Top 10 Podcasts on Spotify

Perhaps you’ve just discovered that your favorite music streaming service offers so much more than music, or maybe you are like me and can’t get enough of listening to riveting tales and fresh information and need some help wading through the bulk of all that’s available. Wherever you’re coming from, whether you’re listening in the car, as you do chores, or in lieu of television, Spotify has some great offerings in the Podcast department.

10. Snap Judgement
Charismatic Glynn Washington presents storytelling set against a backdrop of groovy beats. Snap Judgement features true tales that are often moving, exhilarating, and intensely human. You will hear from a variety of characters, including a prison librarian, CIA operatives, and all manners of villains and heroes...Snap Judgement’s annual Halloween special “Spooked” tells stories of supernatural or terrifying experiences that may keep you up at night wondering if you locked the doors.

Gateway Episodes: “Contents Unknown”, “Better Half”

9. Reply All
In this exploration of all things internet, hilarious hosts Alex Goldman and PJ Voght delve into all the ways we have shaped the internet and how it has shaped us. Reply All attempts to make sense of all the strange, amusing, and sometimes frightening things that have spawned from our beloved and bemusing internet.

Gateway Episodes: “Long Distance” Parts 1 and 2, “Boy In Photo”

8. Dirty John
The Los Angeles TImes delivers the true story of one woman’s love affair with a man who may not be who he says he is. The strong narration and detailed interviewing make for an entrancing journey through a web of love, lies, violence, and manipulation..

Gateway Episodes: Start this series at Episode 1:”The Real Thing”

7. Heavyweight
You will blow through the available two seasons as host Jonathan Goldstein goes on various quests of redemption and forgiveness. Heavyweight follows Jonathan as he sets out to heal rifts and procure apologies by thoroughly meddling in the lives of strangers and friends alike. He delivers these journeys of confrontation and atonement with a dry humor punctuated by thoughtful, sometimes heart wrenching honesty and introspection.

Gateway Episodes: “#2 Gregor”, “#12 Jesse”

6. Undone
Unfortunately, this brilliant podcast about the aftermath of huge news events was cancelled in the midst of its first season, leaving behind only a handful of fascinating episodes. In Undone, host Pat Walters explores the remnants of big stories you only thought were over. The resultant tales are compelling probes past the headlines and into the hearts of these stories.

Gateway Episodes: “The Columbia”, “Operation Match”

5. Criminal
Criminal is a true crime show, that delves into the more complex aspects of crime. The host, Phoebe Judge, talks to victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. Criminal narrates stories that are titillating, eerie, and occasionally disturbing, usually in half an hour or less

Gateway Episodes: “Episode 71 A Bump in the Night”, “Episode 51 Money Tree”

4. Science Vs.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your organic food was worth the higher price or whether maybe Bigfoot could be real, Science Vs. is for you. They investigate and fact check everything from the mundane to the controversial. Wendy Zuckerman’s upbeat skepticism is delightful when presented with her strong Australian accent.

Gateway Episodes: “Forensic Science”, “Hypnosis”, “Guns”

3. Invisibilia
Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin, and Alix Spiegel host this show of narrative storytelling with a touch of investigative journalism. They present engrossing tales of unusual scientific cases, highlighting the invisible forces that shape and change humanity.

Gateway Episodes: “How To Become Batman”, “The Secret History of Thoughts”

2. Death, Sex & Money
Anna Sale’s amazing and empathetic interview tactics have people spilling the beans about the things they would usually not talk about, such as death, sex, and money. While she often interviews celebrities on these taboo topics, you will hear from people from all walks of life who open up about the intricacies of finances, love, and loss. The raw honesty from both host and guests on this show is utterly bewitching.

Gateway Episodes:”I Was Your Father, Until I Wasn’t”, “This Senator Saved My Love Life”

1. Radiolab
Radiolab investigates science-minded tales in our strange world and beyond. Stories that are both educational and riveting, often thought-provoking and always immensely entertaining. The banter between hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich and their palpable chemistry make for great listening.

Gateway Episodes: “Words”, “The Rhino Hunter”, “Diagnosis”