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The 50 Best Podcasts to Listen to in 2021 so Far

2021 has been a crazy year but through it all, some amazing podcasts have been made. Below are my picks for the best podcasts to discover in 2021. I have put in this list all the best music, true-crime, history, and comedy podcasts. Then of course, there are my all time favorites!

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Curated by
Salvation85

Created May 12, 2021

Updated October 21, 2022

1 Like

5 Followers

  1. The Best Music Podcasts of 2021

  2. Popcast

    5
    21330
    The Popcast is hosted by Jon Caramanica, a pop music critic for The New York Times. It covers the latest in popular music criticism, trends and news. Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Downlo
    Music

  3. Cocaine & Rhinestones: The History of Country Music

    15
    51853
    Step right up. Come on in.
    MusicSociety

  4. Song Exploder

    57
    1274431
    Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writ
    Music

  5. DISGRACELAND

    24
    734117
    Disgraceland is the award-winning music podcast hosted by Jake Brennan that explores the alleged true crime antics and criminal connections of musicians we love like Jerry Lee Lewis, the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Cardi B, the G
    MusicArts

  6. Keep It!

    14
    31034
    Wherever pop culture and politics collide, Ira Madison III and Louis Virtel are on hand to examine the gorgeous wreckage from their uniquely queer perspective. Each week, our “Princes of Pop Culture” are joined by the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Hu
    +298
    SocietyCultureNews

  7. The Best History Podcast of 2021!

  8. You're Dead to Me

    43
    1146496
    The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Greg Jenner brings together the best names in comedy and history to learn and laugh about the past.
    HistoryComedy

  9. Wind of Change

    57
    1240116
    It’s 1990. The Berlin Wall just fell. The Soviet Union is on the verge of collapse. And the soundtrack to the revolution is one of the best selling songs of all time, the metal ballad “Wind of Change,” by the Scorpions. Decades later, journalis
    SocietyCultureMusic

  10. The Alarmist

    12
    71533
    Who is to blame for history's greatest tragedies? The Plague. The sinking of The Titanic. The break-up of the Beatles. Writer/Comedian Rebecca Delgado-Smith, along with a special guest, scrutinizes history’s greatest disasters to figure out wha
    ComedySociety

  11. Floodlines

    15
    63032
    Some call it Hurricane Katrina. Some call it the Federal Flood. Others call it the day the levees broke. On August 29, 2005, the city of New Orleans was submerged. That story of hubris, incompetence, and nature's wrath is now etched into the na
    HistorySociety

  12. Stuff The British Stole

    8
    31138
    Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today the Empire's loot sits in museums, galleries, private collections and burial sites with polite plaques. But its history is often messier than the plaques suggest.In each epi
    History

  13. Decoder Ring

    31
    833134
    Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.
    AnthropologySocietyCulture

  14. The Best Comedy Podcasts of 2021!

  15. How Did This Get Made?

    92
    2160712
    The award-winning comedy podcast that celebrates bad movies. Comedians and actors Paul Scheer (The League), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), and Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth) break down the very best of the worst films ever made—we’re tal
    +64
    FilmComedy

  16. The Tim Dillon Show

    16
    611105
    Tim Dillon is a comedian and tour guide. He’s very excited to give you a tour of the end of the world. Each week from a porch in Los Angeles he shares apocalyptic visions with his friends and berates a local diner.
    Comedy

  17. Making Space: The Female Frontier

    21
    Making Space: The Female Frontier spotlights the history of space exploration and the women who made it possible. From the hidden women of the Apollo program and the ones locked out of astronaut training in the 1960s, to a new generation of NAS
    ScienceSociety

  18. Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald

    30
    1714560
    You know what's long, tedious and boring? Surgery. You know what isn't? This new podcast! Join Scrubs co-stars and real-life best friends Zach Braff and Donald Faison for a weekly comedy podcast where they relive the hit TV show, one episode at
    ComedyTVFilm

  19. Segments

    12
    51040
    Jake and Amir host a constantly changing show that re-invents itself multiple times per episode. Each segment brings a completely new topic for Jake and Amir to discuss, dissect, and explore.
    ComedySociety

