Previous Best Podcast lists: 2017/2018/2019/2020/2021/2022

This year, the list is dominated by comedic podcasts. I think it was because those were the best podcasts, but maybe it is something that I needed, or maybe something that we all needed. Regardless, it was great to see many comedians I enjoy put out great podcasts this year, but it was even better getting familiar with new comedic voices.

Best Podcast Episodes

5. Chapter 1, Murder on Sex Island

Comedian Jo Firestone wrote a noir crime novel that takes place on a Temptation Island-type reality show. Firestone goes beyond a standard reading of the novel, as she provides the voice acting and initiation to help bring the hilarious material to life. Her sharp wit is weaved throughout the ridiculous story. It’s the audio version of the comedic crime novel that we didn’t know we needed. While I loved the first half of the story, things get a bit repetitive, and similar to many mystery stories it can be difficult to create a satisfying ending. While I found the story very funny, I expect there were even more great jokes for fans of reality television shows that went right over my head.

4. Operation Petticoat, Keys to Kingdom

This podcast jokingly treats an investigation into what it is like to be a Disney employee like it is a probe into the mob. Want to hear a former Disney princess with a deep modulated voice to protect her identity? If so, this is your podcast. Turns out Disney is even weirder than you think. Spouses and former theme park employees, Matt Gourley and Amanda Lund dive into Disney’s dark underbelly and truly bizarre policies with the aim to “maintain the magic.” But because the podcast is created by Gourley and Lund, it is done with hilarious flair. While I have loved their individual podcast projects in the past, their banter as co-hosts is fantastic.

3. What You Should Know About Artificial Intelligence, Pablo Torre Finds Out

The quality of Torre’s podcast is very guest dependent. It is great when Wyatt Cenac discusses the weird fascination with the Joker or when Stephen Glover gives insights into the origins of his comedy writing, but the best episode is when he brought on David Epstein to discuss his research into AI and the experts on the cutting edge of the technology. Epstien introduced me to the term Centaurs, which are humans that work in tandem with AI. He talked about how in chess tournaments with no rules, the Centaurs consistently beat the human grandmasters and the advanced AI chess programs. Using AI as a tool, but understanding its limitations is likely going to be a big part of how we use the technology. On the scary side, he discusses how some AI developers believe that the technology will enable somebody to design biological weapons that will kill 15% of the global population. So that’s not great.

2. Mesmerized, Choiceology

Katy Milkman’s podcast is always a good listen, but this episode was fantastic. Historian Mara Rockliff describes a time in the 1800s when Franz Mesmer was using animal magnetism to treat (or mesmerize) various ailments for French high society. Rockliff does a great job setting the stage to help listeners understand why Mesmer’s claims seemed convincing in this time of scientific discoveries. Mesmer surprisingly was countered by Ben Franklin, who basically developed the placebo (somehow I had never known about this achievement). The podcast then takes a step back to examine the difficulty of understanding modern day health claims and explains the best ways to differentiate causation from correlation.

1. The Shameful Secret at the Heart of My War Reporting, First Person

Lulu Garcia-Navarro stopped making her podcast only after a year, but towards the end of her run she put out her most personal story. She describes her life 20 years earlier as a war reporter in Iraq and it is evident she still has raw emotions on the subject. First Ali Hamdani, a medical student living in Baghdad, describes the feelings and preparations prior to the US-led invasion, and his complicated feelings with helping Lulu and other journalists. Their work together, with the close calls and putting their lives on the line for each other, soon turned into a deep friendship. But there is also significant pain, centered on the friends they lost in the war. I hope that creating this episode represented a catharsis for Lulu, because it sounded like she needed it. The episode highlights the cost of a conflict on the personnel level for people living in a war zone. A lesson that needs to be remembered.

