100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018
Our favorite podcasts of the year, as chosen by the Bello Collective and friends
For the third year, The Bello Collective is proud to share with you our list of 100 outstanding podcasts. The selections in this list were determined by The Bello Collective writers, editors, and friends, and appear in no particular order. For each show, we have highlighted either a favorite episode or series. If you want to dive right in, listen to our playlist version of this 100 list.
For more great audio to add to your queue, visit our lists from 2017 and 2016. Learn more about our methodology in this behind-the-scenes look at the making of last year’s list.
The list is sponsored by our friends at RadioPublic, who help listeners discover new podcasts and podcasters build their business.
Cooking By Ear, “Frances McDormand and Risotto”
Independent
As a long-running food podcast appreciator, I’m always on the lookout for podcasts that lean into the intimacy of cooking and the conversations that can only come from the comfort of being in your own kitchen. Each episode of Cooking By Ear is a combined interview and a recipe; the episode with actress Frances McDormand cooking risotto at home is a true treat.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
On She Goes, “Relax, Relate, Release”
Pineapple Street Media
I love women and hearing about them travel. In this inspiring episode, a woman talks about going on vacation and not coming home.
Chosen by Berry, Podcasts in Color
The Receipts, “Dating with Self Harm Scars”
Independent
Conversational podcasts are ten a penny, but the ones that really hook you in emotionally are rare. The Receipts has long been one such for me, with hosts Tolly T, Milena, and Audrey making me laugh and bringing me to tears, often within the same episode. They now have a “Your Receipts” strand where they answer listener questions, and this answer about dating after self harm and how to disclose previous mental health issues with new romantic partners stuck with me a long time after I’d listened. It’s very difficult to make a show that sounds as easy going and relaxed as this one, and in the age of celebration for great narrative audio storytelling, I think episodes like this deserve recognition.
Chosen by Caroline Crampton, Hot Pod
Oh No, Ross and Carrie!, “Ross and Carrie Find Their Rythmia”
Maximum Fun
Ross and Carrie explore the latest trends of fringe science and spirituality and the paranormal so you don’t have to. They’re there as skeptics, but not ones who are solely on the hunt to expose and debunk — they actually do go in attempting to live the full experience. With the series “Ross and Carrie Find Their Rythmia,” they live the experience so fully it almost kills one of them. The series takes them to Costa Rica to attend Rythmia, a spiritual retreat center specializing in plant medicine journeys, plus everything else that has hit headlines in recent years, like enemas to rid you of toxic behaviors. These are extremely dedicated podcast hosts.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
HORSE, “That’s a Dunk, Brother!”
Multitude Productions
Twitter feuds. Million-dollar bets. Taco Bell. Some of the weirdest, wildest moments in pop culture come from the world of basketball. I never knew I could care so much about a sport my parents made me play as a 5’10” elementary schooler — but that’s the magic of HORSE. Hosts Eric Silver and Mike Schubert are so charismatic, funny and infectiously passionate that you might find yourself becoming a basketball superfan, too.
Disclaimer: This show is part of the podcast collective I manage, but it’s still hands-down my favorite debut of 2018.
Chosen by Amanda McLoughlin, Bello Collective & Multitude Productions
Bughouse Square with Eve Ewing, “James Baldwin & Darnell Moore”
WFMT Radio Network’s Studs Terkel Radio Archive
Eve Ewing’s interview style is insightful and open, leaving all the space that’s necessary for her guest to speak his mind and his experiences while drawing the connections listeners need. Coupled with curated archive footage from the Studs Terkel recordings, the debut episode for this podcast makes for a heartfelt honoring of Terkel’s work and an incising examination of the society we must move through.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Popcast, “Can Guns N’ Roses, or Any Artist, Erase an Unflattering Moment?”
The New York Times
Host Jon Caramanica and his guests address the question: “What happens when artists take control of their legacy and say, ‘Nah, we didn’t do that’?” Specifically, they talk about “One in a Million,” the Guns N’ Roses song that includes offensive and bigoted language — and that was disappeared from the band’s box set. It’s a fascinating look at the impermanence of art and culture in the digital age.
Chosen by Michael Yessis, This Week in Podcasts
The Longest Shortest Time, “36 Questions to Ask Your Partner Before Having Kids”
Stitcher
The New York Times’ 36 Questions assignment, adapted to people thinking about becoming parents. The trajectory from silly to serious is some of the realest discussion about family creation I’ve ever heard.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
The Empty Bowl, “Four”
Independent
This is the cereal podcast that you’ve been waiting for. It is also the relaxation podcast you’ve been looking for. Justin McElroy, of My Brother, My Brother and Me, and Dan Goubert, creator of the cereal news and culture site Cerealously, have joined forces to make the chillest, most low key, fan-specific show of all time. “Four” is particularly poignant since Dan has to go to a Walmart in search of a new cereal. He can’t find it even though he knows it is there and has to ask a Walmart employee to go to the back to get him, a grown man, a box. As someone who just pestered a bunch of Walmart employees to look for a Oreo Dunking set, I feel this wholly in my bones.
