songs

Listen: Rockin’ the Suburbs

• The RTS guys go deep with a five-part series that covers seven pop songs, including tunes from the killer Bs: Bowie, Badfinger, and the English Beat.
• My take: “Save It for Later” is a correct pick.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

3) The Trans-Siberian Train Experience

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts

• Potts and guest Jonathan Arlan talk over a two-part pod about the iconic train trip.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 17 minutes.

4) King Crimson

Listen: Political Beats

• Prog rock nerdiness abounds in this convo with Dave Weigel, political reporter and author of “The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock.”
• Binge time: 2 hours, 21 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Alley, Kirstie The Dan Wootton Interview

Andrés, José Pod Save America

Attenborough, David The New Yorker Radio Hour

Barinholtz, Ike Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Batiste, Jon I Think You’re Interesting

Bell, Kristen The Good Place: The Podcast, WTF with Marc Maron

• Eleanor!

Bergen, Candice Remote Controlled

Biskind, Peter Public Intellectual

• The author of “The Sky is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, and Superheroes Made America Great for Extremism” talks about Americans’ love of disaster and revenge.

Branson, Sir Richard Kickass News

Brown, Bobbi How I Built This with Guy Raz

Carden, D’Arcy Comedy Bang! Bang!

Coyne, Wayne This Must Be the Gig

Dessa Sound Opinions

English, Diane Remote Controlled

Fogelman, Dan Curious with Josh Peck, The Bill Simmons Podcast

Fonda, Jane Death, Sex + Money, Oprah’s Master Class

Godin, Seth On Being

Gyllenhaal, Maggie Fresh Air

Haidt, Jonathan I Have to Ask

• An interview with the author of “The Coddling of the American Mind” by host Isaac Chotiner. Chotiner got some Twitter love this week for his “masterclass” interviews.

Harari, Yuval Noah Waking Up With Sam Harris

Hawke, Ethan The Gist with Mike Pesca, The Big Picture

• He’s still making the pod rounds this week to promote his new movie, “Blaze.”

Henderson, Lacey Forked Up

• Talking food with the paralympian.

Hirono, Mazie Off Message

Holofcener, Nicole The Moment with Brian Koppelman, Bullseye, Recode Media with Peter Kafka

Kerry, John Pod Save America, Pod Save the World

Killam, Taran Off Book

• He helps improvise a musical called “Poetry: 1959.”

Klein, Linda Kay Fresh Air

• Convo with the author of “Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free.”

Koy, Jo The Adam Carolla Show

Kreischer, Bert The Gist with Mike Pesca

Lauren, Ralph Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Two-part pod with the design icon.

Lyne, Susan Skimm’d From the Couch

Mantzoukas, Jason Comedy Bang! Bang!

Nash, Steve The Bill Simmons Podcast

Nussbaum, Martha C. The Ezra Klein Show

Nye, Naomi Shihab On Being

O’Donnell, Lawrence The West Wing Weekly

Olsen, Angel Talkhouse

Patrick, Deval The Axe Files

Saslow, Eli Longform Podcast

Schatz, Brian Lovett or Leave It

• Convo with “the best senator on Twitter.”

Schur, Michael The Good Place: The Podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast

Shaffir, Ari Lost in America

Shrum, Bob The Axe Files

Slash WTF With Marc Maron

Stevenson, Bryan The Goop Podcast

Tosi, Christina The Dave Chang Show

• A two-parter with the Milk Bar founder.

Witherspoon, Reese Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness

Notable New Podcasts

1) Serial

• The pod’s much anticipated season 3 goes to Cleveland for a deep dive into the U.S. justice system.

2) Last Seen

• The pod probes the 1990 theft of 13 pieces of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

3) The History of Standup

• Wayne Federman and Andrew Steven dissect the evolution of standup comedy, “from Vaudeville to Netflix.”

4) American Scandal

• New pod from Wondery dives “into the heart of America’s dark side to look at what drives someone to break the rules and what happens when they’re caught.” First up: BALCO.

5) No Feeling is Final

• The pod tells Honor Eastly’s “story of difference, identity, and why we should stay alive.”

6) More Perfect

• Season 3 of Radiolab’s series about the supreme court turns to the amendments to the U.S. constitution, and it does so with music.

7) Countdown to Capture

• The Newport Beach Police Department in California is getting into podcasts with a six-part series about an unsolved murder. They’re hoping the pod can turn up leads.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

I also listened to Slow Burn. I don’t think getting infuriated by Linda Tripp helped my recovery any.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s the most crushing non-important thing that can happen to you in life.”

Listen: The Rewatchables: ‘Rounders’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey(28:15)

• That’s Fennessey, during a 1 hour, 33 minute deep dive on “Rounders,” on the whiplash of losing at poker in a particular way.
• The moment defined: “[Y]ou hit a big hand and you’re so deluded with euphoria about hitting the hand you don’t realize there’s a better hand out there.”
• My take: Find someone who talks about you the way Fennessey and Simmons talk about “Rounders.” Or maybe run away from that person? Your call on how comfortable you are with obsession.

2) “Central casting couldn’t have cast a better villain.”

Listen: Slow Burn: Tell-All (5:12)

• That’s Linda Tripp, acknowledging the perception of her backstabbing role in the grand saga of Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
• My take: It’s an excellent, layered ep of the multi-part chronicle, with a meta subplot that hinges on host Leon Neyfakh’s own surreptitious recording of Tripp.
• Says Neyfakh: “I had thought that taping Linda Tripp without her knowledge was a violation of her trust. She seemed to think that it has brought us closer together.”

3) “That was my lowest point of my life, to have to eat a Thousand Island sandwich.”

Listen: Ear Hustle: Birdbaths and a Lockbox (12:54)

• So says San Quentin inmate Michael Williams, on what he had to do to get through a lockdown.
• Recipe for a Thousand Island sandwich, for the uninitiated: Thousand Island salad dressing, bread.
• Williams’s admission comes in the Season 3 opener, a deep dive into prison lockdowns.

4) “It’s amazing how [sports] provide a kind of structure of meaning in people’s lives.”

Listen: Freakonomics Radio: How Sports Became Us (9:51)

• That’s Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist with no innate interest in sports, talking about … sports. She came to her interest through one of her children.
• Egan’s one of an eclectic, interesting bunch of people talking to host Stephen J. Dubner for a Freakonomics series “The Hidden Side of Sports,” which will ask what pushes athletes to excel, among other topics.
• Other sources on tap include: Mark Cuban, Mikaela Shiffrin, Kim Ng, Daryl Morey, Kerri Walsh Jennings, and a busload of economists, of course.
• My take: Extremely relevant to many of my interests. High hopes for the series.

5) “I ate goulash before every race … I ate Spam on Christmas Eve. I’m not an elite athlete.”

Listen: Another Mother Runner: #329: In-Person Conversation with Two-Time Olympian Kara Goucher (9:02)

• That’s Goucher, who is indeed an elite runner (evidence: two Olympics appearances), with a funny and poignant articulation of her gnawing self-doubt.
• Controlling that doubt has been “so important in my career,” she says.
• AMR co-host Dimity McDowell gives Goucher props for her openness and emotionalism.
• My take: Goucher’s elite, but a relatable elite.

6) “That’s like an elevator, but sideways.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Ana, Elevator (11:35)

• That’s Ana the Elevator, with her elevator-centric view of the world, talking about a bus.
• If you’re wondering what an elevator thinks of stairs, this pod’s for you.
• Spoiler: Upon seeing stairs for the first time, Ana says, “Wow. These are beautiful.”

7) “My dream is that I’m in bed by 8:30 every night.”

Listen: Queery: Tig Notaro (46:34)

• That’s Notaro, on life with kids and why it’s hard for her to do standup.
• She says of her current lifestyle: “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”
• My take: Right on, Tig.

Go Deep

1) Hurricane Harvey

Listen: The Daily

• A two-parter tells the story of how Houston’s emergency systems failed during last year’s hurricane, and how that affected one family.
• Binge time: 51 minutes

2) “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Another book, another binge epic. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their Harry Potter immersion with a 10-part deep dive into the fifth book in J.K. Rowling’s series, including the movie.
• Binge time: 14 hours, 45 minutes

3) “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• The two-part “epicsode” breaks down the three “LOTR” films.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Guest Appearances By…

Apatow, Judd Anna Faris is Unqualified

Arguello, Marcella The Mash-Up Americans

Banks, Patrice Raising the Bar

• Convo with founder of Girls Auto Clinic.

Belsky, Scott The Tim Ferriss Show

Burr, Bill The H3 Podcast

Byer, Nicole Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

• Convos with the “Nailed It” host.

Carden, D’Arcy I Think You’re Interesting

• Janet!

Christensen, Erika Inside of You

Clapper, James The Josh Marshall Podcast

Cohen, Joshua Bookworm

• Author talks about his book “ATTENTION: Dispatches from a Land of Distraction.”

Cole, Kat Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with President of FOCUS brands.

Dorsey, Jack Recode Media

• Twitter’s CEO on Twitter’s problems, plans.

Eichner, Billy WTF with Marc Maron

Fallon, Morgan The Joe Rogan Experience

• Convo with a producer and director of “Parts Unknown.”

Fonda, Jane Remote Controlled

Formichetti, Nicola Creative Conversation

• The artistic director talks business, working with Lady Gaga.

French, David The Ezra Klein Show

Gabbard, Tulsi The Joe Rogan Experience

Galifianakis, Zach Comedy Bang! Bang!

Griffin, Kathy The Breakfast Club

Hahn, Kathryn Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

• 2 hours, 47 minutes with the actress about monogamy, the Amish.

Haidt, Jonathan Waking Up with Sam Harris

• Convo with the author of “The Coddling of the American Mind.”

Han, Jenny Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!

Hawke, Ethan Modern Love

• Actor reads Pauls Toutonghi’s story “Learning Humanity From Dogs.”

