The Best Podcasts of 2020

In 2020, social isolation and the expansion of the WFH culture have led to a reconsideration of podcasts. Frequently relegated to the morning commute, they once felt like a time-effective way to cram in information and news during the short moments your mind was free. Some predicted that stay-at-home orders would make them feel obsolete—easy to pass over in favor of eight-hour Netflix binges. But that hasn't been the case.

With our standard schedules now blasted to smithereens, any time can be podcast time. And what counts as a valuable listen is totally up to you: News and politics feel like too much? Give your old go-tos a rest. What feels right, right now? A look at the prison system from the inside. Michelle Obama. A winding look into an obscure musical mystery from a top-level journalist. A closer look at pop culture's monumental moments. An extraordinary exploration of an American tragedy that gives us a clearer perspective on both what happened then and what's happening right now. Continue on for our picks of the best of what's out there.