In the age of the smart phone, a particular medium has risen to prominence in the last few years. Podcasts take what made radio a successful medium in the 1920s and have transformed it for the Internet age. No matter what you are interested in, there is a podcast about it. Learn how to manage your finances, hear stories of strange Internet phenomenon, and listen to in depth interviews to prominent members of any career field. Below, you'll find podcasts on a variety of topics that have been able to successfully use their medium to a stellar degree.
1. This American Life
This American Life is the podcasts of podcasts. It's a weekly public radio show from Chicago Public Media and averages about 1.5 million downloads for its weekly podcast. It aims to tell the intriguing, interesting, sad, funny, and weird stories of real Americans and offers insight on whatever the topic is for that week. It's hosted by Ira Glass, who is basically the God of public radio.
2. Mystery Show
Host Starlee Kine decided to make a podcast where she could play detective. There is only one rule for her mysteries: They cannot be solved through a Goggle search. Incredibly satisfying and often surprising, Mystery Show looks into mysteries involving Jake Gyllenhaal's true height, the owner of a strange, toaster-themed belt buckle, and a weird image on an old lunchbox.
3. Lore
Every culture's folklore has a history and Aaron Mahnke is the perfect host to tell us about it. Why does every culture have a werewolf myth? Who did Bram Stoker really base Dracula off of? Why do the woods seem so mysterious and terrifying in the dark? The bi-weekly podcast focuses on these questions and more, bringing the true stories behind some of our worst nightmares. Sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.
4. Invisibilia
Produced by NPR, Invisibilia focuses the strange forces present everyday that help shape our world. Many looking at human behavior and what affects it, hosts Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel use scientific research to answer and study and variety of questions and topics. So far, the podcast has looked into whether our thoughts are actually related to our desires and how technology has changed us as a species.
5. Criminal
Criminal is a podcast that tells short stories of people who have committed crimes, been the victim of crimes, or somewhere in between. A fascinating piece of storytelling, relaying tales of missing venus fly traps and homicides where things are not all that they seem. Sometimes dark and other times funny, Criminal manages to walk the line between a nightly news headline and human interest story.
6. Limetown
Even though Limetown has only three full episodes to its feed, it has proven itself as an intriguing mystery that I, personally, cannot wait to be solved. It's been called a cross between "the X-Files and Serial" and it feels exactly like that. The story follows American Public Radio host Lia Haddock as she tries to uncover what happened to over three hundred people who disappeared from a small town in Tennessee. It's so well done that, even though the discussions are sometimes far out, it feels real.
7. Reply All
What is the story behind Marnie the dog? Who invented the pop-up ad and why did he do that? Can you truly erase your past from a Google search? What happens when you accidentally become intimately involved in a conspiracy theory about One Direction? Reply All is best described as a show about the Internet in all of its forms and how it has shaped peoples lives. Funny and intriguing, every episode brings a new story that you didn't even know that you wanted to know about. But trust me, you definitely do.
8. You Must Remember This
The entertainment industry existed long before Kim Kardashian broke the Internet. Karina Longworth's critically acclaimed podcast focuses on the secret and forgotten histories of the entertainment industry of the 20th century. It's considered to be the best film podcast out there and is entirely nonfiction.
9. Serial
Serial can basically take the credit for making podcasts a part of the mainstream culture. Its first season follows the possibly wrongful imprisonment of Adnan Syed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, back in 1999. Fascinating and bewildering, Serial will take you on a journey that will have you constantly second-guessing the suspects and yourself.
10. The Nerdist
This is the podcast that led to Chris Hardwick hosting every post-new episode talk show (Talking Bad, Talking Dead) and the successful late-night game show @Midnight on Comedy Central. Hardwick and fellow hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira interview anyone and everyone associated with the world of the nerd. Necessary listening for anyone who has gotten into an argument over "Star Wars."
11. Welcome to Night Vale
Welcome to Night Vale focuses on the strange and sometimes terrifying events within a small desert community. A huge success since 2013, the podcast has spawned a novel and countless sold out tours of live shows across the United States and Europe. Weird, warped, and wonderful, Welcome to Night Vale feels like a modern version of an old radio drama.
