Posted on by Jordan

Year in Review 2016.5 HD Final REmix: Podcasts

Best Podcast Episodes of 2016

  • The Allusionist
    Synopsis: Forays into the wild and crazy world of words.

    The Allusionist is like the 99% Invisible of language: sometimes it’s about everyday, practical stuff, sometimes it’s about obscure historical oddities, sometimes it’s about big-picture thinking, but it’s always well-presented.

    Best episodes of the year: “WLTM [Parts 1 & 2]”; “The Key [Parts 1 & 2]”
  • Flash Forward
    Synopsis: A podcast about possible (and not-so-possible) futures.

    This show has been pretty much my only source of hope for the last two years. I highly recommend it.

    Best episodes of the year: “Expiration Date”; “Revenge Of The Retweet”
  • Harmontown
    Synopsis: Dan Harmon (Community, Rick & Morty), joined by Comptroller Jeff Davis and Game Master Spencer Crittenden, talks about what’s on his mind, does improv, raps, and plays D&D, all in front of a live audience (most of the time).

    Really gonna miss this show.

    Best episodes of the year: “Simulation”; “ED-209”
  • Home Of The Brave
    Synopsis: It’s like This American Life but also not.

    It’s still hard to like every episode of Home of the Brave, with it’s slow pace and the host’s quiet, monotone delivery. But I keep coming back to it, because he goes to places other shows don’t, both literally and figuratively, and sometimes the more contemplative style is a nice break.

    Best episodes of the year: “Saints Of The Last Days”; “My Trip To Palestine”
  • Life Of The Law
    Synopsis: Stories of the law in action.

    Okay, so obviously “Overruled” is the more important episode, but out of curiosity I looked up the Juggalos case, since at the time it hadn’t been resolved. It looks like it was eventually dismissed on the grounds that the FBI’s gang designation did not constitute a “final agency action,” since it was just a report on trends and not an actual policy decision with clear legal consequences. Like the episode itself, it’s surprisingly interesting.

    Best episodes of the year: “Overruled”; “Juggalos”
  • The Memory Palace
    Synopsis: Stories from history.

    That synopsis might seem kind of vague, but it’s actually precisely what makes The Memory Palace so good. Nate DiMeo knows how to take dry historical facts and weave them into a compelling narrative—he’s one of the best storytellers in podcasting. To put it another way: there are two history podcasts on this list, and I still listen to one of them.

    Best episodes of the year: “AKA Leo”; “Natural Habitat”
  • The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air
    Synopsis: The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air is a radio show that broadcasts from the top of the Eiffel Tower. It’s also the name of the podcast which is about the janitor who lives in the Eiffel Tower and really wants to be a part of said radio show.

    This show is just utterly charming. Not sure if I’m looking forward to Season 2, though, it sounds like they’re making it more complicated than it needs to be.

    Best episodes of the year: “Season One, Episode 2” & “Season One, Episode 3”; “Season One, Episode 4”
  • Radiolab
    Synopsis: “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”

    I mean, it’s Radiolab. They’re consistently interesting.

    Best episodes of the year: “Debatable”; “Playing God”
  • Radiolab Presents: More Perfect
    Synopsis: Deep dives into important Supreme Court decisions.

    It’s weird that they’re not doing more episodes of this show. Seems pretty relevant.

    Best episodes of the year: “The Political Thicket”; “Object Anyway”
  • Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins
    Synopsis: Paul F. Tompkins (he’s he second part) invites a special guest to have a free-form chat, after which he and his friends from the Land of Make Pretends improvise a story based on that chat and a location chosen by the guest. And it is all scored on piano by Mr. Eben Schletter (who is only the best).

    It’s a fun show.

    Best episodes of the year: “The One Beauty Parlor In A Small Town”; “Storm Drain”
  • This American Life
    Synopsis: Stories having to do (usually) with life in America. This one.

    I do get that I’m a cliché for liking TAL and Radiolab, but it’s a cliché for a reason.

    Best episodes of the year: “For Your Reconsideration”; “Choosing Wrong”
  • The Truth
    Synopsis: Short radio dramas (but not old timey).

    Probably the best of the pre-wiff years, solely because of the ridiculously adorable 90’s-cartoon-as-radio-drama (complete with catchy theme song) that is Songonauts.

    Best episodes of the year: “Songonauts [Episodes 1-5]”; “Sleep Some More”
  • Welcome to Night Vale
    Synopsis: Welcome to Night Vale is a community radio show based in the small desert town of Night Vale.

    If I remember correctly, this was when Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor started to really show their depth as writers, perhaps best exemplified by the mix of absurdity and high drama that formed the Hiram McDaniels saga and its surprisingly tragic ending.

    Best episodes of the year: “Who’s A Good Boy [Parts 1 & 2]”; “Flight”
  • The West Wing Weekly
    Synopsis: Episode-by-episode discussions of The West Wing with Joshua Malina (Will Bailey) and Hrishikesh Hirway (fan (and host of Song Exploder)).

    I was basically just using this show as an excuse to rewatch The West Wing for the third time, but I actually had to stop around season 5—not because Aaron Sorkin left, but because it was just too depressing. Everyone’s always like, “Man, I wish our government was more like The West Wing, where people actually care and have morals and stuff,” but in the first 4 years of the show the Bartlett administration accomplishes pretty much none of its goals. So it’s actually a lot more like real life than we’d like to admit.

    The podcast could also be kind of boring at times, if I’m being honest.

    Best episodes of the year: “In Excelsis Deo”; “Special Interim Session”
  • WTF
    Synopsis: Marc Maron reads some ads, complains talks about his life, reads some more ads, talks some more, reads some more ads, then interviews someone, then reads some more ads.

    At his best, Marc Maron gets intimate, in-depth interviews with people who often either don’t get interviewed that much or don’t open up when they do. Probably no one was knocking down Garrett Morris’s door, which is a real shame, and John C. Reilly is notorious for being reticent in interviews, but both of their episodes are interesting. Reilly’s especially is a good example of an important interview technique: rather than trying to get the guest to talk about what you want them to talk about, find out what they want to talk about. In Reilly’s case it was clowning, and it makes for a fascinating 20 minutes.

    Best episodes of the year: “Garrett Morris”; “John C. Reilly / Brett Gelman”
  • 99% Invisible
    Synopsis: Exploring the world of design in all its forms.

    I like the juxtaposition of these two stories, between design as antagonist and design meant to aid those in need.

    Best episodes of the year: “Unpleasant Design”; “Half A House”

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