Best Overall Podcasts

• In the Scenes Behind Plain Sight
• People I Mostly Admire
• Paul McCartney: A Life in Lyrics

5. We’re Here to Help

Gareth Reynolds and Jake Johnson opened the phone lines in an effort to provide sometimes good and sometimes dubious advice to people in ridiculous predicaments. Johnson is as hilarious as you would expect from his memorable television and film characters. Reynolds is also very entertaining with his bizarre thought process and often insane solutions. The banter and ribbing between the hosts provides insight into the strong friendship and is often the most hilarious parts of the podcast. This podcast could also help you with personnel problems, such as what to do if your 3 year old thinks that your gardener “Santos” is actually the real Santa Claus. Reynolds suggests the obvious solution: have your gardener work in the yard dressed as Santa for a year to buy some time.

4. Family Trips with Meyers Brothers

Seth and Josh Meyers bring you into their family dynamic and bring in guests to talk about their childhood vacations. This provides extensive opportunities for funny stories and some gentle teasing. One slight problem is that Seth and Josh’s voices are nearly identical, often I’ll think that one is speaking only to realize I was tracking the wrong brother. I suggest they speed up Seth’s voice chipmunk-style. Problem solved. Their best episode was when they abandoned the guest and just read the mailbag. Their shared humor has decades of foundation, and it is apparent in the banter. Josh goes the extra mile and records a parody song at the end of each episode summarizing the stories from the podcast. The songs are truly impressive and always leave you wanting more.

3. Everything is Alive Presents: Animals

Years ago I was told to listen to the podcast Everything is Alive, where everyday objects are interviewed. I didn’t listen to it. I now know I was a fool, because that podcast is amazing. I know this because Ian Chillag and Jennifer Mills created a new season, but instead of objects, animals are now given a voice. Between this podcast and “In the Scenes Behind Plain Sight” Chillag is very skilled at maintaining a hilarious, and often improvised, conversation, while Mills clearly uses her experience with comedy writing to give the performers some great material. Giving animals (or objects) a voice to get their perspectives on life can be fun, the interviews often go in interesting directions as their perspectives provide some deep insights into the human condition. Lastly, fantastic work by comedic voice actors such as Connor Ratliff and Hari Kondabolu provide the characters with an unforgettable warmth, ensuring that the concept lands.

2. Drifting Off with Joe Pera

Joe Pera is a one-of-a-kind comedian, who delivers a slow and often ridiculous series of observations and jokes. His Adult Swim show was cancelled a couple years ago, but his sincere style is perfect for an off-beat podcast. He brought along the composer from his show, Ryan Dann, to provide a beautiful backdrop to Pera’s soliloquies. A small thing I appreciate is that after a joke at someone’s expense he always gives a quick apology. It isn’t all goofy observations, sometimes he prompts deep thoughts. Such as: does the existence of Prince prove that we are not living in a simulation? Or should I leave it all behind and become a shuttle bus driver at the Phoenix Sky Harbor? Leaving ads off the podcast helps maintain the atmosphere and enhances the wholesome nature of the podcast. Despite the name of the podcast, I do not get sleepy while listening, but it probably does lower my heart rate, which is probably something we all need.

1. Story of the Week with Joel Stein

This podcast has a mundane name, but this is fantastic entertainment from beginning to end. Joel Stein finds hilarious news stories and brings in the journalist who wrote the piece for a great interview, chalked full of casual wit and plenty of ridiculous questions. Sometimes these would be news stories that I was astonished that I hadn’t heard of, other times (such as the anal beads chess scandal) I was familiar with the story, but the interview introduced new insights and new levels of hilarity. While Stein was wrapping up the season he had gotten word that the podcast would be cancelled. He he then used the awkward situation to create comedy gold, cutting to a commercial break but encouraging listeners to not buy from the product being advertised and instead buy from their competitors because “we’ve been cancelled!” It would be a waste to never again use the funniest podcast theme song, which was recorded by Jonathan Coulton, so I hope Stein finds a new network to continue this podcast. But if this is the end, then this brief and glorious podcast will have to suffice.