Holder, Eric Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Holofcener, Nicole The Big Picture

Isbell, Jason Pod Save America

Jefferson, Cord Invisibilia

Landgraf, John Strictly Business

Jacinto, Manny The Good Place: The Podcast

• Jason!

Jealous, Ben Off Message

Jordan, Kim How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with a founder of New Belgium Brewing Company.

Key, Keegan-Michael The Bill Simmons Podcast

LaBelle, Patti Oprah’s Master Class

Leibovich, Mark Recode Decode

Lessin, Jessica The Substack Podcast

Lethem, Jonathan Filmstruck

Lorre, Chuck Maltin on Movies

Lovett, Jon The Axe Files

McGarry, Flynn Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

McKenna, Aline Brosh Scriptnotes

Minhaj, Hasan The JJ Redick Podcast

Miller, Amy The Soft Spot

• The comedian talks about all things Pee-Wee Herman.

Nolan, Katie The Bill Simmons Podcast

Olson, Martha Rossini House of Carbs

• Founder of Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, which sells 1 million cookies a day at the Minnesota State Fair.

Rascoff, Spencer Inside the Hive with Nick Bilton

• CEO of Zillow shares why poor and middle class Americans are being priced out of the housing market.

Rhodes, Ben Pod Save the World

Rogen, Lauren Miller It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Ronan, Saoirse Feminists Don’t Wear Pink

Rothwell, Natasha I Think You’re Interesting

Saget, Bob Curious with Josh Peck

Stelter, Brian The Jamie Weinstein Show

Teigen, Chrissy Bon Appetit Foodcast

• She promotes her new book, makes pad Thai carbonara.

Thiel, Peter The Rubin Report

Tyson, Neil deGrasse Kickass News

Walsh, Jennifer Rudolph The Goop Podcast

• Literary agent talks storytelling, Together Live.

Whyte, David On Being

Winkler, Henry You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Wood, Anthony Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Roku CEO talks streaming.

Wong, Nicole Recode Decode

• Convo with former deputy CTO of the U.S.

Yang, Jenny How It Is

Yarris, Nick The Joe Rogan Experience

• Writer talks about being wrongly convicted of murder and spending 22 years on death row.

Zeng, Ming HBR Ideacast

• Convo with Alibaba’s chief strategy officer.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Ellen on the Go

• A behind-the-scenes companion pod for “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” hosted by the show’s exec producers.

2) Southwest vs. American

• Business Wars kicks off a series on the battle between two U.S. airlines.

3) The Oval Office Tapes

• A dramatic podcast from R.J. Cutler asks, “What if that soccer ball Vladimir Putin gave to President Trump was covered in microscopic transmitters?”

4) Queerly Beloved

• From Vice, Sarah Burke and Fran Tirado host “a multifaceted portrait of LGBTQ chosen family — the people who help us figure out who we are and inspire us to live as our most authentic selves.”

5) Feminists Don’t Wear Pink

• Scarlett Curtis “interviews inspiring women about what feminism means to them.”

6) Wolverine: The Long Night

• Marvel’s first scripted podcast, which was previously available only to paid subscribers, is now free.

7) Directionally Challenged

• New pod from Candice King and Kayla Ewell about “30-something women asking life’s questions and learning from the people who just might have the answers.

And a couple I missed last week:

8) Uncover: Escaping NXIVM

• An investigative pod series about the cult.

9) The Secret History of the Future

• Tom Standage and Seth Stevenson “examine the ancient ingenuity that our modern digital technology can learn from.”

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes

1) “There’s an argument to be made that we’re born with the raw elements of Beatles songs in our heads.”

Listen: WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 948 – Sir Paul McCartney (4:11)

• That’s Maron, prefacing his conversation with a pretty freakin’ great podcast guest, Sir Paul McCartney. Maron charmingly frets about what he’s gonna ask the Beatles legend that hasn’t been asked before.
• Maron invokes Chris Farley, but thankfully doesn’t “do a Chris Farley.”
• McCartney talks the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, recording in Nigeria, and how the communal experience of leading sing-alongs to “Hey Jude” and “Let it Be” during his concerts still gives him thrills.
• My take: Maron loses his way a couple times, but mostly earns props for an engaging interview.

2) “Punk is a free space.”

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts: Punk Icon Ian MacKaye on why we should question the official history of rock music (12:15)

• That’s punk legend MacKaye, defining what punk means to him.
• It’s not a sound or a style or a look or an attitude. He adds: “It’s the place new ideas can be presented without having to hew to profit motives only.”
• My take: If anyone would know, it’s MacKaye.

3) “[Money] is the sole barometer of someone’s worth in this country.”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: Hedging Your Bets With Lake Success(12:36)

• So says guest Gary Shteyngart, talking to Pesca about his new book and this country’s deep obsession with cash.

4) “I don’t think we’ve ever been so busy while accomplishing so little.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Your attention is being hijacked. Chris Bailey can help. (9:27)

• That’s Bailey, nailing a paradox of modern American life.
• Says Klein: “There’s a war on for our attention, and we’re often losing it.”
• My take: Thank you for your attention to this newsletter.

5) “I think anybody who’s going to read this is not going to come away feeling that this ship is on a steady path.”

Listen: The Daily: Anonymous Senior Administration Official (15:09)

• That’s James Dao, Op-Ed Editor of the New York Times, discussing the anonymous account of a Trump administration senior official on his or her resistance within the White House.
• Dao offers a great behind the scenes look at how the op-ed that rocked Trump and Twitter came to be.

6) “The NFL is like a drug lord and we’re like addicts.”

Listen: Radio Atlantic: How Much Longer Can Football Last? (4:11)

• That indictment comes from guest Mark Leibovich, author of the book “Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times.”
• Leibovich says despite big issues (concussions, Kaepernick) and the smaller reality-show drama of the NFL, people still love football.
• More Leibovich: He appears this week on the Kickass News pod.

7) “This is a little bit more like an adrenaline shot directly into the heart. It kinda goes from zero to Azz Everywhere in record time.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Serotonin and What’s Making Us Happy(4:06)

• So says Stephen Thompson, touting the work of Big Freedia as something that boosts his and his family’s moods.

• Need a mood boost? Other recs from the PCHH crew include Ariana Grande’s “Sweetener” and news bloopers.

Go Deep

1) Women in Politics

Listen: Run Like a Girl, Women Belong in the House

• Women are running in record numbers for political office in the United States, with 323 women still contending for Congress. At least two pods are dedicated to chronicling the “pink tsunami.”
• The non-partisan pod Run Like a Girl launched August 23 and has released four episodes so far, including embedded reports from the campaign of Gretchen Whitmer, candidate for Governor of Michigan. Binge time: 2 hours, 48 minutes.
• Women Belong in the House, which debuted yesterday, aims to tell the stories of female candidates.

2) Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination

Listen: The RFK Tapes

• The 10-part examination of the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy concluded this week with a bonus live ep. The whole series is now bingeable.
• Binge time: 9 hours, 46 minutes.

3) Coke vs. Pepsi

Listen: Business Wars

• The seven-part series chronicles the battle between the two sugary-drink purveyors.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 9 minutes.

4) Drake’s Summer Bangers

Listen: Switched on Pop

• A 43-minute deep dive into “In My Feelings” and “Nice For What.”

5) R.E.M.

Listen: R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: Me

• Adam Scott Aukerman finished their exhaustive and occasionally exhausting survey of R.E.M.’s entire music catalog.
• Binge time: 49 hours, 39 minutes (!!!)

Guest Appearances By…

Addison, Bill Eater Upsell

• Eater’s national food critic on fall’s most anticipated new restaurants.

Al-Adeimi, Shireen Why is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

• Michigan State professor talks Yemen.

Burr, Bill The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Comedian talks Tom Brady with the Sports Guy.

B-Real This Must Be the Gig

• Cypress Hill legend talks crowd surfing, new record.

Brennan, Margaret Skimm’d From the Couch

Bryant, Kobe The Adam Carolla Show

Carmichael, Jerrod Anna Faris is Unqualified

Carter, Jimmy Pod Save America

Chieng, Ronny Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Close, Glenn Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Danson, Ted The Good Place: The Podcast

• Michael!

Elder, Larry The Adam Carolla Show

Epshteyn, Boris The Jamie Weinstein Show

Feig, Paul Off Camera with Sam Jones

Goldberg, Danny The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

• Music industry legend talks the future of the biz, the day Cobain died.

Gondry, Michel The Big Picture

Goodwin, Doris Kearns The Tim Ferriss Show

Goolsbee, Austan The Axe Files

Graham, Rev. Franklin The New Yorker Radio Hour

Hawke, Ethan Filmspotting

Higgins, Maeve Bullseye

Kidman, Nicole Playback with Kris Tapley

Kravitz, Lenny Oprah’s Master Class

Legend, John The Dan Wootton Interview

Levi, Zachary Inside of You

Lillard, Matthew Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Lowe, Rob Pardon My Take

Mantzoukas, Jason The Good Place: The Podcast

• Derek!

McKelvey, Miguel How I Built This with Guy Raz

McMillan, Tracy Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Morris, Wesley The Bill Simmons Podcast

• New York Times culture critic talks Burt Reynolds. RIP Burt.

Morrison, Keith Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Musk, Elon The Joe Rogan Experience

• CNET’s tweet about the pod sums it up: “Elon Musk smokes weed, talks flamethrowers.”

Nixon, Cynthia Pod Save America

Retta Curious with Josh Peck

Salzberg, Sharon You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Scaggs, Boz Bullseye

Sherman, Wendy Kickass News

• Convo with lead negotiator of the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

Simon, Paul All Songs Considered

Sittenfeld, Curtis The New Yorker Radio Hour

• Best-selling author talks about her love for the Midwestern supermarket chain Schnucks.

Snider, Dee The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Tchen, Tina M. How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Turner, David If Then

• Convo with the Penny Fractions newsletter maker.

