Year in Review 2019: Podcasts

Best Podcasts of 2019

• The Anthropocene Reviewed
  Synopsis: John Green reviews facets of the human-centered planet on a 5-star scale.
  
  In a year generally seen as terrible, Green gives his first 5-star review. If that’s not optimism I don’t know what is.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Velociraptors and Harvey“, “Gray Aliens and Rock Paper Scissors”, “Hot Dog Eating Contest and Chemotherapy”, “Auld Lang Syne”
  
  Good places to start: “Canada Geese and Diet Dr Pepper”, “Hawaiian Pizza and Viral Meningitis”

• Behind the Bastards
  Synopsis: Robert Evans takes his comedian guests into the lives of history’s biggest bastards.
  
  It was real difficult to narrow down the best episodes for this year, so I tried to focus on the ones that seemed important, rather than merely interesting or entertaining. Which didn’t actually make it that much easier. It was a good year for learning about terrible people.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Mark Zuckerberg: The Worst Person of the 21st Century (So Far)” (3–part series), “George Lincoln Rockwell: The Most Racist American in History” (3–part series), “The Mueller Report Episode”, “Edward Bernays: The Founding Father of Lies” (2-part series), “Andy Ngo: The Next Generation of News Grifter”, “The Bastard Who Invented Homeopathy” (2-part series), “The Man Trying to Resurrect 8chan”, “John Brown: Terrorist, Hero, or Terrorist Hero?”
  
  Good places to start: If none of those interest you, I suggest perusing the archives until you find someone you’ve never heard of or someone you want to know more about.
  
  
• Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything
  Synopsis: Benjamen Walker explores the connections between all things, sometimes blurring fiction and reality in his quest to develop a theory of everything.
  
  This year’s season was “Failure,” a deep dive into the far-right personalities that have taken over YouTube and other online spaces. As with the previous two series, it’s brilliant and timely, and a more poetic take on the issue than one might expect.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Failure” (10-part series)
  
  Good places to start: “The Clouds” (3-part series), “Instaserfs” (3-part series), “Something will happen, eventually”, “False Alarm!” (15-part series)
  
  
• Cautionary Tales
  Synopsis: Economist Tim Harford presents stories from history, both recent and ancient, that contain useful lessons on how to avoid falling into the same traps as his subjects.
  
  While I don’t really like Harford’s focus on applying these lessons to business, the lessons are still valuable, and the stories are interesting and well-told.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “DANGER: Rocks Ahead!”, “La La Land: Galileo’s Warning”, “Bowie, Jazz, and the Unplayable Piano”
  
  Good places to start: “The Rogue Dressed as a Captain”, “The Deadly Airship Race”, or any of the above.

• Flash Forward
  Synopsis: Rose Eveleth explores possible (and not-so-possible) futures.
  
  This year Eveleth divided the season into four miniseries, each centered around a particular theme. In addition, the intro sections (short audio fictions where we travel to the future being talked about) for each episode in a given miniseries all took place within the same context: a Shark Tank-esque reality show in a post-climate disaster world, a group of friends having a weekly video chat, and a high school debate class relitigating lawsuits. Personally, I appreciated the sense of cohesion that each miniseries had, and I think the intros let Eveleth really flex her creative muscles. Unfortunately, it seems there was a vocal contingent of fans who strongly disagreed, so the linked intros were nixed for the final miniseries and there will be no more miniseries going forward. And I’m kind of peeved about it.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “EARTH: The Cement Ban”, “BODIES: Switcheroo”, “CRIME: Can You Sue An Algorithm?”, “POWER: Weird Flux But OK”
  
  Good places to start: “Expiration Date”, “Revenge Of The Retweet”, “Robocrop”, “Our Father, Who Art in Algorithm”, “The Grey Dawn”, “The Commute from Hell”

• 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 (for the last time).
  
  I wasn’t looking forward to the end of Harmontown. For all that the show hasn’t had quite the pep in its step that it used to, it’s still great, and there’s a familiarity to it that I find comforting. It didn’t help that after Harmon announced the end of the show the energy immediately picked up as people traveled from all over the world to make it to the final episodes. I was going into the last episode prepared to be sad for at least the rest of the day. But then they got Harmon to actually explain why he was ending the show, and honestly, his reasons were really good. It was a thoughtful and convincing explanation, and as an end to the show, which has always secretly been about Harmon becoming a better person, it couldn’t have been more fitting. I’m still a little sad that I won’t have new episodes of Harmontown in my life, but I feel a lot better about it than I thought I would.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “This Much Funches”, “Get Off My Lawn, Words”, “This Trident Has Four Dents”, “It’s Not Called Show-Friends”, “Oh the Places You Won’t Go”, “Nice Dunking, Cool Swishing”, “Mobile Port Unit”, “MC Late”, “Top 10 Funniest Things”, “Cliffhanger!”
  