Chosen by Eric Silver, Bello Collective & Multitude Productions
Small Doses with Amanda Seales, “Side Effects of White Women”
Starburns Audio
A fellow white woman introduced me to this podcast, and in particular, this episode, wanting to talk about the type of White Women we are. That’s a dialogue most white women should be having with each other, and it historically has mostly been women of color who remind us of that. An episode ultimately about harming vs helping, and using one’s privilege, it’s also funny in the way Amanda Seales can make this funny. All of the other episodes are just as good too — from the side effects of toxic masculinity, to the “ho” phase, to free speech, to having anxiety, it’s all here.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
Recut, “Fancy (Farm) Didn’t Let Us Down”
Louisville Public Media
My listening this year was peppered by as many local podcasts as possible, and Recut, from my home state of Kentucky, always made the list. It zooms in on Kentucky issues as they’re situated in the grander discussions around the country and world, but I selected this gem of an episode that was so truly of this place: a church picnic political rally where the food is plentiful and the candidate roasts are hot, hot, hot.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Casually Baked, “Just Say KNOW”
Independent
As marijuana laws continue to change across the country, kids need to be educated. But where do they typically go with their questions? Their peers. The host interviews the Drug Education Manager at Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an organization that believes students should be a part of any prevention and intervention strategy.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Forever 35, “Gratefully Yours with Emily McDowell”
Independent
According to Forever 35, it’s a “podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves.” And it is, but to listen to Forever 35 is to feel like you’re listening in on two best friends, Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer, who happen to be interesting, funny, and have a ton of valuable information to share about skincare. It’s not just indulgent talk about which sheet mask they’re obsessed with; the show feels like a glimpse into the real way that women talk. They have a new guest on each week, and tackle tough and light topics alike, like dealing with health scares, losing a loved one, and organizing the products in your bathroom. Follow their Insta too, because it’s full of all the positivity, LOLs and feels.
Disclosure: At a previous gig, I/my company sponsored the launch of this show. I’ve since become a total stan, and my friends are probably annoyed at how many of their Instagram posts I share in DMs.
Chosen by Krystina Rubino, Bello Collective
Longform, “Helen Rosner”
Independent
I wish I could fit more interviews into my listening, but every so often a person whose work I have appreciated for years appears in one and it zooms to the top of my queue. Food writer and critic Helen Rosner wrestles with professional opportunity, privilege, and what we give of ourselves in our work.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Latinos Who Lunch, “Colorismo en Latin America”
Independent
A great episode about colorism and the layers of history tied into it. I loved this because it was history I hadn’t considered but needed to know about.
Chosen by Berry, Podcasts in Color
The West Wing Weekly, “0.07: Parks and Recreation”
Radiotopia
This is the most informative behind-the-scenes episode that I’ve ever listened to. For those uninitiated to Bartlett’s Army, West Wing Weekly is an episode-by-epsiode breakdown of The West Wing, hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder and actor Josh Malina, an actor on The West Wing. They are the perfect duo to compare the drama version of government to the comedy version of government, and they reach deep into their TV connections to talk to the show runner of Parks and Rec, one of the most beloved actors on the show, and Rob Freaking Lowe. Come for the origin stories, and stay for all the stories about Amy Poehler.
Chosen by Eric Silver, Bello Collective & Multitude Productions
On Being, “Living the Questions with Krista Tippett”
Independent
Krista Tippett offers a wise and beautiful response to the question: “How can we stay present to what’s happening in the world without giving in to despair and hopelessness?” She’s the guide we need for these extraordinary times.
Chosen by Michael Yessis, This Week in Podcasts
Time Well Spent, “Bypass 1 & 2”
Independent
After Ron shares a high school escapade on stage at a storytelling event, he realizes he needs to tell his parents before they find out through another source. He documents the entire setup and sharing process in excruciating detail.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Pants on Fire, “Robots”
Gen-Z Media
Fact: any episode of Pants on Fire would have worked for me; each is funny and has me listening hard for the truth. This episode has stuck with me, though, as everyone’s favorite computer co-host L.I.S.A. (Live In Studio Audience), is confronted with their existence as the episode’s chosen human child interrogates the guests — one a real expert, the other a liar — on ROBOTS.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids, “Why Do People Dream?”
Vermont Public Radio
But Why is my favorite show for kids because it’s enjoyable for adults as well. This episode gets to the bottom of those weird things we call dreams.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, “Wangari Maathai read by Melinda Gates”
Timbuktu Labs
The Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls podcast is an offshoot of the wildly successful book series of the same name (which features 200 stories of extraordinary women). There are only 10 episodes, but I hope the podcast continues to feature the other 190+ women in the books. I chose to highlight Wangari Maathai’s story because she founded the Green Belt movement, becoming the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
Classic Kids, “Music for The Dreaming: Galaa”
ABC KIDS listen and ABC Classic FM
My five-year-old and I were mesmerized by this beautiful, musical series about Aboriginal people, land, and instruments. Like the cicadas in our own backyard, the sounds of the Australian summer helped spark our own curiosity about a magical place far away. The music throughout this series is some of my favorite from any podcast, and as a result has had me coming back to listen with and without my daughter.
Chosen by Isaac Farley, Bello Collective
Bear Brook, Series
New Hampshire Public Radio
Bear Brook is not what it seems. The story begins with the unidentified murder victims whose bodies were found in the woods of New Hampshire, but that’s only the first thread. Host Jason Moon masterfully plucks up new storylines and weaves them into what turns out to be a dense and detailed narrative tapestry.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Someone Knows Something, “Marnie”
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Being a true crime fan is… fraught. As I add another crime podcast to my queue, I have to wonder: is it ethical to get enjoyment out of a story about another person’s death? Am I contributing to the pain of a victim’s family by listening to their grief? Is my hope that the power of the internet can help solve a cold case optimistic or naive? No podcast takes the ethics of crime reporting more seriously than Someone Knows Something, whose fifth season traces the facts and fallout of the unsolved murder of Kerrie Brown. Host David Ridgen faces head-on topics that other crime shows overlook in favor of sensational details: grief, addiction, poverty, and institutional racism. The show is compassionate and tenacious as it tries to help right a wrong, and leaves listeners more empathetic than before.