Underwood, April Recode Decode

• Slack’s chief product officer talks about the future of work, Slack.

Weiner, Jeff Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Convo with the CEO of LinkedIn.

Welch, Florence Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Wolf, Michelle Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Notable New Podcasts

1) Dr. Death

• It’s the debut of a six-part series about a Dallas surgeon who intentionally harmed people. Hosted by Laura Bell.

2) Drunk Women Solving Crime

• Taylor Glenn, Catherine Wilkins and Hannah George promise a “[t}rue crime podcast with a twist… of lime.”

3) Animal Sound Safari

• The new kids’ podcast is “an aural safari around the world to hear amazing stories about animals.”

4) The Pat McAfee Show 2.0

• The former NFL all-pro is back with another sports pod.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

It’s been great catching up on the pods, though. So many excellent eps this week.

7 Pod Takes

1) “Just as a warning, if you’re listening with kids, today’s episode features Mel Gibson.”

Listen: Today Explained: Don’t call it a comeback (:27)

• That’s host Sean Rameswaram, with a #MeToo-era twist on the adult-content advisory.
• Moments of silence follow, so parents can stop their kids from hearing about Gibson and other men attempting comebacks, like Louis C.K. and Matt Lauer.

2) “An absurd, ridiculous faux-poetic romp through an imaginary America with absurd language and terrible dialogue and over-the-top performances, and it makes me cry every single time I watch it.”

Listen: The PosCast: PosCast Draft: US States with Actor Nick Offerman(46:55)

• That’s Mike Schur on “Field of Dreams,” the movie he and Offerman pick apart with hilarity — only to succumb to its magic.
• Offerman hammers the film for its bad logic and continuity errors — have you really paid attention to Archibald “Moonlight” Graham’s mustache? Yet, Offerman says, “Despite all these complaints, I cried my eyes out three times.”
• My take: Indeed. Every. Single. Time.

3) “So many bad things happened you would think that it was like God telling you not to make Legos.”

Listen: Nerdificent: Episode 22: LEGO (1:36)

• That’s co-host Dani Fernandez, setting up the pod’s deep dive into the turbulent history of Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen.
• My take: Thanks for persisting, Ole. I spent a day of my vacation with my family at Legoland. Legos are amazing.

4) “The internet has made the right, particularly among younger people, the new counterculture in a way.”

Listen: Conversations with Tyler: Claire Lehmann on Speaking Freely (14:10)

• So says Quillette editor Lehmann, in a nuanced, open conversation with host Tyler Cowen about a range of topics, including which strands of the right are being emboldened by the internet and which are falling away.

5) “There is no Twitter worse than political figure passes away Twitter.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “Florida man.” (3:41)

• That’s Dan Pfeiffer, commenting on the predictable reaction on social media to Senator John McCain’s passing.
• He adds: “Everyone thinks this is the moment they have to offer their hot take because the moment for the hot take will pass if they don’t do it right there.”
• My take: I abstain.

6) “I don’t know much about either of these topics, but if I’ve learned anything from cable news it’s that having a strong opinion is much more important than having an informed one.”

Listen: Anthropocene Reviewed: The Yips and CNN (:17)

• So says John Green, prefacing his nuanced, 10-minute review of CNN. His verdict: Two stars.
• Green also reviews the malady known as The Yips, in which athletes with pinpoint accuracy or incredible grace somehow lose their ability to perform a heretofore simple sporting act. His verdict for The Yips: One and a half stars.
• He adds: “I can almost feel the muscle twitch inside the word itself.”
• My take: Too many stars for The Yips, John Green.

7) “People are at their best naked.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Tara, Bar of Soap (5:34)

• That’s Tara, a bar of soap, being interviewed by host Ian Chillag. Tara certainly has the experience to know.
• My take: I can’t get enough of this pod. It’s so good.

Go Deep

1) Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Listen: RBG: Beyond Notorious

• The six-part deep dive into the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg builds off the doc “RBG.”
• The last ep debuted last Friday, but I had to grandfather in RBG.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 28 minutes

2) “L.A. Woman”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

• Paul F. Tompkins joins the pod to work on the train wreck that is The Doors’ tune “L.A. Woman.”
• Binge time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

3) “Crazy Rich Asians”

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• The pod takes a deep dive into the hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians.”
• Binge time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Guest Appearances By…

Aduba, Uzo Off Camera with Sam Jones

Bachman, Randy The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

Bateman, Jason Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Bridenstine, Jim Weather Geeks

• Convo with NASA’s new administrator.

Brooks, Arthur Kickass News

Byrne, Rose Ask Me Another

Caramanica, Jon Longform Podcast

Carden, D’Arcy The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Chaganty, Aneesh The Big Picture

Clark, Tom You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Crews, Terry Pod Save the People

Delsener, Ron Here’s the Thing With Alec Baldwin

• Convo with the man “who basically created the genre of the massive outdoor concert.”

Dennings, Kat Anna Faris is Unqualified

Dougherty, Dale Recode Decode

• Maker Faire founder talks about the maker movement, with Make Magazine editor Mike Senese.

Gupta, Sunil HBR IdeaCast

• Harvard Business School professor says your digital strategy needs work, businesspeople.

Hall, Regina Creative Conversation

Hardwicke, Catherine Maltin on Movies

Harper, William Jackson The Good Place: The Podcast

• Chidi!

Hawke, Ethan The A24 Podcast, This Song

• Actor talks Steve McQueen and Nova Scotia with Alia Shawkat, and with This Song about singer/songwriter Blaze Foley.

Hurwitz, Gregg The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

James, Steve I Think You’re Interesting

Jamil, Jameela Ways to Change the World

Koy, Jo WTF with Marc Maron

Lanier, Jaron Waking Up with Sam Harris

Levien, David The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Newsom, Gavin Pod Save America

• Convo with candidate for governor of California.

Ourand, John Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Peterson, Eugene On Being

Quigley, Mike The Axe Files

• U.S. Rep from Illinois talks polarization, Russian election interference.

Riggle, Rob Pardon My Take

Salbi, Zainab Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Senese, Mike Recode Decode

• Make Magazine editor talks about the maker movement, with Maker Faire founder Dale Dougherty.

Shawkat, Alia The A24 Podcast

• Actor talks Steve McQueen and Nova Scotia with Ethan Hawke.

Simon, David The New Yorker Radio Hour

Stoner, Alyson Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Sutter, Kurt Remote Controlled

• Convo with the creator of “Sons of Anarchy,” “Mayans M.C.”

Syd It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

• Convo with “a breakout star of the hip-hop collective Odd Future.”

Theroux, Justin Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Twitty, Michael W. Forked Up

• James Beard-award winning author talks food and race.

Wasser, Laura The Bill Simmons Podcast

• Celebrity divorce attorney talks prenups.

Wilson, Rick Kickass News

Yang, Jimmy O. Bon Appetit Foodcast

Notable New Podcasts

1) Heat and Light

• A deep dive into “six key but lesser known stories” from the tumultuous year of 1968. Hosted by Phillip Martin.

2) Thinking Machines

• American Innovations’ four-part series on the rise of artificial intelligence kicks off.

3) The Punies

• Kobe Bryant created the show for kids about “an eclectic group of neighborhood friends who play sports and take on adventures together.”

4) 70 Million

• The pod focuses on “how locals are addressing the role of jails in their backyards.” The 70 million refers to the amount of Americans over 18 with a criminal record.

5) More than Seven Dirty Words

• The FCC now has an official pod. Its goal: “Maybe we’ll even achieve the impossible: make telecom interesting.”

6) Sleuth

• New true crime pod covers a 2010 double murder in Southern California. The pod’s release dates overlap with an accused accessory’s trial.

7) Up and Vanished: Season 2

• The latest season of the true crime pod, which focuses on the disappearance of Kristal Reisinger from a Colorado mountain town, debuted while I was on vacation. The debut episode — and all the episodes from the first season — are dominating the U.S. iTunes chart this week.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

The new season of Slow Burn started this week and, yeah, it’s great. It’s now at the top of my pod queue for my upcoming vacation.

Reminder: While I’m away, I’ll be taking a break from the newsletter. The next full edition comes out August 31. Thanks again for reading.

7 Pod Takes

1) “It’s got a bigoted attitude, but you can dance to it.”

Listen: Popcast: Can Guns N’ Roses, or Any Artist, Erase an Unflattering Moment (6:17)

• That’s host Jon Caramanica on “One in a Million,” the GNR song that “includes offensive and bigoted language” — and that has been disappeared from the band’s new box set.
• Caramanica and his guests address the question: “What happens when artists take control of their legacy and say, ‘Nah, we didn’t do that’?”
• My take: Fascinating look at the impermanence of art and culture in the digital age.

2) “There’s definitely a thing in American culture where if it looks like you’re putting in effort, gross.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Punching Bags and What’s Making Us Happy This Week (2:15)

• Audie Cornish puts her finger on the pulse of an unfortunate strain of American culture in explaining her solidarity with cultural “punching bag” Anne Hathaway.
• Adds Cornish, of that popular perception of Hathaway: “It had that feel of she’s raising her hand in the front of the class all the time and everyone hates that kid. Guess what? We get the last laugh.”
• Also defended by the PCHHers: Jennifer Aniston, pumpkin spice, Guy Fieri.

3) “‘No justice, no peace’ is a statement of fact.”

Listen: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations: Mitch Landrieu, Part 2: A White Southerner Confronts History (18:17)

• That’s former New Orleans’ mayor Landrieu in a two-part conversation about race in the United States.
• Adds Landrieu: “If there is no justice. If I don’t feel like I’m being fairly treated. If I’m not given the same opportunity. If I’m not afforded the same responsibility. If I don’t have the same kind of hope. I feel alienated from you. And when we’re alienated we can’t be together. There can be no sense of peace.”
• Start with part one.

4) “Newt Gingrich is a Typhoid Mary of the divisiveness that exists in our politics.”

