Podcasts for long drives
If you’re looking to deep dive into a narrative that will get you hooked over the course of a road trip, here are a few of the best limited series podcasts that I actually listened to on road trips (or simply over the course of one whole work day).
If you just need an hour to fill some time in the car with someone who isn’t all that chatty or break up a car ride here or there, scroll to the bottom for a few single episode recommendations.
Limited Series
The story (past and present) of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist of 1990, which is still the biggest unsolved property theft ever, told by WBUR and the Boston Globe. Come for the mystery, stay for the Boston accents.
The closest I’ve ever come to believing a conspiracy theory… This is a deep dive into the wild idea that Robert Kennedy’s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was actually hypnotized by the CIA. Yes, I said HYPNOTIZED.
I’m not huge on fictional podcasts (I didn’t love Sandra), but this one was crafted so well and used the audio medium in such a unique way—I got hooked. Kelly Marie Tran voices the lead character, trying to chase down the mystery of a commercial flight that disappeared, with her brother as a passenger. Season 2 comes out this spring!
Just damn good reporting. Vann Newkirk III, (who I first heard on Another Round years ago!) hosts this limited series from The Atlantic about Hurricane Katrina. The real-time account of the storm and its immediate aftermath dovetails so wonderfully with the analysis and the accountability that the 15 years of distance can provide. And what kind of an art director would I be if I didn’t mention the amazing collage art treatment they went in on for this show. Scroll through that site!
This one is a crowd pleaser. It’s the story of a year-long NASA mission, where a crew of seven scientists from all disciplines and backgrounds are put in residence together on a remote rock in Hawaii, all to simulate a mission to Mars. It’s like a science-meets-reality show in audio format. The research, the drama, the human realness and sacrifice! You know, good, clean fun!
Brought to you by the Reply All guys, one of whom (PJ) is deathly terrified of any remotely scary movie, and the other of whom (Alex) watches horror movies for light entertainment. This is 5 episodes of PJ ( who I completely identified with) watching exceedingly scarier and scarier movies as a sort of immersion therapy to conquer his fear, while the two of them talk out these classic horror movies with the folks who made them, wrote about them, or just deeply appreciate them.
Bonus episodes if you’re just looking for an hour here or there:
Reply All: The Case of the Missing Hit
This is the most satisfying and delightful hour of podcast audio I’ve ever listened to. Truly. I’m not even going to say much more because the journey of this episode is too fabulous to spoil any of it, but if you’ve ever had a song stuck in your head that you can’t quite identify, this is for you.
You’re Wrong About: ‘Yoko Ono Broke Up The Beatles’
The most classic thing we’re all wrong about. This was the episode that had me all in on this podcast. John Lennon was actually a pretty big jerk! Yoko Ono wasn’t the greatest either but the misogyny JUMPED OUT ok?! Dang!
Bonus to the bonus:
You’re Wrong About: The Y2K Bug
If you, like me, were too young to fully understand the extent of how much the world was freaking out about how all technology was going to break at midnight on 12/31/1999, then you’ll appreciate this hour breaking down all that panic. Fascinating! Feels fun to look back on something that felt earth shattering and realize how quaint of a time that was. I’ll leave you to your happy episode downloading before I start philosophizing on the rapid tearing of the fabric of society! Cheers!
If you read to the end, here’s a tip from a gal who listens to podcasts more than music:
Overcast >>>> Apple Podcasts