Chosen by Amanda McLoughlin, Bello Collective & Multitude Productions
Caliphate, Series
The New York Times
If I had to pick just one show to recommend this year, it would be Caliphate. This ten-part series has incredible sound design and an innovative structure, with Andy Mills basically reporting on Rukmini Callimachi, who’s reporting on ISIS. It blends all the creative benefits of a non-narrated show with all the structural benefits of a narrated show. The show trusts its listeners, and I was more than willing to follow along.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Tertulia, “Inmersos/Inmersed”
Independent
I loved this complementary, bilingual pair of episodes discussing the immersion school boom in West Michigan, and whether they are genuinely serving the populace of children who speak Spanish at home but need instruction in English as well as those who speak English at home. Emily Hunsberger’s investigation into this education style was so important for me, coming from an English immersion school in a Spanish-speaking area, in order to understand what’s happening in education in different parts of the country.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
30 for 30, BIKRAM
ESPN
For many, Bikram yoga, otherwise known as hot yoga, is an exercise. For others, it’s a lifestyle. For still others, it’s a cult, designed and orchestrated by founder Bikram Choudhury. This five-part series tells the story of the yoga and the man who created it, who changed the way that Americans practice yoga, and who was accused of sexual assault by six women in the Bikram yoga community.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo, Season 2
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Missing & Murdered is doing the necessary work of reporting on the all-too-common stories of Canada’s missing and endangered indigenous women and girls. In the second season of Finding Cleo, we begin with a family story of a beloved sister hitchhiking her way back home, only to be murdered somewhere in Arkansas. This story, already heartbreaking and complicated, only becomes more layered as the podcast progresses: it becomes a study on the power that family lore can hold, a meditation on how to heal without closure. Most importantly for too many of us, a history lesson on state treatment of indigenous families — from the horrors of the residential school systems, the waves of generational trauma, and the long after-effects of the removal of Native children from Native families in the Sixties Scoop.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
Silent Waves, Series
Independent
An extremely personal and courageous look at the cycle of abuse that shaped one prominent Australian family, as told by the family itself. This seven-episode show has stayed with me more than any other throughout the year. Please take care to heed the content warnings.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Uncover, Escaping NXIVM
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
The first season of this 2018 debut unravels NXIVM, a self-help group/pyramid scheme/sex cult. The story is powerful on both the micro level (fomer NXIVM member Sarah Edmonson unpacks what led her to join the group in the first place, the good and bad of being part of it, and the pains of leaving it behind) and the macro level (NXIVM’s impact is disturbing and far-reaching). The series’s success is due in part to the close relationship between Sarah Edmondson and reporter Josh Bloch, childhood friends who reconnected after Edmonson left NXIVM.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
The Dream, Series
Stitcher
Multi-Level Marketing is a massive industry that has touched all of our lives in some way (e.g. just open up Facebook), but there is relatively little comprehensive information about its inner workings. The Dream gives all the answers you’ve always wanted to know, reported through a satisfying critical lens. You should listen to the entire first season, but this episode was an amazing undercover peak behind the scenes that will leave no more doubt in your mind about the true intentions of these organizations.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
The Promise, “Part 1: A Change Is Gonna Come”
Nashville Public Radio
Hosted by Meribah Knight, this six-part series highlights the affordable housing question that every city in the US seems to be asking right now. The Promise is out of Nashville Public Radio, reporting on one of the biggest and most difficult promises a city can make to its residents: to develop its neighborhoods without leaving anyone behind to gentrification. We meet grandmothers who love the community they’ve fostered in their aging and run-down apartments, men who are tired of boys getting shot, the police officers patrolling the neighborhood, wealthy residents nearby, and people who’ve gotten out.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
In the Dark, Season 2
American Public Media
The amount of research that was put into the second season of In the Dark is second to none. If this story doesn’t get under your skin, I don’t know what will.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Serial, Season 3
This American Life
In Serial’s third season, Sarah Koenig and her team look not at the outlandish aspects of the US criminal justice system but at its everyday functioning — because business as usual is outlandish enough.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Believed, Series
Michigan Public Radio
In 2018, you might be sadly well-acquainted with the truth that media, authority figures, and every day people rarely believe women when they report sexual harassment or assault. Women know this, and sometimes this leads women to barely believe themselves. Larry Nassar, an Olympics gymnastics doctor who was for years highly recommended and trusted, sexually assaulted girls at the same time he had his community’s trust. As a doctor, and a famous one at that, he was able to conduct intrusive, inappropriate, and non-medical procedural assault in a way that made victims doubt their experience and their feelings. Parents trusted him completely and police were easily mollified by PowerPoint slides. How?
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
Caught, “‘He Really Wants to Shoot Someone’”
WNYC Studios
I listen to a lot of US criminal justice podcasts, but this is the first I’ve heard that focuses solely on the juvenile justice system. The nine-episode series illustrates the system largely through the stories of present-day teens, but this episode focuses on Willie Bosket, who murdered two people in 1978 and whose crimes changed the way that juveniles in New York were sentenced forever after. Bosket’s story is painful and complex, and it raises a lot of questions for how we treat offenders, juvenile or adult. As guest Reginald Dwayne Betts says, “We don’t ask ourselves what amount of ruin is acceptable for somebody who we send to prison.”