Listen: Stay Tuned with Preet: Why I Quit the GOP (with Steve Schmidt)(21:50)

• So says Schmidt, explaining his decision to leave the Republican party.
• Schmidt’s timeline for the GOPs evolution into a cult of personality begins with Gingrich’s rise in 1994 and runs through the party’s change from being strong in the North and West to becoming a “Southern, Evangelical Christian party fueled by resentment.”

5) “YouTube was that friend that always out-edges you.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Why online politics gets so extreme so fast (5:47)

• That’s Zeynep Tufekci, pointing out how YouTube’s “Up Next” algorithm forces extreme views into its users’ media diets.
• Her theory: “Slightly edgier content is interesting. It’s novel. It’s not the same old, same old.” And that edginess is attractive, especially to young people.

6) “There is no place more alone at a party than the dishwashing station.”

Listen: Dear Hank and John: Let’s Be Mermaids (17:14)

• That’s a good thing, says John Green, best-selling novelist and guy who apparently spends 45 minutes avoiding people and listening to podcasts while the party winds down.
• Says Green: “It is a slightly selfless act, but mostly selfish.”

7) “The Hope Diamond’s curse can smell fear.”

Listen: Sidedoor: The Curse of the Hope Diamond (3:24)

• So says half-joking — but maybe half-serious! — host Tony Cohn, who illuminates the stories and the truth behind the infamous gem’s dark side.
• My take: Play it safe, friends. Don’t get all National Treasure-y with the Hope Diamond.

Go Deep

1) Startup Churches

Listen: StartUp

• Gimlet’s five-part series on “planting” new churches like they’re tech companies concludes.
• Binge time: 3 hours, 9 minutes.

2) eBay vs. PayPal

Listen: Business Wars

• The six-part series dissects the rivalry between the two pioneering internet powerhouses.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 33 minutes.

3) “The Dark Knight”

Listen: Filmspotting

• The pod marks the 10th anniversary of the landmark superhero movie with a deep dive.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

4) Depression and Creativity

Listen: The Great God of Depression

• The five-part series on depression as it relates to creativity dropped all of its episodes last Friday. I missed it before sending last week’s newsletter.
• Binge time: 1 hour, 56 minutes.

5) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Premature with this last week, too. Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their summer of Harry Potter immersion with an eight-part deep dive into the fourth book in J.K. Rowling’s series, plus the movie.
• Binge time: 12 hours, 21 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Almond, Steve The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Armstrong, Jesse The Watch

• Convo with the showrunner of “Succession.”

Blacc, Aloe Required Listening

Black, Michael Ian The Sporkful

Brady, Wayne Curious with Josh Peck

Byrne, Rose Off Camera With Sam Jones

Chu, Jon M. Playback

Clapper, James R. Trumpcast

Couric, Katie Stay Tuned with Preet

Culkin, Macaulay The Joe Rogan Experience

D’Onofrio, Vincent Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Falco, Edie Remote Controlled

Finnegan, William The New Yorker Radio Hour

• Remnick goes surfing with the Pulitzer winner.

Fogel, Susanna The Treatment

• Convo with director of “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”

Gill, Vince Walking the Floor

Huang, Eddie The Bill Simmons Podcast

Kaling, Mindy Scriptnotes

Kemper, Ellie Modern Love

• The actress reads Susan Perabo’s essay about the emotions of parenting.

Kroll, Nick The Dave Chang Show

Landgraf, John I Think You’re Interesting

• President and CEO of FX Networks on the future of TV, the problems with bingeing.

Lennon, Thomas The Adam Carolla Show

Leno, Jay WTF with Marc Maron

Lessin, Jessica The Digiday Podcast

• The Information founder on building a subscription-based media business.

Matlock, Glen Geoff Lloyd’s Hometown Glory

• Former Sex Pistols bassist talks about London.

Moynihan, Bobby Comedy Bang! Bang!

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria Pod Save America

O’Dowd, Chris WTF With Marc Maron

O’Neal, Shaquille Oprah’s Master Class

O’Rourke, Beto Pod Save the People

Promaulayko, Michele Skimm’d From the Couch

• Convo with the EIC of Cosmo.

Pryce, Jonathan I Think You’re Interesting

Rich, Nathaniel Longform Podcast

Rollins, Henry The Joe Rogan Podcast

• Punk legend goes almost 3 hours, promotes his new Showtime show.

Samuelsson, Marcus Eater Upsell

Schur, Mike The Good Place: The Podcast

Simmons, Bill Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Talev, Margaret NPC Update-1

• Bloomberg News White House correspondent on covering the Trump administration.

Watts, Shannon Off Message

• Convo with founder of Moms Demand Action about gun regulation, knowing where to find the closest hospital.

Woodruff, Judy The Axe Files

Notable New Podcasts

1) Slow Burn: The Impeachment of Bill Clinton

• The second season of the hit pod takes on the saga of the president’s impeachment. Leon Neyfakh hosts.

2) Kalki Presents: My Indian Life

• Kalki Kanmani hosts the pod about “life for young Indian adults in the 21st century.”

3) Words Matter

• Elise Jordan and Steve Schmidt talk to “journalists, elected officials, policy-makers and thought-leaders” to “analyze the week’s news and get at the real truth behind all the distracting headlines.”

4) The Great God of Depression

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

Podcasts broke news. Podcasts soothed (me, at least). Podcasts put things into perspective. Podcasts featured A-listers. Podcasts interviewed inanimate objects. And people are still listening to Serial! As of this afternoon, it’s No. 13 on the iTunes chart.

Lastly, shouts to all who sent podcast recommendations about Achilles, tales of your own Achilles woes and well wishes. Thank you, and thanks for reading.

7 Pod Takes

1) “I don’t think joy is a privilege. I think freedom can be a privilege; I think luxury and comfort can be a privilege. But joy is a piece of basic human resilience. It’s a human birthright.”

Listen: On Being: Living the Questions with Krista Tippett (7:58)

• So says Tippett in just a snippet of her wise and beautiful response to the question: “How can we stay present to what’s happening in the world without giving in to despair and hopelessness?”
• She adds: “[H]owever seriously we must take what’s happening in the world and what the headlines are reflecting, it is never the full story of our time. It’s not the last word on what we’re capable of. It’s not the whole story of us.”
• My take: Tippett’s the guide we need for these extraordinary times. A highly recommended pod.

2) “I’m Jewish, and there’s a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened. I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong. I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong.”

Listen: Recode Decode: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: The Kara Swisher interview (20:25)

• That’s Facebook’s Zuckerberg, with the horrifically bad take that triggered countless hot takes and baffled millions.
• My take: See Jaron Lanier’s take from last week, arguing that we should delete our social media accounts.

3) “He might be another Alexander Hamilton in American history.”

Listen: Trumpcast: The Pieces of the Mueller Puzzle (5:35)

• That’s host Virginia Heffernan, on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s importance and potential place in history books.
• She adds: He’s a non-president who “has moral authority who wears it well and acts on it with integrity.”
• Heffernan talks to Garrett Graff, Mueller’s biographer and a critical voice chronicling the day-to-day of the Special Counsel’s investigation. Graff believes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the investigation’s linchpin.
• Graff says: “In a world of foxes and hedgehogs, Rod Rosenstein is the ultimate hedgehog. He knows how Donald Trump’s presidency ends.”

4) “Can you count to 27?”

Listen: The Bill Simmons Podcast: Denzel Washington on ‘He Got Game,’ the Yankees, and LeBron (4:48)

• That’s Denzel, in a disappointing performance as a cliched New York Yankees fan taunting Boston Red Sox fan Simmons with the number of championships won by the guys in pinstripes.
• My take: Overall a strong pod, recommended for sports fans or Denzel fans. Or both.

5) “It’s cost us ‘Take your hand off my leg, you creepy boss’ money.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Saving Women (2:36)

• That’s Sallie Krawcheck, highlighting the damage of the gender investing gap.
• The numbers: Women save 74 percent of their income as cash. Men save 61 percent, and invest the rest.
• Says Krawcheck, who’s spent her career in Wall Street power positions: The costs of that gap are substantial, from having to stay in awful jobs to losing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime.

6) “[Red pepper flakes are] the Meryl Streep of the table toppings.”

Listen: Bon Appetit Foodcast: Pizza, Pizza! (8:35)

• So says Alex Delany, touting red pepper flakes as the go-to topping during his effort to eat 30 slices of New York cheese pizza in 36 hours.

7) “I thank God every day of my life that I was not born a can of minestrone soup.”

Listen: Everything is Alive: Louis, Can of Cola (16:02)

• So says Louis, a can of cola and the star of Ian Chillag’s new interview show where all the guests are inanimate objects.
• My take: Brilliant and weird. Mostly brilliant.

Go Deep

1) “Nanette”

Listen: Srsly, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Original Content

• Hannah Gadsby’s stand-up special that somewhere in the middle turns into “something else entirely,” according to PCHH’s Stephen Thompson, has become a cultural phenomenon.
• It’s been talked about, written about and fawned over for weeks, but it seems to have hit a critical mass among the pods this week — the “backlash to the backlash,” says PCHH’s Glen Weldon.
• Why? The “something else entirely” of Gadsby’s show has created space and urgency to discuss gender, trauma, art history, abuse, anger, storytelling and the limits of stand-up comedy.
• Guest Kumail Nanjiani shares the perspective of a stand-up on PCHH.
• SRSLY says Gadsby shows how comedy works in a way that isn’t boring or technical.

2) Bo Burnham

Listen: Bullseye, Fresh Air, Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau, The Big Picture, Filmspotting, Mortified, The H3 Podcast

• Peak Burnham? The YouTuber, comedian and director of “Eighth Grade” makes the pod rounds in support of his much-loved movie about a 13-year-old girl’s last week of eighth grade and the videos she makes.
• Why a girl? Burnham researched videos of kids talking online. He says on Late Night Whenever: “The boys tended to talk about Minecraft. The girls tended to talk about their souls. So it was like, obviously I’m going to write about the girls.”
• He adds: “The story about the boy would be just like 90 minutes of Fortnite references.”
• Fact check from a father of an almost middle grader: True.

