The 10 Best Podcasts That Started in 2024
2024-10-26 · 5 min read
The podcast landscape is oversaturated, but 2024 still produced shows that cut through the noise with genuine originality, sharp production, and perspectives that justify their existence in an already crowded medium. These ten new podcasts are worth adding to your rotation.
Heavyweight returned from a hiatus that felt permanent, and Jonathan Goldstein's show about helping people resolve old grievances remains one of the most emotionally intelligent podcasts ever produced. Each episode is a miniature documentary about regret, reconciliation, and the stories we tell ourselves.
Wiser Than Me by Julia Louis-Dreyfus features the actress interviewing women over 70 about aging, wisdom, and what they wish they'd known earlier. Guests like Jane Fonda and Isabel Allende deliver insights that are simultaneously practical and profound.
Decoder Ring from Slate, hosted by Willa Paskin, investigates the origins of cultural phenomena with the rigor of investigative journalism and the accessibility of conversation. Each episode is a perfect 30-45 minutes exploring why things are the way they are.
The Retrievals from Serial Productions investigated a fertility clinic scandal at Yale where patients' pain medication was stolen and replaced with saline. The five-episode limited series is a devastating examination of how women's pain is dismissed by medical institutions.
Normal Gossip by Kelsey McKinney turns anonymous stories from real people's lives into narrative entertainment. McKinney reads detailed stories of interpersonal drama to a guest who reacts in real time. It satisfies the human need for narrative about other people's messy lives without ethical issues.
Other notable 2024 launches include Stolen Youth about coercive control, Ghost Story about a haunted house investigation, Dead Eyes about Pete Holmes' quest to understand why Tom Hanks fired him, Kill List for respectful true crime, and The Town for entertainment industry insider analysis.
