Beyond Serial: The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015


#1

More than 300,000 podcasts exist in the world as of the close of 2015. They range from products made by someone pressing record in their closet to million-dollar outfits with sterling sound engineering. Objectives span from shining a light on underheard voices to the audio equivalent of a selfie. But when Serial liberated the form, powerhouses like NPR and Gimlet Media began pumping real money into the medium, making space for shows with broad appeal and qualities people could judge empirically. A list of the 50 best podcasts might have been nothing more than a desperate shuffle until now, but no more: At our website The Timbre, we’ve spent numerous hours every week poring through podcasts and making recommendations, which allows us to say confidently that these are the best of the best. The following works are ranked in order for their exemplary craftsmanship, entertainment value, and je ne sais quoi, all available for your binge-listening pleasure.


#2

Yikes. That’s a lot of content.


#3

ha, they messed up the 19th title


#4

I subscribe to most of the Gimlet media shows, which are some of the top episodes on that list. I recommend their shows.