3) Nuclear Energy

Listen: American Innovations

• Wondery’s six-part series hosted by Steven Johnson chronicles the rise and future of nuclear energy.
• Binge time: 4 hours, 7 minutes

4) The Avett Brothers

Listen: You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

• A 3-hour, 54-minute pod with the brothers Avett, perfect for those who are sad because they have to miss them on tour this summer (read: me).

Guest Appearances By…

Bharara, Preet Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

Brooks, Arthur The Ezra Klein Show

Case, Neko I Think You’re Interesting

• The singer-songwriter of one the best songs ever featuring a killer whale talks about her process, women in the music industry.

Charli XCX And the Writer is…

Couric, Katie The Dan Wootton Interview

Danson, Ted The Good Place: The Podcast

Diggs, Daveed WTF With Marc Maron, The Deadline Podcast

• “Hamilton” star on Oakland, his new movie “Blindspotting.”

D’onofrio, Vincent Curious with Josh Peck

Duritz, Adam This Must Be the Gig

Esposito, Cameron Modern Love

• Comic and actress reads an essay about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Gaffigan, Jim The Adam Carolla Show

Gillan, Karen Inside of You

Ginsburg, Josh Recode Decode

• Zignal Labs CEO on the rise of bots in social media.

Greenwell, Megan Longform Podcast

• Convo with Deadspin’s EIC, the first external hire to lead the site.

Grossman, Mindy Skimm’d From the Couch

Hannah, Liz Scriptnotes

• The screenwriter of “The Post” talks storytelling.

Jay-Z Oprah’s Master Class

Johnson, Dwayne Oprah’s Master Class

Koppelman, Brian Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Convo about poker, restaurants and “Billions” with the show’s co-creator.

Kroll, Nick Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Madden, Steve How I Built This with Guy Raz

Manson, Shirley Dear Sugars

• Garbage singer on being an outsider.

Macdonald, Kelly Maltin on Movies

Nancherla‏, Aparna Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau

Newhart, Bob WTF With Marc Maron

Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria Pod Save the People

Pfeiffer, Dan The Axe Files

Roker, Al It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Rooney, Wayne Pardon My Take

Smith, Jeron Strictly Business

• Steph Curry’s media partner talks expanding into entertainment.

Souza, Pete Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

• Convo with the presidential photographer for Obama and Reagan.

Stanhope, Doug The Joe Rogan Experience

Totenberg, Nina Stay Tuned with Preet

Tyler, Aisha The Tim Ferriss Show

Van Sant, Gus WTF with Marc Maron, The Treatment

Waithe, Lena The Dave Chang Show

Whitehouse, Sheldon Important Not Important

• U.S. Senator on speaking about climate change in Congress 200 (!) times.

Williamson, Marianne The Goop Podcast

Youssef, Bassem Forked Up

Notable New Podcasts

1) The Wilderness

• Jon Favreau and Crooked Media launched a 15-chapter pod that chronicles the history and future of the Democratic Party “through conversations with strategists, historians, policy experts, organizers, and voters.”

2) Oprah’s Master Class

• The Queen of All Media spins off another pod, this one not-so-surprisingly about big achievers’ personal stories and lessons learned.

3) Everything is Alive

• It’s “an interview show in which all the guests are inanimate objects.” Ian Chillag hosts.

4) Race Chaser

• Alaska and Willam break down every episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

5) Business Wars Daily

• The binge-worthy show about business rivalries spins off a daily pod focusing on current biz issues.

6) Passions in America

• A simple but compelling premise: Joe Posnanski speaks with guests about their biggest passions.

7) Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone

• The comedian pitches her pod as “a comedy field guide to life.”

8) The Realness

• The pod “goes behind Prodigy’s music to reveal his lifelong struggle against his own body, and how that struggle informed his lyrics and fueled his success.” Prodigy suffered from sickle cell disease. He died in 2017.

9) Wrong Skin

• A new true crime pod about “a relationship banned under traditional law. An investigation into an unsolved suspicious death and a missing person in the Australian outback.”

So far so good with my recovery from my Achilles rupture. My podcast listening has suffered though. I usually listen while hiking, exercising or driving, and I’ll be doing none of those things for a while.

Your recommendations for hot pod takes, binges and new pod recommendations are welcome more than ever. Send ’em along. Meanwhile, I’ll squeeze in my listening at 1.5x speed.

7 Pod Takes

1) “[The World Cup] felt like ‘The Truman Show’ in many ways.”

Listen: Pod Save the World: The Politics of the World Cup with Roger Bennett (38:30)

• That’s Bennett, on Russia’s slick efforts to normalize itself during the World Cup. He adds: It’s been as much of a propaganda affair as the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
• Bennett’s been making the pod rounds behind his American Fiasco pod, and this particular intertwining of soccer and politics is worth your time, even if you’re not a soccer fan.
• Hopeful news from the pod: He’s bullish on soccer in the U.S., citing its popularity with under 30s. In that demo, the sport has surpassed baseball in popularity.
• My take: Smart kids. With expanded television coverage and the FIFA video game as gateways to the sport, the U.S. has become a true soccer power, despite the men’s team’s failure to make the tourney.
• Prediction for Sunday’s final: France 2, Croatia 0.

2) “The pretense of not having a point of view is inhuman.”

Listen: The Organist: Voice of God (13:40)

• That’s Peter Coyote, who, along with Penelope Spheeris and Ellie Kemper, talks about voices from heaven and hell in the KCRW/McSweeney’s co-production. It’s the pod’s fifth-season opener.
• Coyote, who narrates Ken Burns’ films, shares how he and the director work to create the famed just-the-facts “voice of God.”

3) “I think we could all use some Adderall to concentrate, and a medic to make us purge and then a stiff drink to make us all forget this sad failure to connect accusation with actual evidence.”

Listen: The Gist: A Cancer on the Court (6:33)

• So says Mike Pesca, concluding his righteous opening remarks on the sad circus that was Peter Strzok’s 10-hour hearing with the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees.
• Context: At one point during the contentious hearing, a Democratic representative urged a GOPer to take his meds.
• My take: If you don’t think the disconnect between reality and the GOPs grandstanding is obvious (it is), Pesca’s astute analysis of the hearing and the accusations of bias makes it clear.

4) “Before NWA used rap to editorialize about police, I guess ‘Convoy’ editorialized about a different level of police enforcement, the speed limit enforcement.”

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts: On American Highways I: A brief history of family road-trips in the USA (34:19)

• So says Potts, building on guest Richard Ratay’s observation that the 1975 song “Convoy” is “kind of an early rap song.”
• It’s a quick digression in an extensive, enthralling pod about road tripping in the United States, with the author of “Don’t Make Me Pull Over!”
• Part two of the pod, with guest Candacy Taylor, focuses on the African-American road tripping experience.

5) “I thought we weren’t going to get to the Nazis until at least 30 minutes in.”

Listen: The Ezra Klein Show: Jaron Lanier’s case for deleting social media right now (5:45)

• That’s Klein, following Lanier’s reference to the Nazis’ use of new-at-the-time media — cinema, radio and television — to distribute propaganda.
• Lanier says: “The novelty amplified the power of the propaganda.”
• Invoking Nazis sets up a discussion of social media. Lanier argues you should delete your accounts.
• My take: Tempting, Lanier. Very tempting.

6) “If you’re just an influencer, in my head I’m immediately just like [irritating screech] no talent.”

Listen: Sidenote: Influencers: Pure Trash or This Generation’s Treasure? (38:59)

• If you’re just selling something and you have no underlying skills, Sidenote co-host Greg has no respect for you.
• He and co-host Mitch aren’t totally dismissive. It’s a nuanced 56-minute exploration of social media influencer culture.
• My take: Greg’s screech is on the money.

7) “‘Wheel of Fortune’ is to ‘Jeopardy,’ as the Highlights magazine seek-n-find is to the Times Sunday crossword.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Jeopardy! (2:29)

• That’s Glen Weldon, justifiably positioning “Jeopardy!” well above its fellow game show mainstay.
• Weldon adds: “As a vector for reminding your parents that they are raising an insufferable, smarty pants know-it-all, there is nothing better.”
• Linda Holmes has the game show’s back: “If you try to come at me and you say, ‘Jeopardy!’s not cool,’ that’s ridiculous. Jeopardy! is always cool.”
• My take: I’ve got your back, Holmes.

Got a Pod Take, a show to binge or a great guest I should consider for next week’s newsletter? Send it!

Go Deep

1) Fermi’s Paradox

Listen: This American Life

• The Fermi Paradox gets a ton of podcast love, including just a couple weeks ago on Crazy/Genius.
• This week, Ira shares three stories in a 1 hour, 1 minute episode on Fermi’s enduring question: If there’s a high probability of intelligent alien life, where are the aliens?

2) “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion continue their summer of Harry Potter immersion with a five-part deep dive into the third book in J.K. Rowling’s series, plus the movie.
• Binge time: 6 hours, 18 minutes

3) “Bend It Like Beckham”

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• One hour, 17 minutes with a soccer movie that passes the Bechdel test.

4) Ford vs. Chevrolet

Listen: Business Wars

• A four-part series on the rivalry between the American car makers.
• Binge time: 2 hours, 3 minutes

Guest Appearances By…

Carothers, Zachary Armchair Expert

• Portugal. The Man bassist on the elusiveness of a pop hit, with bandmate John Gourley.

Carden, D’Arcy The Good Place: The Podcast

• Janet!

Carter, Troy The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

Durbin, Dick Pod Save America

Duritz, Adam Celebration Rock, The Adam Carolla Show

• Counting Crows singer-songwriter on songwriting, “Perfect Blue Buildings.”