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Long Distance, “Little Manila (Part One)”
Independent
I learned a lot listening to the first episode of Long Distance, a new show about Filipinos who live outside of the Philippines. I learned about Filipino-American history (a subject that was conspicuously absent from my school education); I learned about one present-day Filipino-American community in Stockton, California; and, most impressively, I learned about how to tell a story about all the ways the past impacts the present and the present draws from the past.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Criminal, “Palace of Justice”
Radiotopia
This is a 25-minute interview with Benjamin Ferencz, a 99-year-old Jewish American lawyer. As a young man, he was part of the team that prosecuted the highest-ranking Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg in Germany after World War Two. Throughout, he’s peppy and articulate, even when talking about the horrific calculations he did about how many millions of lives these people had taken. Host Phoebe Judge guides him with the lightest of touches — it’s a masterclass of hands off interview technique — yet still manages to draw out details like Ferencz’s life-lengthening morning exercise routine and his tender passion for his wife. Be warned: you will sob at least once while listening to this.
Chosen by Caroline Crampton, Hot Pod
Undiscovered, “Turtle v. Snake”
WNYC Studios and Science Friday
Science can seem like a cold enterprise, but Undiscovered has a knack for highlighting the very warm, messy, human part of what happens behind the scenes. Exhibit A is this unbelievable drama and bitter rivalry that unfolds during something as routine as naming a species.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Red Flag, “Get Vexed Y’all”
Podastery Studios
In this episode, listeners learn about the Mississippi flag; who created it, what colors are represented, what its symbols mean, and so much more. This podcast comes at a really important time. The Mississippi flag still uses the Confederate battle symbol within its design. This is obviously a very contentious issue in the state between those who want to keep it — claiming heritage — and those who want a new flag — one that represents all Mississippians.
Chosen by Arielle Nissenblatt, EarBuds Podcast Collective
Making Obama, “The Man in the Background”
WBEZ
In 2008, the rise of Barack Obama from local activist to President seemed sudden, but the reality was very different. This series looks at the process and the ideas that made him an amazing political organizer and later, politician.
Chosen by Calen Cross, Bello Collective
99% Invisible, “Hawaiian Shirts: Articles of Interest #4”
Radiotopia
How deep is the bench at 99 Percent Invisible? In a move that few other shows could pull off, Roman Mars gives the hosting mantle to producer Avery Trufelman for a six-part miniseries about fashion. And in true 99PI form, these episodes deconstruct our ideas of clothing stitch by stitch. It’s smart, insightful, easy to understand, and so, so cool. The final episode, Punk Style, is an perfect encapsulation of the series, and to the roots of Mars and 99PI as a whole, but I say that “Hawaiian Shirts” cannot be missed. Through the goofy existence of the Hawaiian shirt, we hear a complex story of colonialism, a stolen culture and American office mores. Someone, anyone, give Avery her own show!
Chosen by Eric Silver, Bello Collective & Multitude Productions
Ministry of Ideas, “Shifting Blame”
Hub & Spoke
The definition of criminality changes over time — not just what constitutes a crime, but also the intention and history that led to that crime. These definitions shift as how we place blame shifts, and blame shifts as we wrestle with our conception of morality and free will. Who is ultimately responsible, and why can’t we make that decision consistently?
Disclaimer: Galen Beebe, co-editor of the Bello Collective, is also a producer of Ministry of Ideas.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
A12, “The Summer of Hate”
Independent
Nicole Hemmer has given us a very thorough, very engaging history lesson on hate, the alt right, and race relations in Charlottesville, leading up to the events of August 12, 2017. It details the history behind the event and of the entire alt right movement. One of the most compelling things I have listened to this year.
Chosen by Calen Cross, Bello Collective
Latino USA, “The Quevedos”
Futuro Media Group and NPR
When he was growing up, producer Sayre Quevedo only knew two members of his blood family: his mom and his brother. But when his mom told him that his grandmother might be alive and living nearby, he went on a quest to find her and his other relatives and learn why he hadn’t known them in the first place. This story is about secrets, and family, and the lies we tell to protect each other.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
The One Who Got Away, “Microscopic Infinities”
Independent
Voicemails from all over the world to say what they never got to say to the one who got away. A cathartic listen that also makes your heart want to jump out of your chest.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
We Live Here, “Nuisance, or Nonsense?”
PRX
This is a local podcast, which I think will come to matter more as podcasts grow. This episode was the first in a series focusing on housing in St. Louis, but they address things that can happen in any city.
Chosen by Berry, Podcasts in Color
Things That Go Boom, “The Bear”
PRI and Inkstick Media
These days when I listen to a news podcast it is a little like taking harsh medicine: I know I need it, but I don’t like it. Things That Go Boom is just the spoonful of sugar I need to make the medicine go down. Host Laicie Heeley has the bona fides to be as academically obtuse as she would like, but instead she brings clarity to issues of national security…literally.
Chosen by Ashley Lusk, Bello Collective
For A Bad Time, Call…, “Butt Pats and Condescension”
Independent
Was there a better time than 2018 for a podcast about women’s rage? I love this show for several reasons: It’s entirely based on listener submissions (community!), it’s non-narrated (quite hard to do!), it is short-form (under 10 minutes) and it is created by badass women, one of whom is based in the Midwest.