  20. No Such Thing As A Fish

    131
    30571.2k
    Award-winning podcast from the QI offices in which the writers of the hit BBC show discuss the best things they've found out this week.Hosted by Dan Schreiber (@schreiberland) with James Harkin (@jamesharkin), Andrew Hunter Murray (@andrewhun
    +64
    Comedy

  21. My Brother, My Brother And Me

    242
    61755.3k
    Free advice from three of the world's most qualified, most related experts: Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy. For one-half to three-quarters of an hour every Monday, we tell people how to live their lives, because we're obviously doing such a
    +11
    Comedy

  22. Judge John Hodgman

    30
    151391
    John Hodgman's Today in the Past podcast is now The Judge John Hodgman Podcast. Have your pressing issues decided by Famous Minor Television Personality John Hodgman, Certified Judge. If you'd like John Hodgman to solve your pressing issue, s
    Comedy

  23. Best Society and Culture Podcasts of 2021

  24. Have You Heard George's Podcast?

    5
    51525
    The award-winning and critically-acclaimed podcast from George the Poet delivers a fresh take on inner city life through a mix of storytelling, music and fiction.
    FictionDrama

  25. Renegades: Born in the USA

    8
    1935
    Renegades: Born in the USA is a series of conversations between President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen about their lives, music, and enduring love of America—despite all its challenges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info
    SocietyCultureMusic

  26. The Laverne Cox Show

    23
    Years ago, a therapist said in our very first session that there are only two things that we can truly control in our lives - our own perception and our own behavior. That's it. Nothing more than that.  Each week, The Laverne Cox Show will feat
    SocietyCultureEducation

  27. Nice White Parents

    32
    72690
    If you want to understand what’s wrong with our public schools, you have to look at what is arguably the most powerful force in shaping them: white parents. A five-part series from the makers of Serial and The New York Times. Hosted by Chana Jo
    SocietyCultureEducation

  28. Rumble Strip

    3
    1813
    Good conversation that takes its time, hosted by Erica Heilman.
    SocietyCulture

  29. Even the Rich

    14
    81644
    Our lives can be crazy, but you can take a break from it all with Wondery’s new series, Even the Rich, where co-hosts Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams pull back the curtain and chat about someone else’s craziness for a change. They
    SocietyCulture

  30. You're Wrong About

    115
    3362943
    Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.
    HistoryTrue Crime

  31. The Best True-Crime Podcasts of 2021

  32. The Dropout

    73
    1577178
    Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How d
    True Crime

  33. The Opportunist

    13
    71460
    The Opportunist tells true stories of regular people who turn sinister by embracing opportunity. How does an everyday person turn into a thief, a scammer or a cult leader? Perhaps the most dangerous person is the one who appears the most normal
    True Crime

  34. Mommy Doomsday

    18
    61947
    The disappearance of two of Lori Vallow’s children in Rexburg, Idaho in September 2019 would expose a bizarre trail of death, devotion and Doomsday beliefs that captivated the nation… A haunting podcast from Keith Morrison and Dateline NBC.L
    True CrimeSociety

  35. Crossfire

    25
    The untold story of Britain's role in the Trump-Russia scandal, revealed by those who saw it firsthand. Spies, lies and an election like no other.
    NewsPoliticsHistory

  36. The Doodler

    4
    21024
    The Golden State Killer. The Unabomber. Ted Bundy. You’re probably familiar with these serial killers. But in the mid-1970s, another monster terrorized San Francisco’s gay community. He was coined “The Doodler,” and he may have been responsible
    True CrimeSociety

  37. Casefile True Crime

    248
    88812.1k
    Fact is scarier than fiction. Subscribe to Casefile Premium to receive ad-free episodes released one week early, along with access to bonus Q&A’s, our exclusive show ‘Behind the Files’, and more.
    True CrimeSociety

  38. Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked

    20
    825122
    Spooked features true-life supernatural stories, told firsthand by people who can barely believe it happened themselves. Be afraid. Created in the dark of night, by Snap Judgment Studios, in partnership with KQED & PRX. It is hosted by Glynn Wa
    Arts & EntertainmentPersonal Journals