Fogel, Bryan Longform Podcast

• Convo with the director of “Icarus.”

Goldthwait, Bobcat WTF with Marc Maron, Maltin on Movies

Gourley, John Armchair Expert

• Portugal. The Man singer on the elusiveness of a pop hit, with bandmate Zachary Carothers.

Groff, Lauren Bookworm

Jillette, Penn The Moment With Brian Koppelman

Kaine, Tim Rockin’ the Suburbs

• U.S. Senator plays harmonica, talks about his love for The Replacements.

Liotta, Ray WTF with Marc Maron

• The actor talks about his adoption, Melanie Griffith.

Love, Darlene Ask Me Another

McElhenney, Rob Inside of You

• “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star on his childhood, fighting with his co-stars.

Middleditch, Thomas Comedy Bang! Bang!

Negreanu, Daniel Pardon My Take

• Poker legend talks about about poker and betting about eating McDonald’s.

Newmark, Craig Recode Decode

Pennington, Ty Remote Controlled

Perlman, Itzhak Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Pesca, Mike But That’s Another Story

Pfeiffer, Dan How to Be Amazing With Michael Ian Black

Pollan, Michael Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Reiner, Rob The Adam Carolla Show

• Director promotes his new film, talks for millionth time about “This is Spinal Tap.”

Riley, Boots WTF with Marc Maron, Talkhouse, The Treatment

Sanz, Horatio Comedy Bang! Bang!

Sedaris, David Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Silverman, Sarah Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Southern, Taryn Duncan Trussell Family Hour

Urrea, Luis Alberto On Being

Vanderpump, Lisa Remote Controlled

Van Sant, Gus The Big Picture

Voss, Chris Waking Up With Sam Harris

• Convo with a former FBI hostage negotiator.

Wilson, Rainn It’s Been a Minute With Sam Sanders

Yang, Alan The Dave Chang Show

Notable New Podcasts

Bonus: Two weeks’ worth this week.

1) Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

• The actor promises “spirited conversations with people who know how hard it is, and yet how good it feels, to really connect with other people.”

2) Gaslit Nation

• Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior attempt to tame the “chaotic news cycle” with a bi-monthly news pod. Their promise: a deep dive on the news with “analysis, history, and context.”

3) Jesus and Jollof

• A new comedy pod with “Luvvie Ajayi and Yvonne Orji, two proudly Nigerian women talking about the things they love, their stories, and life in general.”

4) Don’t @ Me

• Justin Simien conducts “unfiltered conversations with the stars, artists and creators shaping our culture.”

5) Junk

• Tommy Pico “interviews a treasure trove of cultural luminaries about relics, keepsakes, and rando baubles in their apartments, sussing out the stories of their Junk.”

6) Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities

• It’s a “tour of the unbelievable, the unsettling, and the bizarre” from the guy behind Lore.

7) You Must Remember This

• The pod that explores “the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century” returns for a new season. Nicholas Quah talks to host Karina Longworth all about it.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes

 1) “The exercise of curiosity requires a risk, a sacrifice, a commitment.”

Listen: Revisionist History: Malcolm Gladwell’s 12 Rules for Life (2:15)

• That’s Gladwell on why he loves one of Megan McArdle’s rules for life: “Always order one extra dish at a restaurant, an unfamiliar one.”

• Gladwell’s pod is a bait and switch — he doesn’t offer his own 12 rules — but it’s a great bait and switch.

• Gladwell puts forth one rule: Pull the goalie. Gladwell explains it in a typically Gladwellian way, circling through hockey strategy, home invasions, stand your ground laws and Wall Street quants for 45 minutes before getting to his point.

• That point: In life, don’t do the easy and agreeable thing.

2) “I think that’s the defining question of our time, not just in the United States but in Europe as well.”

Listen: The Daily: What Migrants Are Fleeing (21:18)

• So says Azam Ahmed, reacting to host Michael Barbaro’s articulation of “an incredibly complicated question for the United States.”

• The question: “If almost everyone in a country is living in fear and can make an argument that they need to come to the United States, what is the U.S. to do? It couldn’t possibly absorb an entire nation.”

• My take: A typically sober, insightful Daily pod about what’s driving migrants to the United States’ southern border and the towering challenges involved all around.

3) “It leaves truth telling no place to stand.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: Fake News: An Origin Story (22:14)

• That’s Andie Tucher, a professor at Columbia University, on Trump’s war on truth via assertions of “fake news.”

• She adds: “I find that really dangerous to the idea of a democracy.”

• Tucher and host Shankar Vedantam put the current cries of “fake news” into historical perspective, highlighting how what’s happening now differs from earlier cries of “fake news” in the U.S.

• My take: Tucher’s take’s on the money.

4) “Crumbs aren’t good in microgravity.”

Listen: The Kitchen Sisters Present: Give Space a Chance: Gastrodiplomacy in Orbit (4:43)

• So says Vickie Kloeris, manager of the International Space Station food system at the Johnson Space Center, in an excellent pod about food in space.

• It’s all about tortillas, she says. They offer a taste of Texas, where astronauts train. They also don’t shed crumbs that can peskily float into electronics.

• Spoiler: In space, people often crave spicy food.

5) “There’s gotta be a Ronaldo in there somewhere.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: The Beautiful Indicator (2:50)

• That’s Robert Smith, articulating the logic of Chinese leaders intent on turning their country into a world football/soccer superpower.

• China’s goal: to host and win the World Cup by 2050.

• The first steps: Build 20,000 training centers, 60,000 new fields and recruit 50 million players/potential Ronaldos.

6) “He just wanted to be the first cop in Middleboro to arrest a clown.”

Listen: Decoder Ring: Clown Panic (1:40)

• That’s Jonathan A. Martin, who was arrested in Kentucky in 2016 for wearing a creepy clown costume, on the motivation of his apprehending officer.

• Martin’s anecdote kicks off a terrific pod exploring the rise of creepy clowns in pop culture.

• Host Willa Paskin asks: “Why does an archetype that for hundreds of years made us laugh start to scare the bejesus out of us?”

7) “Cracker Jack are the coleslaw of candy.”

Listen: Pardon My Take: Vince Carter + Mt. Rushmore of Stadium Foods (14:44)

• The PMT guys stir up controversy around an early pick for the Mt. Rushmore of stadium foods.

• Spoiler: The hot dog earns George Washington’s spot.

Go Deep

1) The Supreme Court

Listen: Political Gabfest, Hysteria, Fake the Nation, Up First, NPR Politics, The Daily, 538 Politics

• The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the court’s (awful) decision to uphold President Trump’s travel ban dominated the news and politics pods. Among the highlights:

• Pod Save America: “It seems very likely that John Roberts is the swing vote on the court now,” says Jon Lovett.

• Trumpcast: Jacob Weisberg talks to UC Irvine Law and Poli Sci professor Rick Hasen.

• More Perfect: Reprises its episode on Korematsu v. United States, the case that upheld the internment of Americans of Japanese heritage during World War II.

2) The Islamic State

Listen: Caliphate

• The acclaimed New York Times pod about the Islamic State and the fall of Mosul finished up late last week, with the 10th and final episode trickling into The Daily’s pod feed over the weekend.

• Translation: Caliphate finished last week but I missed the last episode in my feed. I’m including it this week because it’s too powerful to skip. All 12 episodes are now available.

• Binge time: 5 hours, 25 minutes

3) WTF is Up with Kanye West?

Listen: Popcast

• The pod asks and answers important questions about Yeezy for 1 hour, 24 minutes.

4) Yellow Journalism

Listen: Business Wars: Hearst vs. Pulitzer

• A seven-part deep-dive into the rivalry that shaped American journalism for a generation.

• Binge time: 2 hours, 57 minutes

5) Pregnancy Discrimination

Listen: The Daily

• The 44-minute, two-part pod investigates “systematic and pervasive” discrimination against pregnant women inside large American companies.

6) “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

• The pod AV Club deemed one of the best of 2018 so far goes deep on the U.S. national anthem for 1 hour, 12 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Abrams, Stephanie Weather Geeks

• Convo with the meteorologist.

Anderson, Louie The Treatment

Apatow, Judd The New Yorker Radio Hour

• In conversation with Molly Ringwald about John Hughes movies and shifting cultural standards, Apatow asks, “How are we supposed to feel about jokes that we wouldn’t do now?”

Balaban, Bob I Think You’re Interesting

Bell, Kristen The Good Place: The Podcast

Bercovici, Jeff The Outside Podcast

• Author of “Play On” talks about being an athlete into your golden years.

Bialik, Mayim Anna Faris is Unqualified

Bloom, Rachel Amy Schumer Presents 3 Girls, 1 Keith

Boom, Steve The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

• The VP of Amazon Music on how Alexa and music. Says host Lefsetz about Amazon Music: The service might get little ink, but it’s a powerhouse.

Chesky, Brian Recode Decode

• Airbnb CEO on being on the wrong side of Trump, politics in tech.

Danes, Claire Remote Controller

De Laurentiis, Giada How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Garcetti, Eric The Ezra Klein Show

Gunn, James Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

• Convo with the director of “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Hoppins, Pete Planet Futbol with Grant Wahl

• Convo about Nigeria’s unis with Nike’s senior design director.

Howery, Lil Rey WTF with Marc Maron

Hyden, Steven Deviate With Rolf Potts

• Podcast host and author or “Twilight of the Gods” on rock as an aging art.

Kondabolu, Hari But That’s Another Story

Klein, Ezra Why is This Happening? With Chris Hayes

Meyers, Seth Remote Controller

Nugent, Ted The Joe Rogan Experience

Pesca, Mike Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air, The Sporkful

• The Gist host on politics, sports what-ifs and nachos.

Peterson, Jordan Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

• Convo with Canadian professor about Ukrainian farmers, white privilege.