Chosen by Kelly Moffitt, Flyover Podcast
Hollywood in Color, “Hattie McDaniel: Showstopper”
Independent
Every episode of Hollywood in Color highlights people of color behind and in front of the camera that have been left out of the silver screen narratives for over a century, and is impeccably researched and narrated by Dr. Diana Martinez. The three-part Hattie McDaniel series, especially the final episode, is history storytelling at its finest: a moment in the past puts a current moment into perspective, as it zooms from McDaniel’s historic first Academy Award-winning performance right up through the more recent wins of other Black actresses.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Women Belong in the House, “Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room”
Wonder Media Network
In most episodes of Women Belong in the House, host Jenny Kaplan interviews a Democratic woman running for office in the 2018 Midterm election. In this episode, Kaplan interviews Cristina Osmeña, a Republican running in California’s 14th district. In this episode, we learn from experts why the Republican party is lagging when it comes to recruiting women candidates and how this might affect the party in the future.
Chosen by Arielle Nissenblatt, EarBuds Podcast Collective
This Podcast Will Kill You, “HIV/AIDS: Apathy Will Kill You”
Independent
This Podcast Will Kill You offers you the science and the history behind infectious diseases, plus a themed cocktail recipe with every episode. The entire season is fascinating, even if you didn’t think you’d ever consider the narrative of a disease. The season finale about HIV and the HIV epidemic are particularly grueling and important.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
Twenty Thousand Hertz, “Hamilton”
Independent
Thanks to this episode, I’ve listened to the Hamilton soundtrack so much over the past six months that Spotify now assumes all I want in my Discover Weekly playlist are random show tunes. I know I’m late to the party, but I’m so glad that Twenty Thousand Hertz highlighted all the genius sound design elements of this musical so I can join the rest of the world in becoming obsessed with it.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Dream Diary, “Episode 1”
Independent
An independent game has influenced game designers throughout the world and has a devoted cult following. Dream Diary is the story Yume Nikki and is full of mystery, psychological subtext and questions.
Chosen by Calen Cross, Bello Collective
Nocturne, “Lay Down, Lamb”
KCRW
This episode completely sold me on Nocturne. It starts off with a new father recounting in an honest and funny way how difficult and amazing parenting can be. Little did I know that I was listening to the origin story of the best kids book of all time, Go The Fuck To Sleep.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Heavyweight, “Skye”
Gimlet
Jonathan Goldstein is a masterful storyteller simply because of his relatability. From his obnoxious yet endearing qualities, to the way he talks with people, Goldstein pulls me into every story he tells. In “Skye,” Goldstein helps a mother confront a broken, childhood friendship of hers that was left unresolved from decades past.
Chosen by Liam Niemeyer, Bello Collective
Earshot, “Four Parents, Two Gaybies”
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
In the late 1990s, two gay couples decide to have and co-parent a baby. The two-part series follows the family (two moms, two dads, two kids) through two decades of life. It’s a beautiful story and beautifully produced, with whimsical music, excellent sound design, and a family that grows and changes by the minute.
Chosen by Galen Beebe, Bello Collective
Dear Young Rocker, “Steam”
Independent
I was never a young girl (nor did I have any musical skills) but this made me feel what it was like to grow up as a teen girl. It is a perfect complement to the film Eighth Grade.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Reply All, “All My Pets”
Gimlet
Nothing reminds me I am an old millennial quite like learning about different YouTube subcultures. Sruthi Pinnamaneni reports this quite strange but extremely compelling story on a group of people obsessed with collecting and showing off their pets. It gets unexpectedly dark and left me thinking about it for days afterwards.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Meet Your Maker, “Good As Gold”
Independent
A small hit of nostalgia: behind the scenes on The Muppet Show with puppeteer Louise Gold.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Darknet Diaries, “#OpJustina”
Independent
A hacker takes down a hospital’s network. That seems as bad as it could get, but is it? Nobody comes out looking very good, but it’s not as clear cut as you would imagine.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Ear Hustle, “Down Low”
Radiotopia
As we are quickly learning — thanks to the surge of true crime and investigative podcasts — there are many nuances to prison life. And yet, we still have little understanding about the LGBTQ experience inside prison walls. Ear Hustle’s “Down Low” approaches the subject with empathy and curiosity (well…Nigel does anyway), and the result is at least a start to the conversation.
Chosen by Ashley Lusk, Bello Collective
Accession, “Over Your Head”
Independent
TH Ponders has the uncanny ability to transport you into a museum, place you in front of a piece of art, and make that art come to life. In this episode, it’s not the normal painting or sculpture, it is the ceiling — a five-hundred-year-old masterpiece, at the intersection of European and North African history, including both heraldic symbolism and Islamic ornamentation.
Chosen by Calen Cross, Bello Collective
Endless Thread, “I, Ken Bone”
Reddit and WBUR
Ken Bone and his red sweater became a meme at a 2016 U.S. presidential debate. Then his notoriety faded. In this episode, Bone reflects on his experience. I love how the episode takes something most of us gave two seconds of thought and gives it a lot of thought, recontextualizing it and making us see it a different way.
Chosen by Michael Yessis, This Week in Podcasts
Household Name, “A Wrench in Tesla”
Business Insider
Stories on the roles brands play in our lives, told through carefully explored history and interviews. The Tesla episode involves a rogue repairman who is single-handedly exposing many of the car’s shortcomings.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Inside Appalachia, “The Struggle Continues: Iraq War Vet Focused On Path Out Of Appalachia”
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
I have a bit of bias here: I’ve always had a soft spot for the collective region known as Appalachia. I’ve spent a quarter of my (pretty short) life there. It’s a place that rarely has the opportunity to get many of its stories told, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting does this region a service through its consistently outstanding podcast. The intimate, compelling story of Mark Combs, an Iraq veteran who suffers from depression, and his search to get out of Appalachia speaks to the culture and voices from a place I’ve known for years.
