No newsletter for the next few months. It’s been a long 2020-21, so I’m putting this side project on hiatus until September and carving out some extra non-screen time.
New Podcasts: June 2021
Ronstadt (June 1) Rhett and Link star in “a supernatural noir comedy set on the mean streets of LA about a 9-1-1 phone jockey.” Wastelanders: Old Man Star-Lord (June 1) Quill and Rocket “discover the Earth isn’t what it used to be…when they crash land 30 years after all the world’s super villains seized control.” […]
New Podcasts: May 2021
The Times (May 3) The Los Angeles Times daily pod “will take listeners beyond the headlines, with our West Coast outlook on the world.” I Am All In (May 3) Scott Patterson, aka Luke from “Gilmore Girls” launches a rewatch pod of the beloved TV show. Impostors: The Spy (May 3) The Spotify […]
New Podcasts: April 2021
Dark Air with Terry Carnation (April 1) Rainn Wilson stars in a “fictional darkly comedic podcast that explores the on and off-air life of Terry Carnation – a late-night talk-radio show host who deals with bizarre topics, outrageous callers.” The Sketch Factor (April 1) The scripted sketch comedy podcast series stars Fred Armisen. Crushed […]
New Podcasts: March 2021
In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson (March 1) The ABC pod “reveals how one vastly underestimated woman navigated the politics and polarization of her era to become one of the most influential members of the Johnson administration, even if we never knew it.” Stolen: The Search for Jermain (March 1) The true-crime pod from […]
New Podcasts: February 2021
Updated: March 25, 9:44 p.m. PEOPLE Every Day (Feb. 1) People magazine’s Janine Rubenstein “[takes] you inside our newsroom each weekday for the latest in news, entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture.” Radical Musings with Rosanna Arquette (Feb. 1) She hosts “intimate chats and insightful interviews with today’s newsmakers of politics, entertainment and social justice.” Brass […]
Many of the best podcasts are music related. Yeah, I say that as a music lover. But because I love music I set the bar high. And podcasters in the space are clearing that bar. Five of the 21 podcasts that made This Week in Podcasts’ Essential Podcast Episodes of 2020 were music related, and […]
To the Moon Edition (#143)
Huge week for new podcasts, short squeezes, and rocket emoji. Podcasters were all over the GameStop stock market saga. Other things of interest to podcasters this week: Murder, God, Tom Cruise, grandmothers, and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” The counts: 41 notable guests, 19 new podcasts, four deep dives and one spinoff newsletter. Subscribe to […]
Relief Edition (#142)
Not a bad week, yeah? For podcasts, too. Let’s get to it. The counts: 43 notable guests, seven new podcasts, six deep dives and one malarkey-free new president. Pod Take of the Week “If I choose not to speak out of fear, then there’s no one that my silence is standing for.” Listen: Ted Talks […]
All-Too-Human Edition (#141)
The new podcast release schedule seems back up to speed, including an iHeartRadio production about insurrections. Yeah, the events of last week are still the talk of Podland. Covering that and much more this week. Let’s get to it. The counts: 47 notable guests, 10 new podcasts, seven deep dives and one actor with some […]
Getting Real Edition (#140)
Can’t say I listened to much this week beyond coverage of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. I did add some promising new podcasts in my queue, though. Hope you find some good stuff here, too. Remember: I keep a longer, evolving list of new and upcoming podcasts, and you can sign up now for […]
New Podcasts: January 2021
365 Stories I Want to Tell You Before We Both Die (Jan. 1) It’s an “oral history of Caveh Zahedi by Caveh Zahedi.” The Show Show (Jan. 1) An exploration of the “A-Z and the 1,2,3 of musicals.” The Bible in a Year (Jan. 1) Fantastic! With Dana Carvey (Jan. 2) Morning Announcements (Jan. 4) […]
Sleuthing the Truth Edition (#139)
I expected a slow week in Podland. I was wrong. Some notable happenings: It’s the end of the beloved, pandemic-inspired pod Home Cooking. The New York Times says its podcast Caliphate was “not sufficiently rigorous” and several episodes failed to meet its editorial standards. More end-of-the-year lists came out, including Discover Pods’ 71 Best Podcasts […]
Crime. Culture. Race. Art. Science. Sports. Business. Tech. Nature. Food. This year’s list of essential episodes showcases the breadth of great 2020 podcasts across genres. I’ve (mostly) avoided episodes from narrative series, and I’ve limited episodes to one per show. A few podcasters and friends of the newsletter also contributed picks. You’ll notice several music-related […]
Essential Episodes Edition (#138)
Best-podcasts-of-the-year season continues: Marie Claire’s 55 True Crime Podcasts We’ve Been Hooked On This Year Mashable’s The Best New Podcasts of 2020 The New Yorker’s The Best Podcasts of 2020 Teen Vogue’s Best Podcasts of 2020 Vulture’s The Best Podcasts of 2020 I’ve also posted This Week in Podcasts’ 22 Essential Podcast Episodes of 2020. […]
‘Tis the Season Edition (#137)
Happy best-podcasts-of-the-year season! Some highlights: Apple’s Show of the Year (Spoiler: It’s Code Switch) Apple’s Favorites of the Year Bello Collective’s 100 Outstanding Podcasts From 2020 CNET’s Best Podcasts of 2020 Pocket Casts’ Top 100 of 2020 Shondaland’s Best Podcasts of 2020 Spotify’s 2020 Podcast Hall of Fame More best-of lists next week for sure, […]
This American Life celebrated its 25th anniversary by dropping several classic episodes into its feed. Great timing, because it’s been a relatively quiet week in Podcastland. Few new podcasts, few ambitious deep dives. Ample coverage of U.S. Thanksgiving, though. The counts: 59 notable guests, 12 new podcasts, four deep dives and one re-evaluation of “Lolita.” […]
New Podcasts: 2021
I’ve expanded and contracted coverage of new podcasts. Each Friday, the This Week in Podcasts newsletter includes a curated list of the most notable and best new podcasts of the previous seven days. Think high-charting debuts, pods with buzz and my own critical preference, with commentary. This is my staging ground, a longer, evolving list […]
Congrats to Bill Gates and Rashida Jones on their new pod, which hit No. 1 on Apple Podcasts. Bigger props to Dolly Parton. The legend made a large donation to help fund coronavirus vaccine research. Learn more about her awesomeness in Dolly Parton’s America, which, though it released last year, rose to No. 62 on […]
No Chaos Edition (#134)
Quick note: This Saturday edition was unplanned. Thanks for your patience. Next week’s edition will arrive on Saturday by design. Same podcast love, just a day later. This week’s counts: 45 notable guests, 12 new podcasts, five deep dives and one president-elect who believes in math. Pod Take of the Week “You can’t litigate math. […]