  39. Phoebe Reads a Mystery

    5
    28168
    Phoebe reads a mystery novel. Our other shows are Criminal and This is Love.
    ArtsLiterature

  40. Best Podcasts about Love

  41. Modern Love

    13
    23473
    For 20 years, the Modern Love column has given New York Times readers a glimpse into the complicated love lives of real people. Since its start, the column has evolved into a TV show, three books and a podcast.Each week, host Anna Martin brin
    RelationshipsSocietyCulture

  42. Call Your Girlfriend

    6
    16739
    A podcast for long distance besties everywhere. Co-hosted by BFFs Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. Produced by Gina Delvac. Brand new every Friday.
    +65
    SocietyCulture

  43. Best Podcasts about Medicine

  44. Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

    131
    33791.3k
    Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.
    ComedyHealth

  45. Dope Labs

    2
    3511
    Dope Labs is a new podcast from Spotify Studios hosted by best friends (and two of the dopest scientists you will ever meet), Titi and Zakiya. In each episode, they serve up scientific principles with a healthy dose of tea. From cuffing season
    ScienceSociety

  46. Best Beauty and Fashion Podcasts of 2021

  47. Fat Mascara

    2
    778
    Beauty journalists (and friends!) Jessica Matlin and Jennifer Sullivan bring you the big, juicy world of beauty twice a week. On Wednesdays, they share their insider access to the industry, discuss news and culture through the lens of beauty, a
    BeautyWellness

  48. Incredible Women

    67
    NET-A-PORTER presents Incredible WomenNET-A-PORTER presents The Powerhouses, season eight of the Incredible Women podcast, in partnership with De Beers. In this series, we sit down with a phenomenal lineup of women who are pioneering progress w
    ArtsFashionBeauty

  49. The Beauty Brains

    28
    Real scientists answer your beauty questions
    ArtsFashion

  50. Interesting Podcast Finds of 2021

  51. 10 Things That Scare Me

    5
    11113
    A tiny podcast about our biggest fears.
    SocietyCulture

  52. Something Rhymes with Purple

    14
    91041
    Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth invite you to enhance your vocabulary, uncover the hidden origins of language and share their love of words in this award-winning podcast.We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebo
    ArtsComedyEducation

  53. Philosophy Bites

    6
    457
    David Edmonds (Uehiro Centre, Oxford University) and Nigel Warburton (freelance philosopher/writer) interview top philosophers on a wide range of topics. Two books based on the series have been published by Oxford University Press. We are curre
    PhilosophyArts

  54. Dead Eyes

    22
    41559
    Actor/comedian Connor Ratliff (The Chris Gethard Show, UCB, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) embarks upon a quest to solve a very stupid mystery that has haunted him for two decades: why Tom Hanks fired him from a small role in the 2001 HBO mini-seri
    Arts & EntertainmentPersonal Journals

  55. Staying In with Emily & Kumail

    8
    2417
    In this podcast — whose profits go to charities helping those affected by Coronavirus — Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani are uniquely qualified to lead you through this forced quarantine situation. They are both writers who work from home. E
    ComedyEducation

  56. Wooden Overcoats

    227
    65159629
    Award Winning Sitcom - Start with Season 1 Episode 1Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family's failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone
    Audio DramaComedyFiction

  57. All Time Classics of 2021

  58. WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

    86
    2455901
    Marc Maron welcomes comedians, actors, directors, writers, authors, musicians and folks from all walks of life to his home for amazingly revealing conversations. Marc's probing, comprehensive interview style allows guests to express themselves
    ArtsComedy

  59. The Moth

    43
    1049965
    Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers
    +14
    StorytellingArtsPerforming Arts

  60. The Sporkful

    13
    44253
    We obsess about food to learn more about people. The Sporkful isn't for foodies, it's for eaters. Hosted by Dan Pashman, who's also the inventor of the new pasta shape cascatelli. James Beard and Webby Award winner for Best Food Podcast. A Stit
    Arts & EntertainmentArts

  61. Stuff You Should Know

    135
    321007.1k
    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
    SocietyCulture

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