Chosen by Liam Niemeyer, Bello Collective
Personal Best, “One Time Snooze”
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
I’ll admit: I can’t listen to Personal Best without a big ole goofy grin plastered on my face. “One-Time Snooze” sets the tone for the rest of the show’s season: a quest for personal betterment is met with creative solutions, while getting to the root of why it’s so hard to be a person sometimes. In “One-Time Snooze,” Robin hates waking up in the morning, and Rob and Andrew are here to help her out. (The accompanying animation for this episode is great, too.)
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
No Feeling is Final, “The Voice”
Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC)
One of the hardships of mental illness is that there is no x-ray or lab test you can show people. As a remarkable remedy to this empathy barrier, Honor Eastly generously brings you into her world. This is a world that is full of heavy feelings and discussing suicidal thoughts and navigating endless mental health institutions. But this is not a graphic show, just one where you’ll learn more about mental illness though one person’s story than you could reading 100 textbooks.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
Decoder Ring, “Hotel Art”
Slate
A well-timed monthly look at a small but significant pop culture trend that exists in our world, but that we rarely ask questions about how it came to be. The “Hotel Art” episode traces, from kitsch to cliche, what we see and why when we walk into a hotel room anywhere in the world.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
The Anthropocene Reviewed, “Googling Strangers and Kentucky Bluegrass”
WNYC Studios and Complexly
The Anthropocene Reviewed’s personal essays rate different factors of this era where humans shape the planet. In this episode, John Green struck me as finding the balance between talking broadly about history and human experience, and talking about himself and his own experience, in ways that forced me to examine my own actions a little more closely.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Shedunnit, “Surplus Women”
Independent
Shedunnit takes us back to the golden age of detective fiction to tell the stories behind the stories. Each episode is like its own graduate seminar, combining literary theory and history and social infrastructure and pure enjoyment for a thriller into neat little packages. The episodes don’t have to be listened to in order, but I think starting with episode one will enrich the experience. “Surplus Women” centers us in the aftermath of the 1918 Spanish Flu and World War I, when British society was obsessed with the idea of too many women and not enough men. Detective fiction showed readers that too many women was just fine, thank you.
Chosen by Dana Gerber-Margie, Bello Collective
The Explorist, “Underground Wonder”
Independent
The lasting question of this episode — how do places that are previously well-kept ecological secrets stay that way once exposed to the world — is well suited to this show. “Underground Wonder” preserves the beauty of a remote, beautiful location without me needing to setting foot there.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Threshold, “Hello Central!”
Independent
Last season, Threshold tackled the story of American bison, but this season is decidedly more frigid. In its expansive second season, Threshold goes international, across the Arctic circle as it explores different facets of climate change in the Arctic. The sound design is spectacular, but the narratives also take us into the small crevices of our melting ice sheets, making climate science more personal than you might be used to hearing it.
Chosen by Kelly Moffitt, Flyover Podcast
Lost Notes, “Louie, Louie: The Strange Journey fo the Dirtiest Song Never Written”
KCRW
A fascinating story about one of the most recognized songs ever made — it even includes the FBI.
Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Rashomon, “The Bieber Family”
Independent
A single moment in family history, told by everyone involved. The Bieber family has long believed mall jail exists, so KT and her dad Paul head out to find out for themselves.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Revisionist History, “Analysis, Parapraxis, Elvis”
Panoply
Malcolm Gladwell has a talent for making extremely compelling arguments for things you’ve never thought about. When these arguments involve a cameo from Jack White, and consistent Freudian slips from Elvis and country singer Kaci Bolls, you have the ingredients for one of the most fascinating podcasts of the year.
Chosen by Erik Jones, Bello Collective
The Nod, “Taco Bout It”
Gimlet Media
Brittany Luce tells the story of Chef Ocho’s heartbreaking and heartwarming rise from selling tacos from his front lawn in Watts to popular purveyor of “black tacos.” It’s a success story and a bringing-people-together story, both compelling and well told.
Chosen by Michael Yessis, This Week in Podcasts
Qualia, “Risk”
Independent
Using a technique called directed visualization, each episode of Qualia immerses us into a real situation where we are the main character, to explore some of the feelings we have but don’t have clear right or wrong answers about how we tackle them. “Risk” was an explosive first episode, taking us listeners into a life-or-death scenario: an avalanche while skiing.
Chosen by Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic
Bodies, “Sex Hurts”
KCRW
When I first heard “Sex Hurts,” I thought: finally, we’re telling the stories we were too afraid to tell before. We are in a time like no other, and I like to think that it makes us bolder and less willing to find shame in our bodies.
—Chosen by Ashley Lusk, Bello Collective
I am truly in awe of anyone willing to be so open and honest about their sexual health.
—Chosen by Paul Kondo, Podcast Gumbo
Life on the Outside, “Dressed in Freedom”
Independent
Lucy Copp works independently on this podcast and is dedicated to the cause. When I met her, she described it as “Ear Hustle, but from outside the system.” These stories are very evocative due to the personal approach, and the warm nature of the interviewer.
