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This Week in Podcasts

26 Essential Podcast Episodes of 2018

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 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Push-ups with Bishop Tutu Edition (#38)

A lot of beginnings this week — welcome new pods about villains, Y2K, Stan Lee, hysteria and, yeah, true crime. And a couple notable endings — farewell Serial season three and 2 Dope Queens. Note: Next week’s newsletter will be an abbreviated edition. Taking some Thanksgiving time with family and a Baltimore Bomb pie. 5 Pod […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Blue Waves and Lazy Brains Edition (#37)

Big week for political podcasts. Let’s get right to what consumed podcastland this week — at least in the U.S. 5 Pod Takes   1) “How does Paul Bunyan’s ox say hello?” “How?” “It’s a blue wave.” Listen: Pod Save America: “We won.” (3:35) That’s Jon Lovett, with the corny but satisfyingly accurate take about the results […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Murder, Robots, and Shady Deals (#34)

The deluge of new podcasts continues. I’ve noted 16 this week. If you’ve got a new pod coming up that you’d like me to consider covering, please send it along.   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 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Memories, Embarrassment, and Claustrophobic Sameness (#32)

I’m including eleven new and returning podcasts this week. A move also known as blowing up your listening queue. And my own, too. 7 Pod Takes   1) “Don’t be afraid to sit down in a crappy place and order every single thing you don’t recognize on the fucking menu.” Listen: The Trip: A damn fine […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Serial! Serial! Serial! (#30)

Quite the week for bingers and lovers of serialized podcasts. Have you heard Serial’s back? Also, Last Seen is finally here and Dr. Death is almost finished. Five of the top six pods on the iTunes charts today are deep-dive narratives. The intruder: The Joe Rogan Experience (No. 5). Though his three-hour episodes qualify as […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Villains, Sandwiches, and Spam on Christmas Eve (#29)

I’m at the ride-a-stationary-bike-for-many-hours stage of my Achilles recovery, so I binged while pedaling this week. Dropped several inspirational sports and fitness pods into my media diet, too. 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 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: There Is Crying in Podcasts (#27)

I go away for two weeks and come back to everyone talking about Serial again? Thanks, Kim. 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 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: “I thought we weren’t going to get to the Nazis until at least 30 minutes in.” (#22)

I’m (lying on my) back. 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 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: Amy Schumer’s new podcast, songs of summer and how rage rooms are like burritos (#19)

Summer’s officially here, and so is Amy Schumer’s million dollar podcast. A few words on that and takes on aliens, burritos, songs of summer, Trump’s inhumanity and more in this week’s pods. 7 Pod Takes 1) “I think you can be in love and not love the person.” Listen: Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: “The Americans,” being Ken Bone and the power of dinosaur erotica (#16)

More true crime debuts this week, and the pods were all over the finale of “The Americans.” I’m still reeling from Paige’s decision. 8 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week’s Podcasts 1) “Memes are people too.” Listen: Endless Thread: I, Ken Bone (23:50) Ben Brock Johnson advocates for humanity on the internet, specifically regarding those who’ve been […]

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This Week in Podcasts

This Week in Podcasts: The power of Las Vegas, the Ezra Klein/Sam Harris debate and crying with the cast of “This is Us” (#9)

It’s Friday again and I’ve got tacos in my future. All is well. Thanks for reading! 8 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week’s Podcasts   1) “What happens when the thing that you’re really good at is the thing that is killing your soul.” Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Barry (7:05) That’s Eric Deggans, who adds, […]