The best new podcasts of 2020 (so far)

Podcasts are hitting different in 2020. 

After coronavirus forced all of us into quarantine and the entertainment industry at large into indefinite hiatus, podcasting found new relevance. Offering entertainment, companionship, and basically the only new content that can be responsibly created while social distancing, in a lot of ways podcasts have been the salve we all needed throughout the pandemic.

But with so many new ones coming out on a daily basis — thanks in part to the bored celebs who see it as a way to stay relevant right now — it’s hard to know what’s worth a listen.

Well we’ve got you covered, with a range of the best podcasts to come out in 2020 so far this year, from true crime, social issues, comedy, and even fiction. If you’re a true crime obsessive, try checking out our other roundup of the best new true crime podcasts too. 

Some on this best podcasts list began before 2020 but recently launched new seasons, while others are entirely new competitors that only just entered the ring this year. Regardless, each is worth giving a shot and one could even become your new favorite podcast. (: Some of these best podcasts are still in the process of releasing episodes as of the publication of this article, and our opinions reflect only what’s been released so far.)

Floodlines

Topics: History, society, racism, politics, New Orleans

What it’s about: No matter how much you think you know about Hurricane Katrina, Floodlines reveals how America has only reached the surface of reckoning with this deep national wound. Through interviews with survivors and reporting that addresses the media misinformation and government incompetence around the catastrophe, host Vann R. Newkirk II shows how the real storm that devastated New Orleans was the same one that’s been brewing in America for centuries. 

Systemic racism is at the heart of understanding what happened, with issues that not only trace back to this country’s past but also its near-future. Floodlines was released prior the country-wide protests ignited by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. But we’re seeing the same issues repeat once again, with many media reports focusing on pockets of looting rather than the unconscionable suffering of Black people, authorities victim-blaming them for their own oppression, and the total failure of the government to protect and care about the lives of its own people.

The Missionary

Topics: True crime, religion, racism, white saviors, white supremacy

What it’s about: You probably vaguely recall last year about a white American missionary who allegedly disguised herself as a doctor while running a charity for Ugandan children. About a hundred kids in her charity’s care died. The Missionary is an essential deep dive into the story of Renee Bach, with interviews from other missionaries, Renee herself, volunteers who worked with her, local health officials, and most importantly the Ugandan families who lost the loved ones after entrusting them to her care. Is she a serial killer, some white lady with one of the worst cases of the white savior complex, or actually misunderstood? While the show avoids any certain conclusions, Bach isn’t the only one put under the microscope. Her story raises important questions about the white supremacist underpinnings of most missionary work, too.

Somebody

Topics: Police brutality, social injustice, true crime, grief

What it’s about: (From our roundup) Somebody is a gut-wrenching reminder of the struggle for survival, answers, and basic personhood that Black Americans face. As yet another — Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting —  launches an overdue criminal investigation, Shapearl Wells’ story dives into the complicated, conflicting, and sickening realities of grieving a loved one killed by a nation’s broken systems. Her son, Courtney Wells, was found shot outside a Chicago police station, and the explanation for how it happened is inconsistent at best. As a mother tirelessly investigating her own son’s death, Wells also captures the exasperation of having to justify the worth of his life to the public — the double-edged sword of forcing people to care so you can get answers. This limited series is heart-wrenchingly personal yet culturally resonant. It’s a must-listen for all who don’t face the lived experience of this ever-present fear and threat.

Rabbit Hole

Topics: The internet, the alt-right, YouTube, technology, society

What it’s about: I know, I know. The Gray Lady hasn’t been seen as a publication that’s especially hip to internet culture. But with Rabbit Hole, host Kevin Roose, a New York Times reporter, paints an impressively comprehensive, complex, clear, and compelling portrait of how the internet fuels this era of political and cultural chaos. From the alt-right’s rise from the ashes of gamergate, to Pewdiepie finally going on record about his endless controversies, and even interviews with YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki on the platform’s role in radicalizing viewers, Roose brings all the big guns you’d expect from the Times into the digital age.

Slow Burn Season 4: David Duke

Topics: History, politics, society, white supremacy, racism

What it’s about: Podcast listeners will know Slow Burn is pretty much a guaranteed hit by now. The latest season of the podcast known for re-examining key moments from recent American politics is now turning to one of the most relevant topics of the current moment: white supremacy. Slate’s Josh Levin hosts this journey into understanding how former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke became normalized through his election into local Louisiana government. Maybe — just maybe — if we reckon with that recent past, we can learn something about how and why we allowed white supremacist sympathizers to run the White House.

Oh, Hello: the P’dcast

Topics: Humor, comedy, interviews, Princess Diana’s death

What it’s about: Dear celebrities: Instead of “helping” through video montages showing solidarity from within your mansions, do what John Mulaney and Nick Kroll did instead. Cure your boredom by making a podcast that’s actually useful and brings some much-needed laughter into our lives. Oh, Hello forgoes any sponsorship to instead encourage listeners to donate to COVID-19 relief charities. If you’re unfamiliar, the comedy podcast is based on a running bit the two comedians brought to Broadway and then Netflix. In the podcast version, their elderly New Yorker alter egos Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland “investigate” Princess Di’s death by asking famous people who have nothing to do with the event to speak to it. Guests range from podcasting legends Ira Glass and Sarah Koening to Actual British Person John Oliver. 