Chosen by Arielle Nissenblatt, EarBuds Podcast Collective
This American Life, “Five Women”
WBEZ
For a show that has been around for more than 20 years, This American Life has never felt more vital to our national conversation, and it would be easy to select any number of episodes from their 2018 season for this list. As a show, it still has the power to surprise, to console, to find within us our humanity just when I fear most that it is lost. For me, however, it is no longer about the show’s “driveway moments.” It is the heart-wrenching gut punch of “Before the Next One.” The long silence on the car ride home following “But That’s What Happened.” It is knowing I’m not likely to ever forget to “LaDonna.” It is begging there to be a better ending to “The Runaways.” And it is “Five Women,” an episode that felt so unwholly like anything I had heard before, revealing the kind of confession I have sadly heard more than once.
Chosen by Ashley Lusk, Bello Collective
Greater Boston, “But Perhaps There is a Key”
Independent
This episode is a masterclass not just in how to open a season, but in how to coalesce long-running plotlines into hard-hitting resolutions that lead, of course, to further complications. Greater Boston has always known how to juggle multiple characters and storylines without losing the listeners, and how to intricately weave them together to influence each other, even when you don’t know it yet. “But Perhaps There is a Key” moved me to tears, gave me a moment I have long been waiting for, and did its job spectacularly in setting the tone for their third season.
—Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
This episode is just so relatable if you have ever lost someone and not known how to deal with it. The interaction between Dimitri and Fake Nica captures those feelings perfectly. Season 3 of Greater Boston is not something that you should miss.
—Chosen by Alex Hensley, AudioDramaRama
On a Dark, Cold Night, “In Plain Sight”
Independent
The idea behind On a Dark, Cold Night is incredibly simple, but Kristen Zaza is able to become the ancient narrator and deliver an incredible performance. “In Plain Sight” is a haunting tale about friendship that always leaves me in tears.
Chosen by Alex Hensley, AudioDramaRama
Marsfall, “Chapter 8: Jacki”
Independent
Marsfall observes the lives of colonists who have gone to Mars; the writing is confident, able to switch perspectives without retreading old ground, and draw listeners into both understanding and loving characters. The finale for season one encapsulates everything about Marsfall that has made it a stand-out podcast: incredible command of action scenes in audio, original heart-wrenching composition and music, and surprising plot turns at exactly the right moment.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
The Details, “The Details, Part 1”
Independent
This is my favorite audio fiction podcast this year. What happens when you get a job interview with the Devil? This three-episode series shows just how one man’s interview goes. The acting is pretty good, the dialogue gets better as the story fleshes out, and the ending is perfect. Note: This show is definitely for adults.
Chosen by Calen Cross, Bello Collective
What’s the Frequency, “39.17 mHz”
Independent
Without a doubt one of the weirder shows on the audio spectrum, What’s the Frequency’s experimental noir fiction traces the adventures of Los Angeles in the 1940s when the radio waves have all been lost, but one which seems to be making everyone homicidal. What’s most impressive is how hard and sharp the emotions are for the characters in the finale, while maintaining an increasing level of audio distortion and improvised weirdness throughout the season. Characters, plot, and audio design shine in equal measures, not just trading places in the limelight but synergizing brilliantly.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Sleepy, “Sherlock Homes”
Independent
I doubt host Otis Gray will be offended if I tell him that his podcast puts me to sleep — in fact, it might just help him find new listeners. The art of the Sleepy podcast is its simplicity: host Otis Gray’s even baritone, the light rustle of a turning page, and a classic piece of literature become a tranquil antidote to anxiety and insomnia. Although you have your pick from dozens of classic books, including Pride and Prejudice, Leaves of Grass, and Alice in Wonderland, I’ve chosen Sherlock Holmes because I’ve never made it past the opening lines.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Bello Collective
Everything is Alive, “Louis, Can of Cola”
Radiotopia
Everything is Alive has been one of the most delightful debuts of 2018, with improvised interviews between creator Ian Chillag and an inanimate object. The season opener with “Louis” encapsulates everything I get from this podcast at it’s best: hilarious and poignant reflections on what it means to be human, to consume, and to desire intangible things. But most of all, this episode’s ending is killer, and left me going from uncomfortably voyeuristic to stunned and maybe more than a little bittersweet.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Flyest Fables, “No Longer Defined”
Independent
Flyest Fables is an empowering, empathetic podcast, with Black kids as the leads and heroes, and in this first conclusion to one character’s story, another page turns. Morgan Givens, besides writing Flyest Fables, voices all the characters, writes and sings original songs, and sound designs to create the tone-perfect immersive feeling of storybook adventures. This episode in particular raised chills on my skin, made me smile in victory, and best of all, gave me hope.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
The Shadows, Series
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
The six episodes of The Shadows can stand on their own merit, but the moments of breathlessness come from when you go from perspective to perspective and discover new ways and new lenses to see the world through. In this sweeping, romantic examination of monogamy and being in love, formed out of the raw audio The Heart, Kaitlin Prest, and Phoebe Wang are famous for, The Shadows will make you re-examine your values and ideals, while leaving you searching for the inevitable Kleenex.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Love + Radio, “Points of Egress”
Radiotopia
This episode lies editorially far outside the norm of what Love + Radio episodes usually sound like, and that’s because it’s fiction. In a superb use of internal breaking of form in order to achieve something hysterical yet dark, Nick van der Kolk interviews Cynthia and Max as they pick their way through a romcom scenario, complete with van der Kolk’s reactions, from incredulity and cringey irony. If you’re too busy laughing over the credits, you might miss the fact that it’s fiction!
