Wag's Pods of 2023
Dear Wags,
We’re going to spend more time in 2024 without airpods. For one thing, there’s the issue of waxy build-up. For another, wearing them constantly alienates other humans. Now, we enjoyed the Great Podcast Bubble as much as anybody. It reminded us of the halcyon days of Peak TV—So much programming, so many new ideas! Still, we spied looming icebergs. Now that the industry has hit some bumps, it’s time to take stock. Here’s what we still love:
Well crafted documentaries that tell stories algorithms can’t gin up. They are the new Susan Orlean Magazine Feature.
Smart talk shows with genuine experts delving into complex topics — string theory, the Ottoman Empire, Charo, whatever! They invigorate our slack brains.
Here’s what we’re over:
The podcast featuring celebrities interviewing their celebrity friends.
The podcast featuring political pundits interviewing their pundit-y friends.
We’re not saying we aren’t hooked on a few podcasts in Category B. Of course we are. We’re 100 percent certain that those pursuing an elusive podcast monetization strategy will find them a safer bet. The podcast as brand extension and YouTube traffic driver is here to stay. Still, we romantics relish audio that aims a little higher. With that in mind, here are some of our favorite pods of the year.
Yours Ever,
Catherine Duke
CultureWag is for delightful smarties who love diversions — high, medium, and deliciously low. Join the cognoscenti in our club of Primo Subscribers by hitting the magic button below:
The Kids of Rutherford County, The Coldest Case in Laramie, and The Retrievals
Serial Productions bolstered its reputation with three great series. The Kids of Rutherford County, hosted by Meribah Knight and produced in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, told the story of kids who were illegally jailed. Investigative journalist Kim Barker explored an unsolved murder case in The Coldest Cast in Laramie. The Retrievals, reported by This American Life vet Susan Burton, followed a scandal at a fertility clinic where fentanyl was stolen and replaced with saline. Each gave us hope for the future of long-form journalism. —Poppy White
The 13th Step
As NPR’s national listenership declines, its affiliates soldier on with great reportage. New Hampshire Public Radio delivered the riveting story of abuse in the state’s largest addiction treatment network. After reporter Lauren Chooljian followed up on tips that the founder of the centers was taking advantage of female clients, she found herself the target of intimidation tactics. —Claire Niveau
Magnificent Jerk
Maya Lin Sugarman didn’t know much about her uncle, Galen Yuen. Thank goodness she illuminated his checkered past as a gang leader, convict, and the screenwriter of the 1997 bomb Crazy Six starring Rob Lowe. The movie was supposed to be an account of Yuen’s life of crime, but the end product was something else entirely. Lin’s exploration was delightful look at a wild American journey.—Ben Loy
The Conflict: Israel-Gaza
Lyse Doucet, a veteran international correspondent for the BBC, has been a calm voice in the storm in the weeks since October 7. Her daily podcast from Israel features interviews with combatants, policy makers, and journalists. The content is sobering, illuminating, and essential. —Doron Kabilio
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling, author of the most beloved and banned books of our age, does not live to appease others. “You could not have misunderstood me more profoundly,” she says of her critics. The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, from the Free Press, traced Rowling’s transformation from children’s book author to lightning rod. Host Meghan Phelps-Roper, who has her own fascinating history, covered Rowling’s controversies with sensitivity, revealing that the inventor of Harry Potter hasn’t changed much. It’s a fractious culture that shifted. — Thomas Putnam
Stiffed
Back in the 1970s, Viva magazine was meant to be a feminist rejoinder to Playboy. A smart, naughty read for women that featured articles by Maya Angelou and Betty Friedan, it was staffed by editorial talent that included a young Anna Wintour. Sadly, it did not hit any commercial G-spots. Stiffed, Jennifer Romolini’s exploration of a magnificent failure, taught us much about the sexual politics of a bygone era. —Laura Cole
The Debutante
How we love Jon Ronson, who explored the tumultuous life of Carol Howe in The Debutante. A pretty Tulsa heiress who became entangled with violent white nationalists, Howe turned government informant and warned of a coming attack on Oklahoma City. That came to pass with Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. —Katherine Alman
The Last Soviet
Never underestimate Lance Bass. Back in the day, the former NSYNC member trained with the Russian space program in hopes of going into space. He turned out to be the perfect narrator of the story of Sergei Krikalev, a cosmonaut who was marooned on the Mir space station when the Soviet Union collapsed. —Anya Amasova
Vishal
The BBC’s Vishal revisited the story of a young boy who disappeared on the same day as the wedding of Charles and Diana. Years after his vanishing, a BBC reporter got a mysterious call that blew that cold case wide open. It made for a chilling and well-told mystery. —Amy Dunne
Ghost Story
When he was a kid, Tristan Redmond had reason to believe his bedroom was haunted. Later, the new owners of the same house claimed they saw an apparition of a faceless woman. If that wasn’t creepy enough, he learned his wife’s great-grandmother was killed in the house next door after having been shot in the face. Ghost Story followed his investigation of that murder, which did not please his in-laws. —Kathy Lutz
A Life in Lyrics
“You can’t really talk about music because it’s music,” declared Sir Paul McCartney in Pushkin’s A Life in Lyrics. Actually, he was delightful talking music with poet Paul Muldoon. The pair sifted through the legend’s back catalog and analyzed many of his songs, famous and obscure. The result was an engaging creative biography. — Bessie Braddock
Scamanda
Amanda C. Reilly became an influencer by spinning a tragic yarn. The likable wife, mother, and Christian blogger claimed she had terminal cancer. Her social media accounts drew a global following and a flood of charitable donations. The truth, as unpacked by narrator Charlie Webster, was far more twisted. This is what podcasts were made for. —Daphne McQueen
