Current Top Podcasts

Guys, I have a confession. I’ve become addicted to podcasts. I used to think they were the most unnecessary, stupid thing to ever be invented. But like millions of other people in this country, I was initially sucked in by Serial (Season 1). If you haven’t listened to Serial then I have got to assume you’ve just recently been released from some underground cave you’ve been living in for years.

I have to admit, after Serial I didn’t really even branch out into other podcasts. But when I heard the makers of Serial were releasing a new podcast this March called S-Town I knew I had to check it out. Let’s just say after S-Town I couldn’t stop. I’ve been on a tangent listening to various podcasts all the time; when I run, when I walk Meatball Paul, when I cook, when I drive to places where my preset radio stations don’t come in, and the list goes on and on.

Here are some of my current fav podcasts. You may notice a theme…

S-Town. So I have to start with S-Town, the podcast that really fueled the addiction. Without giving too much away, it is about a guy, John B. McLemore, who hates his Alabama town and thinks a major crime has been swept under the rug by the rich folks who live there. But it also becomes about so much more.

Criminal. This is Criminal. You’ll hear that from the host Phoebe Judge every episode. Their own description of the podcast says it best: “Criminal is a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” Every episode is it’s own story. No need to listen in any particular order. My personal favorite is Episode 71: A Bump in the Night.

Up and Vanished. I’m not going to lie when I listened to the first episode I thought this podcast was pretty bad and I didn’t like the host. But I stuck with it and the story is riveting and I was rewarded. This is an in real time investigation of the 2005 unsolved disappearance of Tara Grinstead in Ocilla, GA. Start at the beginning and listen to the end.

Crimetown. The focus is Providence, Rhode Island. Crime, corruption, the mafia and Buddy Cianci. It is so riveting. I was so into this podcast I sucked all my coworkers into listening to it. The only complaint I heard was that it glorifies being a gangster a little bit too much. You hear from the real guys that were in the thick of it. Apparently, they are going to feature different cities in upcoming seasons. I can’t wait to see what city is featured next.

Wrongful Conviction. Heartbreaking to hear about the injustice and tragedy with each wrongful conviction featured but uplifting and inspiring to hear about each actual innocence and triumph from the exonerees. Most of the featured exonerees spent decades in jail, some even on death row, for crimes they didn’t commit. Listen to how they got wrongfully convicted, how they got exonerated and hear from the people who helped them do it.

What podcasts are you guys into lately?