Criminal

We make a podcast but we’re listeners, too.   

We’ve collected some of our favorites from the past year to share with you.

PHOEBE

Love Me
Episode 4: Falling
I love the way this episode surprises the listener with the concept of love and affairs and what defines beauty.

NPR Politics Podcast
This podcast and the Showtime series The Circus kept me sane this past year. I really like Sam Sanders.

Death, Sex & Money
Sonia Manzano & Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Manzano (who played Maria on Sesame Street) fills in for Anna Sale in this episode, and interviews her friend, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The Memory Palace
Episode 93: Local Channels
Beautifully written, constructed and scored.

LAUREN

Another Round
The Most Introverted Sasha Fierce 
Love every episode of this show, but this is one I find myself telling others about. It starts off with a beginner’s guide to therapy and moves into an interview with comedian Aparna Nancherla.

The Organist
Episode 69: The Testosterone Abyss
Digs deep into the Tumblr, “Weird Dude Energy.” They continue to examine the contemporary “bro” in the episode after this one, with SNL’s Kyle Mooney. Listen to that one, too.

Alice Isn’t Dead
Part One, Chapter One: Omelet
Welcome to Nightvale creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor are just so good at what they do. They launched a bunch of weird fiction shows this year, including this scary truck driver serial. 

99% Invisible
Soul City
Katie Mingle’s amazing piece about a 1960s attempt to build a new town (built for and by African Americans) in rural North Carolina.

NADIA

Why Oh Why
How Will I Know 
I was so surprised by how raw and personal this was – it caught me off guard.

Limetown
Episode 1: What We Know
Can I say all of Limetown? All of Limetown. I started the first episode thinking, “eh – I’ll give this a try.” And then I listened to the whole thing in 2 days.

How to Do Everything
Episode 226: Escape!
This podcast ended in November, but I think it’s just the funniest thing out there. (I’m biased, though – I used to work for them). Plus, you learn a bunch of handy facts that you’ll find yourself mentioning all the dang time. This episode is one of my favorites from 2016.

This American Life
Tell Me I’m Fat
Just a really solid and moving and surprising TAL episode.

ROB

Outside Podcast
Science of Survival Ep02: Struck by Lightning
This episode takes so many twists… it opens the door to unanswered questions about lightning strike survivors… and will scare the bejeebus out of you.

In the Dark
The entire series is so gripping… and the production value is absolutely top-notch.

Undone
The Deacons
Fantastic storytelling about a community that protected itself during the 60s… and the controversy that continues to this day.

ALICE

Reply All
Boy in Photo
When I started listening to this episode, I thought I knew what was going to happen. I’m thrilled to say I was totally wrong.

Embedded
The House
I was late to a party because I couldn’t pull myself away from this episode. Kelly McEvers is a master at making issues human, and it shows here.

Song Exploder
Carly Rae Jepsen, When I Needed You
Carly Rae Jepsen is brilliant. I loved listening to her and Hrishikesh dissect “When I Needed You,” one of my favorite songs on Emotion.