Chosen by Elena Fernandez-Collins, Bello Collective
The Truth, “The Off-Season, Part i”
Radiotopia
The Truth’s four-episode mini-series The Off-Season tackles the #MeToo movement, with the tense story of television host Bruce Alvarez, after he’s forced to hide out when accused of sexual assault, and reporter Erica, who’s been squatting in his vacant Montauk home. This story was elegantly and thoughtfully written and designed, keeping to The Truth’s long history of superb audio, making it easy to lose yourself in the building drama without losing sight of what’s important about the subject matter.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Joseph, “Chapters 1 & 2”
Independent
This dystopian science-fiction thriller, where a bounty hunter goes off on a rescue for someone’s missing loved one and mech suits steal people out of their homes and off the streets for nefarious reasons, does astonishing work with audio. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a slow-motion action scene in audio? This crew has figured it out. From honestly impossible-sounding design to on-point performances, Joseph is a story you won’t want to put down from the word go.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
The Far Meridian, “Defrag”
The Whisperforge
The second season of The Far Meridian has dealt very closely with familial relationships, but “Defrag” exemplifies something that I think is underrated in The Far Meridian: Peri’s demonstrated and proven growth as a character. This episode is the “gold star brought tears to my eyes” episode for this season, with one of my favorite secondary characters who shows just how close to home magic and adventure can be.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope, “Some News”
Atlanta Radio Theater Company
I love Mercury — I like to save up about three months’ worth of episodes and have a mini-marathon. But this episode really stuck out. Lyssa Hoganson, who plays Agnes gives such an emotional performance when reading a letter from her mother. I actually forgot for a moment that this was a zombie apocalypse podcast and that it wasn’t real. If you haven’t started listening to Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope, what are you waiting for?
Chosen by Alex Hensley, AudioDramaRama
Archive 81, “Exist in the place you are currently occupying”
Independent
Archive 81’s third season has been their best season yet for every aspect of production, and this extra long episode is a whaling adventure in a strange and unknown universe. This is jaw-dropping sound design and writing in perfect harmony, in which Dan Powell and Marc Sollinger have totally outdone themselves. It’s funny, it tugs on the heartstrings, it’s horrifying and astonishing, all expressions that the Archive 81 team excels at melding.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
The Earth Collective, “The Ritual”
Independent
The story of Oasis is coming together in this episode. Humans are on an alien planet called Oasis, and for generations, they have been forced to constantly be on the move staying ahead of “the darkness.” In this episode, Joseph makes contact with someone who was there at the very beginning, when the people fled their homes and began travelling in a caravan. The Earth Collective is one of those stories that you can’t learn enough about the world. I never want the story to end.
Chosen by Alex Hensley, AudioDramaRama
The Big Loop, “Goodbye Mr. Adams”
Independent
Picking only one Big Loop episode for a list is a difficult proposition, but “Goodbye Mr. Adams” has stayed embedded in my heart for the entire year. This is Briggon Snow working with a haunting, deeply moving monologue from Paul Bae, who has perfected the art of making us cry. In this episode, a high school aged boy grapples with being gay, with his relationship with his father, and with his increasingly strange relationship with his English teacher. This was the episode that solidified for me that The Big Loop was a podcast to always pay attention to.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Imaginary Advice, “Re: The Moon”
Independent
Ross Sutherland is a comedian and poet from Edinburgh in Scotland, and on Imaginary Advice he delivers incredible lectures and stories about whatever topics strike his fancy. This is one of my favourites. It’s told in three parts: in the first, he gently explains why you should spend more time looking at the moon; in the second, a story about a school with a werewolf obsession; and in the third a spoken word poetic piece about teenage night-time activities using only the vowel ‘o’. The whole thing is wrapped in hypnotic sound design that draws heavily on the song “Moon River.”
Chosen by Caroline Crampton, Hot Pod
Time Trip!, “Raiders of the Fifth Dimension”
Independent
The season finale of Time Trip! was everything that I hoped it would be and more. In each episode, we follow Trip as he tries to make his way back to his own time while also battling an evil time traveler. You don’t want to miss out on this audio fiction podcast.
Chosen by Alex Hensley, AudioDramaRama
The Bright Sessions, “Rose”
Independent
Simply having a musical episode isn’t groundbreaking, but with the powers combined of Lauren Shippen, Evan Cunningham, and Mischa Stanton, “Rose” is a beautiful moment in time within The Bright Sessions that coalesces the journey for the previous 49 episodes and lays the groundwork for the future of Dr. Bright and her patients. Rose is a relatively new character at this point in the podcast, and this episode gives listeners such a deep and personal look at who she is, how she acts, and what she considers important in her relationships with people. “Rose” is a marvel of music and sound, and my favorite episode of the four seasons.
Chosen by Elena Fernández-Collins, Bello Collective
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this list, including our intrepid Bello Collective writers Elena Fernández-Collins, Erik Jones, Calen Cross, Amanda McLoughlin, Eric Silver, Liam Niemeyer, Krystina Rubino, and Issac Farley, and our good friends Alex Hensley, Arielle Nissenblatt, Berry, Caroline Crampton, Kelly Moffitt, Ma’ayan Plaut, Michael Yessis and Paul Kondo.
This list was edited by Ashley Lusk, Galen Beebe, and Dana Gerber-Margie.
This list is sponsored by our friends at RadioPublic.
The Bello Collective is a publication + newsletter about podcasts and the audio industry. Our goal is to bring together writers, journalists, and other voices who share a passion for the world of audio storytelling.
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