  Good places to start: “Cleft in Twain”, “Harmoncountry: Austin, TX”, “Simulation”, “Grodily Plausible” (if you don’t like audiences), Harmontown (documentary film)

• Imaginary Advice
  Synopsis: Ross Sutherland tells stories. Sometimes they’re radio dramas, sometimes they’re audio fiction, sometimes they’re essays, sometimes they’re poems, sometimes they’re some hybrid of all of those things.
  
  I cannot recommend this show highly enough. Sutherland is a brilliant writer/perfomer, with a Barthelmean sense for the combination of the human and the absurd, but with his own unique voice. He’s also a capable producer/sound designer, so there’s really nothing not to like.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “HORSE FACTS”, “Classic Boxing Narrative”, “Dream Your Way to a Happier You”
  
  Good places to start: “Are You a Member of Wash Club?”, “The Black Album by Jay-Z”, “Six House Parties”, “Exorcist Dave Stewart” (2-part series), “S.E.I.N.F.E.L.D.”, “Me Versus the Spar (Parts 1 to 7)”, “Four or Five Weddings and One or Two Funerals”, “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow”, “One More Song”

• It Could Happen Here
  Synopsis: Robert Evans explores the possible causes and effects of a second American Civil War.
  
  I’m not gonna lie, this podcast is kind of depressing and/or anxiety inducing, but Evans’s work is excellent as always, and there are some semi-optimistic episodes, which in retrospect feel like the most important (though they obviously benefit from the context of the others).
  
  Best episodes of the year: “How to Save America”, “The Good Side of the Second American Civil War”, “The End of the United States of America”
  
  Good place to start: “The Second American Civil War”

• The Memory Palace
  Synopsis: Stories from history.
  
  It’s petty, but I get kind of annoyed at Nate DiMeo for not putting a synopsis in the episode description, because it makes it really difficult to remember which episodes were which when I’m making these lists. But, you know, he does good work.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Sixty Starlings”, “Jackie Mitchell”, “Shipwreck Kelly”, “Dance by the Ocean”
  
  Good places to start: “High Above Lake Michigan”, “White Heat, White Lights”, “Butterflies”, or start with host Nate DiMeo’s favorites

• Radiolab
  Synopsis: “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”
  
  “Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”
  
  Best episodes of the year: “For Whom the Cowbell Tolls”, “Americanish”, “G” (6-part series), “What’s Left When You’re Right?”, “Tit for Tat”
  
  Good places to start: “Cities”, “Desperately Seeking Symmetry”, “The Trust Engineers”, “I Don’t Have to Answer That”

• Reply All
  Synopsis: Stories about technology—the good, the bad, and the goofy (sometimes all three).
  
  I love when Reply All devotes all their energy to digging into esoteric, seemingly pointless mysteries, because that’s what I do at work too.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “The Year of the Wallop”, “The Roman Mars Mazda Virus”, “Adam Pisces and the $2 Coke”, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, “The Woman in the Air Conditioner”, “The Real Enemy” (3–part series that really has nothing to do with technology)
  
  Good places to start: “Exit & Return” (2-part series), “The Man in the FBI Hat”, “Long Distance” (2-part series), “Is Facebook Spying on You?”

• Reveal
  Synopsis: Investigative journalism.
  
  They’re good at what they do, and what they do is good.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Silencing Science”, “Bitter Custody”, “Hate is All Around You”
  
  Good places to start: On the one hand, this kind of journalism is kind of timely so you should probably just listen to a recent episode. On the other hand everything sucks and most of the problems they’ve investigated probably haven’t been solved yet, so feel free to find whatever will make you the most angry.

• Seattle By Night
  Synopsis: A tabletop RPG miniseries using the Vampire: The Masquerade system. After screwing up their first job, the vampire coterie comprising Amanda (Dora Litterell), Jamison (Jerry Holkins), Tom (Mike Krahulik), and Betty (Jasmine Bhullar) get a second chance to make good with the Tacoma branch of the Camarilla. In doing so, they become embroiled in a web of conspiracies fighting for control of the city.
  
  Thought I wish it had gone on longer, it certainly can’t be accused of wearing out its welcome. With a delightful cast, engaging characters, and a twist-filled plot, it’s a fun way to kill 16 hours.
  
  If you don’t start with Episode 1 you’ll have no idea what’s going on, so that’s on you.

• Small Beans
  Synopsis: A whole gosh-darn network of comedy and pop-culture goodness but also mental health, race, and dinosaurs. Hosts and guests include many people who were fired from Cracked, in case that means anything to you.
  
  This year Cristian Ramirez started Waveformed, a show where he invites a guest on to talk about 10 songs that are important to who they are. It’s right up my alley and a great addition to the pantheon. Meanwhile, resident directors Abe Eperson and Adam Ganser launched Directorpiece Theatre, a film analysis show which is also pretty good.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Coen Brothers Brothers: O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, “Tales from the Pit: Sex With Anonymity Isn’t Me (Feat. Jamila Dawson)”, “Tales from the Pit: The O. C. Disorder (Feat. Jamie Loftus)”, “1Upsmanship: Shadow of the Colossus Remastered”, “Waveformed: Michael Swaim”, “Directorpiece Theatre: Is The Wedding Singer An Art Film?”
  