Ringwald, Molly The New Yorker Radio Hour

• In conversation with Judd Apatow, she talks about her shifting feelings towards her work with John Hughes, which she wrote about for The New Yorker.

Rubio, Marco The Axe Files

• Convo with the U.S. Senator from Florida.

Shriver, Maria Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Willner, Charlotte and Dave Recode Decode

• Convo with the creators of Facebook campaign “Reunite an immigrant parent with their child.”

Yang, Alan The Dave Chang Show

• Co-creator of “Master of None” on transitioning from studying biology to doing comedy.

Yankovic, Weird Al Comedy Bang! Bang!

• Post-”Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” debrief from the musical comedy legend.

Zimmer, John How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with co-founder of Lyft.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Hysteria

• Erin Ryan hosts “a bicoastal squad of opinionated, mouthy women to discuss news, politics, and cultural stories that affect women’s lives, from serious to absurd.”

2) Inside Jaws

• Hosted by Mark Ramsey, it’s a “story of one man, a fresh-faced, inexperienced director who nearly wrecked his promising career and became the most important filmmaker of our era.”

3) Cher and Retweet

• Comedians Andy Balloch and Justin Porter take a “comedic journey down the rabbit hole that is Cher’s twitter feed.”

4) The Control Group

• It’s a 10-part “historical fiction” pod. The gist: “Encouraged by a private research group, a doctor at a mental ward sheds his ethical restraints in an effort to pioneer a new form of mental cleansing.”

5) At Liberty

• The weekly ACLU pod “explores the biggest civil rights and civil liberties issues.”

7 Pod Takes

1) “I think you can be in love and not love the person.”

Listen: Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith: Love (2:47)

• Schumer’s new pod begins with a hot take about love. She says: “Being ‘in love’ is a feeling that passes.”

• The whole pod’s about love, which, with Schumer (and three of her friends), means the conversation bounces from slow jams to the manipulation of “being songed” to Applebee’s to bladder devices.

• Also, there’s a Pound It or Pass segment, if you’d like to know which famous people Schumer and her friends would sleep with.

• Yes, Spotify’s paying her $1 million for her pod.

2) “If you could gamble on the existence of alien intelligence in Las Vegas, it’d be the easiest bet at the casino.”

Listen: Crazy/Genius: Why Haven’t We Found Aliens (5:44)

• Derek Thompson sums up the position of his guest, astrophysicist Adam Frank.

• The astrophysicist, by the way, would push all-in with a pro-alien intelligence bet.

• Says Thompson: “We are getting tantalizingly close to answering one of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos.”

• My take: A riveting, science-driven look at the oldest question in astronomy: Are we alone?

3) “This is an incredibly complicated policy problem even if you have the best, smartest, most experienced, compassionate people doing it. We do not have that in this situation.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “Sta-cey! Sta-cey! Sta-cey!” (4:18)

• That’s Dan Pfeiffer, talking about U.S. immigration policy and the Trump administration’s inhumane practices at the border.

• My take: I appreciate the mix of justified outrage and sober discussion about the challenges of border issues and immigration. The Pod Save America guys’ knowledge of the complex issue from their time in the Obama administration shows.

4) “Back in the day, if you wanted to see good-hearted Americans fighting Klansmen, you’d turn on Jerry Springer. And now if you want to see good-hearted Americans fighting Klansmen, you turn on CNN.”

Listen: The Press Box: Trump’s “Lies,” the Strange Case of Ali Watkins, and Stephen A. Smith (2:21)

• Co-host Bryan Curtis nails the state of media discourse in America.

5) “Biography the best form of history.”

Listen: The Tim Ferriss Show: Brandon Stanton — The Story of Humans of New York and 25M+ Fans (22:01)

• That’s Stanton, the man behind Humans of New York, which he says might be the most popular photography project on the planet.

• Biography, he says, “cuts through the theory” and the speculation of the author.

• My take: Inspiring story about an incredible project. Worth the Ferrissian-length pod of almost 2 hours.

6) “Everybody’s family believes they’ve pulled a fast one. And they never do. Everybody always knows.”

Listen: Dear Sugars: Who’s Your Daddy (24:11)

• That’s Steve Lickteig, whose family and most of his community kept his true identity a secret from him for 18 years.

• Spoilers: His mother and father, who he thought were his adoptive parents, are his biological grandparents. His eldest sister is his biological mother.

• My take: A fascinating look at Lickteig’s life, as well as the consequences of DNA testing and genetic discoveries on families.

7) “[It’s] kind of like when you get a really excellent burrito, and you’re like, ‘I cannot finish this, but I will.’”

Listen: Hannahlize This: We Tried a Rage Room (6:16)

• That’s Hannah Gelb, comparing smashing objects in a rage room to one of the greatest dishes in the world.

• My take: Rage rooms are like burritos? Rage rooms sound wonderful.

Got a Pod Take, a show to binge or a great guest I should consider for next week’s newsletter? Send it!

Go Deep

1) Songs of Summer

Listen: Switched on Pop, All Songs Considered

• Switched on Pop announces its Switched on Summer series, which will deconstruct “summer pop hits from the ‘60s to the present.”

• All Songs Considered pops open a box of wine and rides the roséwave for 38 minutes.

• Says NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich: Roséwave isn’t a musical genre. It’s a lifestyle.

2) Travel Writing

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts

• Travel writing heavyweights Potts and Thomas Swick highlight a discussion about the state of the genre in a post-Bourdain world.

• Binge time: 1 hour, 7 minutes.

3) Inclusivity in Outdoor Communities

Listen: Outside Podcast

• Outside wraps a four-part series looking at people of color in outdoor sports and communities.

• Binge time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

4) “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• A 1-hour, 16-minute breakdown of the movie.

5) “Pretty in Pink” Soundtrack

Listen: Heat Rocks

• Eliza Skinner goes 43 minutes on an iconic ‘80s movie soundtrack.

Guest Appearances By…

Adlon, Pamela Remote Controller

Alexander, Jason Modern Love

• The actor reads a story about the search for love and parking.

Anderson, Louie Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!

Barbaro, Michael Recode Decode

• Convo with host of “The Daily.”

Bird, Brad The Treatment

Beane, Billy Men in Blazers

• Inspiration for “Moneyball” talks soccer.

Boogie2988 H3 Podcast

• Convo with the comedian/vlogger.

Bortles, Blake Pardon My Take

• Bortles!

Brady, Tom Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Two-part convo with the New England Patriots’ QB, who attempts to prove he’s not a robot.

Buss, Jeanie Inside of You

• Convo with the president of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cannon, Kay FilmStruck

• The writer/director talks comedy writing, “Rocky” fantasies.

Cenac, Wyatt Late Night Whenever with Michelle Buteau

Cordeiro, Carlos Planet Futbol with Grant Wahl

• Convo with U.S. Soccer president about how Canada, Mexico and the U.S. won the 2026 World Cup. Also: Yes!

Donovan, Landon Planet Futbol with Grant Wahl

Ek, Daniel Recode Media with Peter Kafka

• Spotify’s CEO on R. Kelly, losing money.

Esposito, Cameron Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

Fahrenthold, David Pod Save America

• WaPo Pulitzer winner talks about his reporting on the Trump Foundation.

Frank, Adam The Joe Rogan Experience

• The astrophysicist goes 2 hours, 32 minutes on alien worlds.

Gillibrand, Kirsten Off Message

• Convo with the U.S. Senator from New York.

Glaser, Rob The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

• Convo with the founder of RealNetworks.

Grant, Heidi HBR Ideacast

• Social psychologist on how to ask colleagues for help.

Green, Laci Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

• Convo with “the internet’s favorite sex educator.”

Hamm, Jon Hannibal Buress Handsome Rambler

Itzkoff, Dave WTF with Marc Maron

• Author of new Robin Williams bio talks about the one-of-a-kind comic.

James, Jim Celebration Rock

Jacinto, Manny The Good Place: The Podcast

• Jason!

Kaine, Tim Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air

Kondabolu, Hari I Think You’re Interesting

Kreischer, Bert Anna Faris is Unqualified

Maddow, Rachel The Axe Files

Metcalf, Laurie Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin

Mitchell, Donovan The J.J. Redick Podcast

• Convo with one of the NBA’s top 2017-18 rookies.

Moore, Mandy Remote Controller

• Convo with the ”This is Us” star.

Mraz, Jason The Monocle Culture Show

Nash, Niecy It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Nichols, Rachel Pardon My Take

Olson, Kaitlin Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Pao, Ellen The Ezra Klein Show

Pfeiffer, Dan Recode Media with Peter Kafka, The Gist, The Moment with Brian Koppelman

• Convos with Pod Save America co-host about his new book, “Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump.”

Prine, John This Song

• Singer/songwriter discusses Dylan’s “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.”

Riggle, Rob The Adam Carolla Show

Rosner, Helen Longform Podcast

• Convo with The New Yorker food writer.

Snider, Dee This Past Weekend

Stickles, Patrick This Must Be the Gig

• Singer of Titus Andronicus on Sleater-Kinney and the band’s new album.

Taffer, Jon The Adam Carolla Show

Thornton, Billy Bob WTF with Marc Maron

Wilde, Olivia The Goop Podcast

Wilson, Chip How I Built This with Guy Raz

• Convo with founder of Lululemon Athletica.

Yang, Andrew Waking Up with Sam Harris

• Longshot presidential candidate talks universal basic income.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith

• Amy Schumer and her friends “dish about their lives, pop culture, politics, and stand-up comedy. It’s dinner with your besties—if your besties were morally bankrupt.” Extended episodes are available on Spotify.

2) Hard Factor

• Barstool Sports stays on brand with a “10ish minute news-suppository for people who think cable anchors don’t scream at each other enough.”

3) Rivers of Oil

• New Minnesota Public Radio pod’s “about the oil pipelines that flow beneath our feet and the epic tug of war between our reliance on oil and the risk that oil poses to the future.”