It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders

Topics: True crime, famous murders, women’s history

What it’s about: While younger folks may be less familiar, to others the Betty Broderick murders became something of a punchline. Playing out like a Lifetime movie, it’s the perfect embodiment of the ex-wife scorned trope: a woman pushed to the edge who murders her ex-husband and new, younger wife in the bed she used to sleep in. But the Betty Broderick case is also about much more than that, with a new Los Angeles Times podcast digging into how she was in many ways a product of the rigid gender roles imposed on women at the time. 

The world told Betty that her life’s goal should revolve around becoming the perfect, obedient housewife. But in a society where that’s your only value, a divorce can lead to a dangerous loss of self-worth and identity. Don’t get us wrong: This podcast is not an all-out Broderick apologist. It also spends ample time giving the perspectives of the victims, and reckoning with the lives lost because of her abhorrent crime.

Phoebe Reads a Mystery

Topics: Murder mystery, books read aloud, narrative ASMR

What it’s about: We here at Mashable are unapologetic Phoebe Judge stans. If, like us, you fell in love with her ASMR-esque voice that inspires calm even while she’s describing violent crimes in her podcast Criminal, you’ll love this new one too. Throw Agatha Christie into the mix, and you’ve got one of the best new podcasts to fall asleep to or enjoy while otherwise relaxing. Phoebe Reads a Mystery is exactly what it sounds like, and so far she’s taking listeners through Christie’s The Murder on the Links through daily episodes that average about 20 minutes each.

Wind of Change

Topics: Culture, CIA conspiracy, music, history, Cold War

What it’s about: Most Americans (especially younger ones) probably don’t remember the 1990 rock ballad “Wind of Change” by the German band Scorpions. But by every metric, it left an unforgettable mark on the world. This well-sourced investigation from host Patrick Radden Keefe goes as far to suggest that its huge cultural impact during the Cold War was actually by the American government’s design. The New Yorker staff writer works tirelessly to verify a rumor that the song — which became a #1 hit and still holds records as one of the best-selling singles worldwide — was actually written by the CIA in a covert culture propaganda operation. The funniest part is that, if that’s true, writing a song with a catchy hook was one of the most effective tactics in the U. S. government’s battle against the Soviet Union.

Borrasca

Topics: Fictional storytelling, folklore, myth, horror, cults, teen drama

What it’s about: Even if you’re not usually a fan of fictional storytelling podcasts (like me), you need to give Borrasca a try. This magical realism-like scary story revolves around a string of disappearances in a small Missouri town with dark secrets and traditions. You follow the journey of Sam Walker across two different timelines. After his sister Whitney goes missing, he and his teen friends try to solve the mystery of various disappearances and their potential connection to local legends. But that story is framed as a story he’s telling his parole officer after what he uncovered led to severe drug addiction and prison time. 

Dying for Sex

Topics: Sex, life, death, love, friendship, cancer, happiness, grief

What it’s about: Most people think sex and disease couldn’t be more diametrically opposed to one another. But Dying for Sex is all about host Nikki Boyer’s best friend Molly telling her story of wild sexual exploration after she was diagnosed with terminal Stage IV breast cancer. While mostly told through conversational retellings of said escapades, there’s also re-enacted journal entries and text exchanges — and even interviews with some of the people on the receiving end of her sexual journey. It’s a podcast that’s full of life and love, which goes hand-in-hand with the frank discussions around dealing with the realities of Chasing Cosby

Topics: True crime, sexual assault, celebrity, the Me Too movement

What it’s about: (From our Best True Crime Podcasts of All Time roundup) Continuing the Los Angeles Times’ record for stellar true crime podcast investigations, Chasing Cosby is an excruciating look at what it takes to bring down a beloved monster, both as a victim and a journalist. It stands out thanks to the sheer doggedness of reporter and host Nicki Weisensee Egan, who has been fighting tooth and nail to tell these survivors’ stories since 2005. No one listened then, and there is a spine-tingling power in hearing their personal accounts and courage of enduring the decades-long battle to put their seemingly untouchable attacker behind bars. 

You Must Remember This: Polly Platt the Invisible Woman

Topics: Hollywood history, women’s issues, feminism, celebrity, culture

What it’s about: Karina Longworth, one of the best storytellers and reporters to grace podcasting, is back with another season exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. This time it’s to tell the story of Polly Platt, who died in 2011 but left behind a long and highly influential film career that (surprise, surprise) the world failed to give her full credit for while she was alive. Overcoming a litany of personal tragedies and rampant sexism in Hollywood throughout the ’70s-’90s, Platt was the woman you’ve never heard of behind some of the most acclaimed films from those eras. Her moment in the spotlight is long overdue, but Longworth does an incredible job making up for lost time through extensive research, interviews with those closest to Platt, and even readings from her unpublished memoirs.

Supernatural

Topics: Paranormal, conspiracy, aliens, mysterious deaths

What it’s about: True crime fans will recognize host Ashley Flowers from her wildly popular podcast Crime Junkie. Supernatural mimics that format almost to a T, but allows Flowers to investigate the more surreal and out-of-this-world cases and events that don’t fit the Crime Junkie oeuvre. There are no neat answers here, but you’ll be enthralled by her storytelling on everything from the inexplicable deaths of nine young Russian teens on a hiking trail (aka the Dyatloz Pass case) and allegedly leaked documents from the U.S. government’s top-secret task force on the 1947 Roswell crash. The FBI has called out documents related to the so-called Majestic 12 task force as fake.