Since starting This Week in Podcasts in February (subscribe to the newsletter here) I’ve featured 511 different podcasts.
From one perspective, it’s a sliver of the more than 600,000 different podcasts available via iTunes alone. From another perspective, over 42 weeks, I’ve covered a lot of podcasts.
This list is comprised of knockout episodes from the podcasts I’ve featured in the newsletter. I’m not saying they’re the best podcast episodes of 2018. I’m saying these are the podcast episodes that riveted me personally, or, as best as I can tell, broke out of the podcast-universe bubble and exploded in the wider culture. They’re presented in chronological order.
Note: I haven’t broken out episodes from series like Serial where the narrative spans multiple episodes. Treat yourself and binge those in their entirety.
Still Processing, “We Paint the Town Obama”
March 8
Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris visited President Barack Obama’s portrait at Washington D.C.’s National Portrait Gallery. The pair recorded in the gallery, beautifully capturing their giddy, raw reactions and their extended analysis of Barack and Michelle’s portraits.
This American Life, “Five Women”
March 22
A #MeToo story focused on five women who worked for the same man.
Today, Explained, “The Survivors”
March 26
Survivors of shootings in Chicago, Marjory Stoneman High School and Columbine High School talk about coping with their shared tragedies. The reviews on twitter were spectacular:
“Exceptional” —@lindaholmes
“Truly great work” — @tebbytater
“Holy fuck” — @ThePodPlaylist
My Favorite Murder, ”I’ll Be Gone in the Dark at Skylight Books”
April 5
Patton Oswalt, master of squeezing comedy out of tragedy, guested on MFM to speak about the crime book of his late wife, Michelle McNamara. The pod takes you into the mind of a true-crime writer. It’s a fascinating, scary place.
The Ezra Klein Show, “Sam Harris Debate” / Waking Up with Sam Harris, “Identity & Honesty”
April 9
Klein and Harris had been debating/fighting/feuding for a while, starting with Klein calling out Harris for a podcast Harris did with “The Bell Curve” author Charles Murray about the biological differences and intelligence levels of different races. After a subsequent back-and-forth spilled onto Twitter and a private email exchange Harris made public, they spoke. They released their conversation on both their feeds.
The Nod, “Taco Bout It”
April 16
Brittany Luce tells the story of Chef Ocho’s heartbreaking and heartwarming rise from selling tacos from his front lawn in Watts to popular purveyor of “black tacos.” It’s a success story and a bringing-people-together story, both compelling and well told.
Trump, Inc., “The Company Michael Cohen Kept”
April 18
In no way would you have been surprised by the downfall of President Trump’s former personal attorney if you’d listened to this episode back in April.
Reply All, “INVCEL”
May 10
The gist: “How a shy, queer Canadian woman accidentally invented one of the internet’s most toxic male communities.” Twitter blew up over this episode. Sample tweet, from @katiekoff: “Every single person that thinks feminism isn’t absolutely necessary needs to listen to the latest episode from @replyall INVCEL.”
Revisionist History, “Divide and Conquer”
May 17
Malcolm Gladwell takes a typically Gladwellian deep dive into “the world’s most controversial semicolon.” An obscure law review article leads Gladwell to punctuation that means Texas could break into five different states and “turn American politics upside down.” Gladwell says, “It’s like they loaded a shotgun with commas and fired it at the Second Amendment.”
The Sporkful, “How to Read a Taco”
May 21
Host Dan Pashman and Professor Steven Alvarez, who teaches Taco Literacy at the University of Kentucky, go on a taco crawl through Queens and talk about the cultural significance of everyone’s favorite food.
Endless Thread, “I, Ken Bone”
June 1
Ken Bone and his red sweater became a meme at a 2016 U.S. presidential debate. Then his notoriety faded. On this episode, Bone reflects on his experience. I love how the episode takes something most of us gave two seconds of thought and gives it a lot of thought, recontextualizing it and making us see it a different way.
Reply All, “The QAnon Code”
June 7
An excellent explainer about the “internet’s most encompassing conspiracy theory to date.”
On Being, “Living the Questions with Krista Tippett – #1”
July 16
Krista Tippett offers a 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’s the guide we need for these extraordinary times.