4) Aftereffect

• WNYC’s new pod tells the story of,a police shooting that “upended the life of Arnaldo Rios Soto, a 26-year old, non-speaking, autistic man.” Audrey Quinn hosts.

5) Hey Babe

• Missy and Bryan Lanning offer “a behind the scenes look into what it’s like running a family and multiple YouTube channels.”

6) Hollywood in Color

• The pod that covers “the stories of the stars usually left out of entertainment history — the people of color in front of and behind the camera” returns for its second season.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.

7 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week’s Podcasts

1) “If I heard the phrase ‘bucket list’ one more time … I was gonna just beat someone severely with a baseball bat.”

Listen: The Sporkful: Is This Pizza Worth Waiting For? (10:36)

• That’s Doug Sohn of Hot Doug’s, who was fed up with people who just wanted to eat his food. The problem, as he saw it: People waited up to four hours during his Chicago eatery’s waning days just to say they went there.

• Dr. Queue, aka MIT professor Dick Larson, calls such lines celebratory lines.

• Is waiting for hours for a slice of pizza or a sausage worth it? Sohn says he told his customers, “If you think it is.”

• Host Dan Pashman thought it was worth an hour wait for pizza at Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn.

• Spoiler: He wouldn’t do it again.

• My take: A great, thorough look at an unfortunate cultural phenomenon.

2) “The marshmallow test is the human condition.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: Let Them Eat Marshmallows (9:29)

• Stacey Vanek Smith sums up the marshmallow test, the famous experiment that asks little kids to eat the one marshmallow in front of them now — or wait five minutes and get two.

• Kids who can delay gratification allegedly grow up to be more successful.

• Spoiler: Scientists may have been thinking about the experiment wrong.

• Says Tyler Watts of the NYU developmental psych department: “[Delay of gratification] isn’t something we need to be overly concerned with teaching four year olds.”

3) “I think they would have thought it was the most asinine assertion possible.”

Listen: Lovett or Leave It: Autoerotic Obstruction of Justice (40:25)

• That’s the strong opinion of Kimberly West-Faulcon, weighing in on what the founders might have thought of President Trump’s suggestThe gision that he could pardon himself.

• She adds: “It’s taking a little bit of text of the constitution, and ignoring the rest of the entire document and its structure and its purpose.”

4) “Do I really have to advise you, ‘Try not to cast a vote based on a word you didn’t like six months ago from a person who has no power to affect your life?’”

Listen: The Gist with Mike Pesca: When Border Policy Crosses the Line (28:11)

• Mike Pesca wants nothing to do with stories about how Samantha Bee’s words or Robert De Niro’s words might sway voters.

• My take: Right on, Pesca.

5) “This is just a person who is living to an extreme that women are rarely granted.”

Listen: Still Processing: We Need Bad Women (21:07)

• So says Jenna Wortham, of the bruschetta-eating, ice cream-ruining murderous Villanelle in “Killing Eve.”

• Wortham and co-host Wesley Morris spend 48 minutes analyzing and celebrating that show and the movie “Ocean’s 8” for breaking ground in presenting “bad” women.

6) “Somehow Gedde Watanabe’s performance is one of the great comic performances of the last 30 years.”

Listen: Deviate with Rolf Potts: Why 1980s coming-of-age movies matter (30:34)

• That’s guest Kevin Smokler talking about Watanabe’s portrayal of Long Duk Dong in “Sixteen Candles.”

• Yes, Smokler knows Watanabe’s playing an offensive racial stereotype. He says Watanabe’s “an absolute force of nature, is like a weather system coming through that movie.”

• Smokler wrote “Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to ‘80s Teen Movies.”

• My take: A great, nuanced conversation about ‘80s teen movies overall as well as the most problematic character in the genre.

7) “The funny people are depressed, and the horror people making depressing, assaultive movies are super happy.”

Listen: Scriptnotes: Upgrade (12:02)

• So says Leigh Whannell, writer of “Saw” and other horror movies, about the people he sees in Hollywood.

Go Deep

1) Remembering Anthony Bourdain

Listen: The Press Box, House of Carbs, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Sound Opinions, I Have to Ask, StarTalk Radio, Anderson Cooper 360, The Watch, Fresh Air

• One way to judge Anthony Bourdain’s massive impact and his loss: His appeal was so broad that podcasts across topics from pop culture to writing to music to food to politics to astronomy offered their heartfelt remembrances. Here are just a few:

• Bryan Curtis on The Press Box: “What I was most struck by was, here’s a guy who had something like a hundred percent acclaim in American life.”

• Andy Greenwald on The Watch: He played a major role “not just in our lives, but in making us have better lives.”

• Glen Weldon on Pop Culture Happy Hour highlights Bourdain’s writing: “That prose was filled with such tightly controlled energy.”

• Sound Opinions revisits a conversation from 2008 about the similarities between the lifestyles of rockers and chefs.

• Neil DeGrasse Tyson revisits his two-part interview from 2013.

• Fresh Air revisits its 2016 interview.

• I Have to Ask runs a previously unaired 20-minute conversation from 2017.

2) “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

Listen: Binge Mode

• Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion kick off a summer of Harry Potter immersion with a five-part deep dive into the first book in J.K. Rowling’s series, plus the movie adaptation.

• Binge time: 6 hours, 22 minutes.

3) Women in “The Royal Tenenbaums”

Listen: The Bechdel Cast

• Jenny Yang joins the hosts for a 54-minute deep dive into the representation of women in the Wes Anderson classic.

4) “What a Fool Believes”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

• A 1-hour, 15-minute deep dive into The Doobie Brothers song, what they call “the most Dad song of all time.”

• My take: Wrong. The most dad song of all time is this.

Guest Appearances By…

Adlon, Pamela Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Balaban, Bob WTF with Marc Maron

Bird, Brad The Big Picture

• Convo with the director of “Incredibles 2.”

Bryant, Howard Fresh Air

• Convo about “the history of social protest among African-American athletes.”

Chua, Amy Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes

• Author of “Political Tribes” talks political tribalism.

Coe, Tyler Mahan Celebration Rock

• “Cocaine and Rhinestones” host talks Townes Van Zandt.

Cross, David How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Dubner, Stephen American Fiasco

• “Freakonomics” host talks World Cup soccer, USMNT failure.

Dunham, Lena RuPaul: What’s The Tee with Michelle Visage

Durkan, Jenny Off Message

• Mayor of Seattle on today’s political reality: “‘Resist’ is too passive.”

Frank, Adam The Joe Rogan Experience

Gibbard, Ben All Songs Considered

• Death Cab for Cutie singer on new music, how neighborhoods change.

Hanks, Colin Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

Hinojosa, Maria Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

• Convo with the host of “Latino USA.”

Hinton, Anthony Ray Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

• Two-part convo with man who spent 30 years in prison for crimes he didn’t commit.

Hunter, Holly WTF with Marc Maron

Irby, Samantha Talkhouse

• In conversation with Abbi Jacobson.

Jacobson, Abbi Talkhouse

• In conversation with Samantha Irby.

Jamil, Jameela The Good Place: The Podcast

Johnson, Jake Hannibal Buress: Handsome Rambler

Kerr, Steve The Lowe Post

• Post-NBA Championship convo with the Warriors’ coach.

King, Larry You Made it Weird with Pete Holmes

Klepper, Jordan The Treatment

Kroll, Nick The Bill Simmons Podcast

Kwan, Kevin But That’s Another Story

• Convo with “Crazy Rich Asians” writer.

Kweli, Talib Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Lambert, Liz The Tim Ferriss Show

• Convo with founder of Hotel San Jose about urban renewal.

Lampanelli, Lisa Curious with Josh Peck

• Comic talks food, roasting Chevy Chase.

Lawson, Jenny Dear Hank & John

Linnell, John This Must Be the Gig

• Convo with a giant of They Might Be Giants.

Macchio, Ralph ID10T

Mantzoukas, Jason Comedy Bang! Bang!

Manziel, Johnny Pardon My Take

• Talking CFL, Drake with the QB.

Moore, Mandy Modern Love

• “This Is Us” star reads an essay about “disability, ability, and the misconceptions surrounding both.”

Meyers, Seth The J.J. Redick Podcast

Neville, Morgan The Big Picture

• Convo with the director of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.”

Ondaatje, Michael Bookworm

Perel, Esther The Gender Knot

Remnick, David Bon Appetit Foodcast

• The New Yorker editor shares his Sunday morning smoked fish ritual.

Tamblyn, Amber WTF with Marc Maron

Tyler, Aisha I Think You’re Interesting

Warner, Mark Recode Decode

• Convo with the U.S. Senator from Virginia.

Winokur, Marissa Jaret Whine Down

Wright, Edgar R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME?

• “Baby Driver” director talks R.E.M., music in movies.

Yang, Jimmy O. Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig

Zabka, Billy ID10T

• Johnny!

Notable New Podcasts

1) Bubble

• Maximum Fun’s first scripted comedy series follows a “band of monster killers” struggling “to make ends meet and find love in a nightmarish version of the gig economy.”
• Alison Becker and Keith Powell star, with podcast faves John Hodgman, Paul F. Tompkins and others as guests.

2) Gossip

• The “comedic soap opera” follows “three unlikely female friends” who “meet each week to drink coffee and share the latest gossip floating around their not-so-traditional suburban town.” Allison Raskin stars.

3) ZigZag

• Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant document “the process of starting a media company without becoming bad mothers, bankrupting themselves, or destroying their wonderful creative partnership.”

4) Middle:Below

• The audio drama focuses on “ghosts, cats and the odd people who look after them.”

5) Comeback Szn

• Johnny Manziel is one of the hosts of a new Barstool Sports pod about football and Manziel’s journey with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

6) Rough Translation

• NPR’s beloved pod that asks “How are the things we’re talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world?” returns for its third season.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. Also, find us on Twitter @WeekInPodcasts.