  Good places to start: “Tales From the Pit: Dungeon Crawl”, “1Upsmanship: The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild”, “Pop Culture Petri Dish: VR, 3-D Scanning and Poop-Shells”, “Rough Stuff: Maggie Mae Fish”, “The Coen Brothers Brothers: Blood Simple”, “Frame Rate: Wall-E”, “My Top 8: Bailey Norton”, “What Dinosaur Real Good? Glyptodon!”, “BOLD: Police Brutality, Black XMas, Jackie Lacey”, “Waveformed: Katie Willert”, “Directorpiece Theatre: Is The Wedding Singer An Art Film?”, “Dan and Mike are Fighting” (if you’re personally invested in the friendship of Daniel O’Brien and Michael Swaim and/or want to learn more about the Cracked layoffs and the state of online media)

• This American Life
  Synopsis: Stories having to do with life in America. This one.
  
  I mean, it’s This American Life—out of 660+, there are very few “bad” episodes. So this is another one where the selections are somewhat arbitrary, but I tried to highlight different facets of the show, whether it be personal interviews, documentary, essays, investigative journalism, or just good old-fashioned reportáge.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Before Things Went to Hell”, “Get a Spine!”, “Escape From the Lab”, “Ten Sessions”
  
  Good places to start: “Harold”, “Testosterone”, “Rest Stop”, “The Radio Drama Episode”, “The Problem We All Live With” (2-part series)

• The Truth
  Synopsis: Movies for your ears.
  
  Honestly, the second half of the year was kind of weak (thought that’s partially due to their being a fair number of reruns), but this season still makes the list on the strength of its first half, especially the depression-allegory-as-epic-poetry “Curse of Numb” and the hilarious murder mystery “Body Genius.”
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Curse of Numb”, “Other Fran”, “Body Genius” (5-part series), “Persuasive Tactics”, “Three Seconds to Nowhere”
  
  Good places to start: “Interruptible”, “Tape Delay”, “That’s Democracy”, “The Extractor”, “Wonderworld, USA”, “Murder at Cakery Bakery”

• Welcome to Night Vale
  Synopsis: Welcome to Night Vale is a community radio show based in the small desert town of Night Vale.
  
  The chronicles of The Blood Space War were the highlight of this season. I’ll take these episodes over Infinity War and Endgame any day.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “The Dreamer”, “The Veterans”, “The Protester”, “The Broadcaster”, “The General”, “The Waterfall”
  
  Good places to start: “Pilot”, “A Story About You”, “One Year Later”, or the episodes listed on this page.

• Worst Year Ever
  Synopsis: Cody Johnston, Katy Stoll (Some More News), and Robert Evans (Behind the Bastards, It Could Happen Here) talk about the 2020 presidential election and related issues.
  
  The best part of Worst Year Ever (so far) is how they cut through the noise and lay out the pros and cons on each candidate. They’re honest about their biases (they’re all pro-Sanders, though Stoll prefers Warren), they cite their sources, and they’re fun to listen to. Also the theme song is great.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Who Can You Trust in 2020?” (2-part series), “The Cult of Tulsi Gabbard”, “Kamala Harris’ Calculated Progressivism?”, “Bernie Sanders Fans Criticize Him”, “The Evolution of Elizabeth Warren”
  
  Good places to start: “Who Can You Trust in 2020?” (2-part series), any episode on a candidate you want to know more about (especially the candidate you support)

• 99% Invisible
  Synopsis: Stories about how design shapes our lives.
  
  99PI is just one of those shows that’s consistently good no matter what the topic is, and they put out a lot of stuff, so here’s just a random grab bag of goodness.
  
  Best episodes of the year: “Crude Habitat”, “National Sword”, “Palaces for the People”, “Invisible Women”, “Wait Wait…Tell Me!”, “The Kirkbride Plan”
  
  Good places to start: “Queue Theory and Design” (+“Q2”), “Barcodes”, “Ten Thousand Years”, “Unpleasant Design”, “Half a House”

Honorable Mentions

• AI: The “C” Team*
• The Allusionist
• Conversations with People Who Hate Me
• Conviction
• David Tennant Does a Podcast With…
• Fun City*
• The Good Place: The Podcast
• Home of the Brave
• Invisibilia
• Mark Can’t Rap
• On the Media
• Reasonably Sound
• Rough Translation
• The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Treasury*
• What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law
• WTF with Marc Maron
• You Are Not So Smart

* Technically these should be in “Best of,” but they’re kind of niche and trying to pick best episodes and write about them for a more general audience is slightly exhausting.