Everything is Alive, “Louis, Can of Cola”
July 17
The debut of Ian Chillag’s interview show where the guests are inanimate objects. It’s brilliant and weird. Mostly brilliant. Said Louis: “I thank God every day of my life that I was not born a can of minestrone soup.”
Dear Sugars, “Dear Sugars Live: The Great Reckoning”
July 28
Steve Almond and Cheryl Strayed take a deep dive into reckonings, examining “that long difficult stare back at your mistakes, your transgressions, your delusions.” A great podcast about a difficult subject, approached with humility and humor.
Popcast, “Can Guns N’ Roses, or Any Artist, Erase an Unflattering Moment?”
August 4
Host Jon Caramanica and his guests address the question: “What happens when artists take control of their legacy and say, ‘Nah, we didn’t do that’?” Specifically, they talk about “One in a Million,” the GNR song that includes offensive and bigoted language — and that was disappeared from the band’s box set. It’s a fascinating look at the impermanence of art and culture in the digital age.
Deviate with Rolf Potts, “Punk Icon Ian MacKaye on why we should question the official history of rock music”
September 4
Potts talks to punk legend MacKaye about how punk’s not a sound or a style or a look or an attitude. MacKaye says: “It’s the place new ideas can be presented without having to hew to profit motives only.” If anyone would know, it’s MacKaye.
The Joe Rogan Experience, “Elon Musk”
September 7
This is the episode where the business and tech innovator lit up with Rogan. CNET’s tweet about the pod sums it up: “Elon Musk smokes weed, talks flamethrowers.”
Slow Burn, “Tell-All”
September 12
An exception to my no-serials rule. This episode of Slow Burn, which chronicled the saga of Bill Clinton’s impeachment, is a stand-out and can stand on its own. In the fifth episode, host Leon Neyfakh talks to Linda Tripp, who secretly taped conversations with Monica Lewinsky. It’s an excellent, layered episode, with a meta subplot that hinges on host 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.”
Hidden Brain, “Why Now?”
September 24
Shankar Vedantam hosts an incredible episode 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 many years ago.
Decoder Ring, “Hotel Art”
October 1
Willa Paskin goes deep on the evolution of hotel art and ends up in a familiar place. It’s the same as what’s happened at farm-to-table restaurants and “impeccably sourced coffee houses.” She says: “Everywhere you go, there you are in a room with perfectly bespoke art that so carefully reflects presiding good taste. It looks like all the other rooms full of bespoke art.”
Heavyweight, “Rob”
October 4
Host Jonathan Goldstein investigates whether Rob Corddry really broke his arm when he was eleven, as he remembers, or if he’s making it up, conflating his experience with his brother Nate’s, as his family believes. It’s a poignant, entertaining pod about memory and the dynamics of family.
Trump, Inc., “Pump and Trump”
October 17
Another great explainer from the Trump, Inc. team. It dissects shady real estate deals involving President Trump and the Trump family business.
Inside the Hive w/Nick Bilton, “Monica Lewinsky and Hannah Gadsby Talk Trauma”
October 17
Gadsby and Lewinsky have a riveting conversation at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit. It’s two people who’ve been through a lot and have distinct perspectives on the world.
The Daily, “How 1994 Gave Us Today’s Politics”
October 25
New York Times columnist Jennifer 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.
Winging It, “Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala on A.I. Stories, Vince and Dell, and Baze’s Golf Simulator”
December 10
Curry made waves with his take on the moon landing, saying it didn’t happen. Say it ain’t so, Steph! He walked back his comments IRL, saying he was joking. NASA’s response: Come see some moon rocks, Steph. Curry’s reply: “I’m going to go to NASA and I’m going to enjoy the experience wholeheartedly.”
Thanks to everyone for subscribing and reading this year, with special shouts to a couple people who’ve turned me on to many episodes throughout the year and helped shape this list. Zach Everson, maker of the 1100 Pennsylvania newsletter, which covers President Donald Trump’s Trump Hotel International Washington, D.C. and his other companies. He knows his political and tech podcasts. And Sarah Bowen Shea of the Another Mother Runner podcast, who, in addition to hosting her own excellent podcast, is steeped in true crime and daily news podcasts.